Dec. 21, 2011
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LEWISBURG, PA. - The #16/16 Penn State Lady Lions (10-2, 0-0 Big Ten) shot 50% (30-60) from the field and had all nine players score for the fourth consecutive game as the Lady Lions posted a 78-54 win over Bucknell (2-10, 0-0 Patriot) to close the non-conference schedule Wednesday night. The Lady Lions finish the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 10-2, marking the second consecutive year that Penn State has 10 or more non-conference wins. It is also the third time since joining the Big Ten that Penn State has posted double-digit wins in the non-conference schedule.
Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) was 7-for-10 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range on the way to a game-best 22 points. It is the fourth-straight 20-point game for Lucas and her sixth in the last seven games. Lucas also pulled in four rebounds and dished out three assists. Junior center Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, while fellow junior Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 11 tallies, seven assists and four steals.
Lucas gave the Lady Lions the early lead with a jumper 34 seconds into the game as Penn State scored seven of the game's first nine points to establish a 7-2 three minutes into the game. The Bison scored four of the next six points to close within three points (9-6), but the Lady Lions went on a 7-1 spurt thanks to a three-pointer by Lucas, a bucket by Bentley and a layup by Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) to push the lead to nine at 16-7 with 13:40 left.
After a pair of Bucknell scores, the Lady Lions clicked off a 9-0 with a pair of free throws by Marisa Wolfe (Ford City, Pa.), a backdoor feed from Tori Waldner (Milton, Ga.) to Bentley, a three-pointer by Lucas and capped off by a steal and layup for Bentley to take a 25-11 lead with seven minutes to play. The Bison scored four of the next six points to close within 12 (27-15), but five consecutive points by Lucas pushed the margin to 32-15 with 3:15 to play. The squads exchanged scores to send the teams into the locker room with Penn State leading 34-18.
Lucas led all scorers with 15 points in the opening frame, including a 3-for-3 mark from three-point range. Bentley added nine points with four assists and a pair of steals, while Greene added four points and seven rebounds. The Lady Lions notched seven steals on 11 Bucknell turnovers in the opening frame.
The Bison scored four of the first six points in the second half to close within 14 (36-22), but Lucas' three-pointer kicked off a 10-2 Penn State run to make it 46-24 with 16:25 left. Edwards capped the run with her second three-pointer of the season. After a Bison three-pointer, a layup by Greene and three-pointer by Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) extended the lead to 51-27 with 15:16 left. Bucknell closed the gap with a 6-2 spurt but the Lady Lions responded with five straight points to push it to a 25-point margin (58-33) with less than 12 minutes remaining. The lead held steady for the rest of the game and the Lady Lions went away with the 24-point win (78-54).
GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions finish the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 10-2 mark, it is the second consecutive year that Penn State has 10 or more non-conference wins ... It is also the third time since joining the Big Ten that Penn State has posted double-digit wins in the non-conference schedule ... Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas posted her fourth consecutive 20-point game and sixth in her last seven games with 22 markers ... Junior Marisa Wolfe surpassed the 200-point mark for her career with nine tallies, bringing her career total to (205) ... The Lady Lions are now 12-0 all-time against Bucknell ... Penn State is 19-0 all-time against Patriot League schools ... All nine Lady Lions scored for the fourth consecutive game.
After a break for the holiday, the Lady Lions open the Big Ten slate at home against conference newcomer Nebraska on Friday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. The 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. Additionally, there will be a Kids FunZone on the concourse. Lady Lion Basketball single-game tickets are available by calling 800-NITTANY. 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.