Dec. 16, 2011
VIDEO FEATURE: Lady Lion Role Players Stepping Up
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The #16/18 Penn State Lady Lions (8-2, 0-0 Big Ten) close out the home portion of their non-conference schedule Sunday when they take on Wagner (2-7, 1-1 NEC) at 1 p.m. as the front-end of a women's and men's doubleheader with the men's team facing Mount St. Mary's at 4 p.m. Tickets to the game will be $5 general admission to see both games. Additionally, the Lady Lions will hold a book drive in which fans that donate a new or gently used book will receive a voucher to participate in the postgame autograph session with four Lady Lions.
PROMOTIONS: There is a $5 general admission ticket to see both the women's and men's game. Additionally, there will be a Kids FunZone on the concourse with face painters, caricature artists, balloon artists, airbrush tattoos, a create-a-sign station and photos with Santa. Sunday the Lady Lions will also hold a book drive in which fans that donate a new or gently used book will receive a voucher to participate in the postgame autograph session with four Lady Lions. As always, Penn State students get in for free with ID.
GIVEAWAY: Fans will get a Lady Lion Basketball bookmark at the door as part of Library Day.
RADIO/LIVE STATS: The game is on the Penn State Sports Network and ESPN 1450 locally with Jerry Fisher and Brian Tripp calling the action. The audio feed and live stats are available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions limited UMES to just a 17.9% (7-39) field goal percentage in the second half and held the Lady Hawks without a field goal for the final 3:59 to secure a 76-51 win Dec. 11. Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas led the way with a game-high 20 points, while also leading the team with three steals to go along with five rebounds. Junior Nikki Greene was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field on the way to 13 points, four rebounds and three blocks, while Alex Bentley narrowly missed her second career double-double with 11 points and nine assists. Freshman Tori Waldner and sophomore Ariel Edwards each posted career high in rebounds with nine apiece. Waldner also chipped in four points and a pair of blocks, while Edwards added seven points.
SCOUTING WAGNER: The Seahawks are 2-7 overall and 1-1 in conference play with wins over Columbia and St. Francis (N.Y.). Kelly Clark is the lone Wagner player averaging double figures with a 14.7 scoring average. She also pulls in a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game. Jacqui Thompson chips in 7.0 points per game, while Marie-Laurence Archambault accounts for 6.7 per outing.
ALL-TIME VS. THE SEAHAWKS: This is the first-ever meeting on the hardwood between the Lady Lions and Wagner. Penn State is 9-1 all-time against Northeast Conference opponents with the last game coming against Monmouth, a 67-42 Penn State win on Dec. 9, 2009.
PERFECT FROM THE FIELD: Junior center Nikki Greene has made her last 11 shots from the field after going 5-for-5 in the second half against Virginia Tech and 6-for-6 versus UMES. The performance against the Lady Lions was just the second perfect effort from the field by Greene. Her other perfect outing was when she made her only shot from the field against Minnesota her freshman season (Dec. 6, 2009).
LUCAS CHANGES HER GAME: Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas has become more than just a three-point threat for the Lady Lions. In a comparison of the first 10 games of her rookie campaign and 10 games this year, Lucas has scored more points (186-165) despite making eight less three-pointers than a year ago (23-31). Additionally, Lucas has been more of a threat off the dribble, heading to the free throw line twice as often as she did last season through 10 games (58-29). Here is a 10-game comparison of Lucas' key stats:
| Year | Pts. | 3FGM | 3FGA | FTM | Reb. | Asst. |
| Frosh. | 165 | 31 | 73 | 28 | 32 | 14 |
| Soph. | 186 | 23 | 66 | 47 | 45 | 23 |
LADY LIONS IN THE RPI: The Lady Lions are highly ranked in many of the RPI reports across the country. Penn State is 11th in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI and is 13th in the Jeff Sagarin Ratings with a strength of schedule that is 40th in the country. The Lady Lions are also 11th in the Real Time RPI poll with the 27th-ranked strength of schedule.
GRAY INTO TOP 10: Senior Zhaque Gray moved into the Top 10 in the Penn State three-point field goals record books with a triple against UMES Dec. 11. Gray moved into a tie with Jess Brungo for 10th place in all-time three-point field goals made (117). She needs a pair of triples to move into ninth place.
GREENE MOVES UP CHARTS: Junior center Nikki Greene moved up a pair of career charts after pulling in four rebounds and blocking three shots against UMES Dec. 11. Greene now has 531 career rebounds to move into a tie with Lorraine McGirt for 24th place on the all-time chart. Greene needs 33 rebounds to move past Kelly Mazzante (563; 2001-04) for 23rd place. Additionally, Greene passed Tina Henry for sole possession of sixth place on the Penn State career blocks list with 143 rejections. She needs 30 blocks to move into the Top 5 all-time.
GRABBING BOARDS: Freshman Tori Waldner and sophomore Ariel Edwards each snared a career-high nine rebounds in the win over UMES Dec. 11. In addition to her nine caroms, Waldner tied her career-high two blocks and played a personal-best 21 minutes. Edwards also dished out a career-best three assists in the win.
The Lady Lions travel to Bucknell to meet the Bison in their non-conference finale Wednesday. Penn State returns to the BJC to face Big Ten newcomer Nebraska on Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. That game will be a Subway Full Court 4-Pack where fans can get four tickets, a voucher for four Subway subs and four sodas for $40. 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. Single game tickets go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 11. PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, including one for the Coaches vs. Cancer game and one for the Pink Zone game, that can be redeemed for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets in any combination.
The 2012 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 as the Lady Lions take on Minnesota in the Bryce Jordan Center. Last year, the Lady Lions donated nearly $200,000 for breast cancer causes. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital and Lewistown Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. The WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pinkzoneatpennstate.
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.