Dec. 31, 2011
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The #16/17 Penn State Lady Lions (10-3, 0-1 Big Ten) continue their Big Ten slate when they travel to Wisconsin (4-9, 0-1) Monday for a meeting with the Badgers at 1 p.m. (Eastern) at the Kohl Center. The game is on WRSC locally with Jerry Fisher calling the action. The audio feed and live stats are available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
RADIO/LIVE STATS: The game is on WRSC locally with Jerry Fisher calling the action. The audio feed and live stats are available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions scored just seven points over the final 12:50 on the way to a 71-63 loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten opener Friday. Junior Alex Bentley had 22 points to go along with a career-high eight steals. Maggie Lucas tallied 18 points to go along with seven rebounds and a pair of assists, but did not score in the final 16:40. Junior center Nikki Greene came up one short of her first double-double of the season with nine points and a season-best 15 rebounds. She also rejected a pair of shots and had four steals.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN: The Badgers are 4-9 on the season and coming off of a 77-61 loss to Ohio State in its Big Ten opener. Taylor Wurtz leads Wisconsin in scoring (16.1), rebounding (8.5) and steals (1.5). Morgan Paige and Anya Covington each chip in 7.2 points per game, while Ashley Thomas adds 6.9 points and 2.9 rebounds. Covington is second on the squad in rebounding with a 6.4 average.
ALL-TIME VS. THE BADGERS: After dominating the first 28 games of the series, the Lady Lions have lost five of the last seven games to Wisconsin. In the only meeting between the teams last season, Penn State dropped a 77-62 decision. The Lady Lions are 8-8 all-time in Madison and have lost four of their last five at the Kohl Center.
LAST TIME VS. UW: The Lady Lions fell victim to a hot-shooting Wisconsin team in a 77-62 loss at the Kohl Center Jan. 2, 2011. The Badgers shot 51.9% (27-52) from the field, including a blistering 57.1% (8-14) from three-point range. Nikki Greene filled the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while Zhaque Gray was 5-for-10 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range en route to her 12 tallies. Julia Trogele had a solid outing with eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
A THIEF NAMED ALEX: Junior guard Alex Bentley registered a career-high eight steals in the Big Ten opener against Nebraska Dec. 30. Her eight thefts are the most by a Lady Lion since Kelly Mazzante had eight steals against Fairfield on Dec. 2, 2001 and were just two shy of the school's single-game record set three times by Suzie McConnell.
LUCAS SURPASSES 800 POINTS: Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas reached the 800-point mark for her career with 18 tallies against Nebraska on Dec. 30. It took Lucas just for games to get from 700 points to 800 markers.
BENTLEY MOVES INTO TOP 30: With 22 points against Nebraska Dec. 30, junior guard Alex Bentley moved into the Top 30 on Penn State's career scoring list. She passed Nancy Kuhl (1,061; 1975-79) for 30th place on Penn State's career scoring list. Bentley now has 1,073 career points. She need 21 points to tie Brianne O'Rourke (1,084; 2005-09) for 29th place .
STRUGGLES FROM THE FIELD: The Lady Lions were held to just seven points in the final 12:50 in the loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten opener Dec. 30. Penn State shot just 29.4% from the field, including a 23.3% effort in the second half. It was the worst shooting percentage since the Lady Lions connected on just 27.3% of their shots against Wisconsin on Feb. 25, 2010.
NICKSON RETURNS: After missing the six games with a concussion, junior Mia Nickson returned to the Lady Lion lineup against Nebraska Dec. 30. She accounted for four points, seven rebounds and a steal against the Cornhuskers. Nickson also missed a pair of games earlier in the season with concussion-like symptoms.
GREENE MOVING UP CHARTS: Junior center Nikki Greene is steadily moving up the career charts after pulling in 15 rebounds against Nebraska. Greene now has 563 career rebounds and is tied with Kelly Mazzante for 23rd on the all-time chart. Greene needs 21 rebounds to move past Kim Calhoun (583; 1993-96) for 22nd place. Additionally, Greene is in sixth place on the Penn State career blocks list with 148 rejections. She needs 25 blocks to move into the Top 5 all-time.
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.
20-POINT STREAK FOR LUCAS: Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas had her string of four consecutive 20-point games snapped against Nebraska Dec. 30. Lucas had 22 points at Bucknell Dec. 21, 23 markers against Wagner Dec. 18, 20 points each against UMES (Dec. 11) and Virginia Tech (Dec. 6).
The Lady Lions return 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 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.