Dec. 28, 2011
Nebraska Game Notes (12/31/11)
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - After a holiday break, the #16/17 Penn State Lady Lions (10-2, 0-0 Big Ten) return to action with their Big Ten opener against #23/RV Nebraska (11-1, 0-0) Friday at 7 p.m., in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game is a Subway Full Court 4-Pack, fans get four reserved game tickets, one voucher good for four 6-inch subs at any of seven State College Subway locations, and one voucher good for four soft drinks at the BJC, for just $40. Additionally, any child (8th grade and younger) will get a FREE ticket if they bring a coloring page from the Big Froggy 101 or Majic 99 websites.
PROMOTIONS: The game is a Subway Full Court 4-Pack, fans get four reserved game tickets, one voucher good for four 6-inch subs at any of seven State College Subway locations, and one voucher good for four soft drinks at the BJC, for just $40. 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. As always, Penn State students get in for free with ID. Additionally, there will be a Kids FunZone on the concourse with face painters, caricature artists, airbrush tattoos and a create-a-sign station. Penn State faculty/staff members and their families will get a $5 ticket with ID. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gate just by showing a valid Penn State Faculty/Staff ID. Offer not valid by phone. Additionally, any child (8th grade and younger) will get a FREE ticket if they bring a coloring page from the Big Froggy 101 or Majic 99 websites. As always, Penn State students get in for free with ID.
GIVEAWAY: Fans will get a Lady Lion Basketball ruler and pencil set at the door.
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 #16/16 Lady Lions 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 to close the non-conference schedule. Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas 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. Junior center Nikki Greene narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, while fellow junior Alex Bentley added 11 tallies, seven assists and four steals.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers are 11-1 overall and ranked 24th in the Associated Press poll. Jordan Hooper leads the strong Nebraska offensive attack with a 20.4 scoring average to go along with 9.0 rebounds per game. Lindsey Moore is connecting on 50.0% of her shots while chipping in 16.3 points per game. The Huskers are outscoring their opponents by 20.9 points and forcing 11.0 steals per game.
ALL-TIME VS. THE CORNHUSKERS: The Lady Lions are 2-0 all-time against Nebraska with a 102-66 win in University Park on Jan. 2, 1993 and an 83-64 decision over the Cornhuskers at the Surf & Slam Tournament in San Diego on Dec. 30, 2002.
LAST TIME VS. UN: Ironically, the last meeting between the Lady Lions and Huskers took place nine years ago to the day when Kelly Mazzante scored 24 points and pulled in seven rebounds to lead Penn State to the Surf & Slam title with an 83-64 victory over Nebraska on Dec. 30, 2002. Jess Strom also added 20 points to go along with seven assists and four steals.
BIG TEN BEGINNERS: The Lady Lions kick off their 20th Big Ten Conference slate against conference newcomer Nebraska. The Lady Lions are 11-8 all-time in Big Ten openers. Penn State snapped a five-game losing streak in Big Ten openers with a 68-59 win over Iowa last season. The Lady Lions own a 14-5 mark in conference home openers.
BIG TEN NEWBIES MEET: Friday's game features a meeting between the two newest additions to the Big Ten Conference. The Lady Lions were added to the league in the 1992-93 season, while the Cornhuskers became the 12th member of the Big Ten this year.
SOLID NON-CON SEASON: The Lady Lions posted their second consecutive double-digit non-conference win total with a victory at Bucknell Dec. 21. Penn State finished 10-2 in the non-conference slate to post just their third non-conference double figure win total since joining the Big Ten in 1992-93 (10 - 2002-03; 11 - 2010-11).
LUCAS NOTCHES ANOTHER 3S RECORD: Maggie Lucas added her name to another Penn State three-pointers record with a perfect 4-for-4 effort from long range against Bucknell Dec. 21 to tie the school record for three-point field goal percentage (min. 4 att.). It was the first perfect performance from downtown (min. 4 att.) for the Lady Lions since Jess Brungo was 5-for-5 at Clemson on Dec. 7, 2002. Lucas shares the record with Brungo's Clemson performance and a 4-for-4 mark versus Illinois (2/15/01) and Lisa Faloon's 4-for-4 day versus Rhode Island (2/28/87).
ANOTHER 20-POINTER FOR LUCAS: Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas posted her fourth consecutive 20-point game with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting at Bucknell Dec. 28. Lucas has also reached at least 20 tallies in six of the last seven games.
TWO TICKET PACKAGES: The Lady Lions have made two additional ticket packages available for fans to enjoy this season with the Michigan 2-Play and the Starting 5 Pack. Both packages, in addition to PNC Flex Books and single-game tickets, are available by calling 800-NITTANY. The Michigan 2-Play will give fans tickets to see the Lady Lion face perennial Big Ten contender Michigan State on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. and an up-and-coming Michigan team on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. for just $18. The Starting 5 Pack is $49 and features tickets to three games of the buyer's choice, a ticket for the Ohio State ESPN2 Big Monday game on Monday, Feb. 20 and a ticket for the Pink Zone game against Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 26.
The Lady Lions visit Wisconsin on Jan. 2 before returning home to meet Michigan State on Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. in a CBS game. The game is a Subway Full Court 4-Pack where fans can get four tickets, a voucher for four Subway subs and four sodas for $40. Also, Penn State Alumni Association members can get tickets for $5. 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.