Sept. 15, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Lady Lion basketball team is ranked 12th in the "Sporting News" preseason poll and sophomore guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) is a preseason third team All-American, according to the magazine. Penn State is the highest ranked of the three Big Ten teams (Purdue, Michigan State) in the preseason Top 25. The Lady Lions return four of five starters and 10 letterwinners from a team that finished 25-10 overall and in second place in the Big Ten.
Lucas garnered 2011 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 2011 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year accolades after a record-breaking rookie campaign. The Narberth, Pa. native shattered the Big Ten and Penn State single-season record for three-pointers (112) and also broke Kelly Mazzante's Penn State freshman season scoring record with 552 tallies. The All-Big Ten third team choice finished fourth in the NCAA in three-point field goals made and 11th in three-point field goal percentage. Additionally, Lucas was seventh in the conference in scoring with a 15.8 average.
Junior All-Big Ten selections Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) lead the list of returning starters. Bentley took home first team All-Big Ten honors after a solid sophomore campaign. The Indianapolis native is on the 2012 Wade Watch List after finishing in the Top 15 in the Big Ten in scoring (12th/14.4), assists (2nd/5.0), field goal percentage (14th/.446), free throw percentage (11th/.798) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4th/1.7). Greene became one of the top shot-blocking forces in the conference en route to Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors. She tallied a career-best 75 rejections, which is sixth on the Penn State single-season list, and is the seventh player in school history with 100 blocks. The All-Big Ten honorable mention choice also accounted for 7.8 rebounds per game to rank sixth in the Big Ten.
The Lady Lions also return starters Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) and Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.). Nickson tallied 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 27 starts for the Lions. She was ninth in the Big Ten in rebounding and 14th in free throw percentage (.795). Gray made a marked improvement between her sophomore and junior years as she improved on her three-point shooting by 11% (.303 to .414) and her field goal shooting by 8.5% (.338 to .423). With a 9.5 scoring average, the Chicago native also nearly doubled her scoring output to finish fourth on the team.
Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are available by calling 814-867-2557. Season tickets are $117 for adults, $52 for youth and $91 for seniors. The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 10 vouchers that can be redeemed for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets in any combination.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.