Jan. 24, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The No. 18/19 Penn State Lady Lions (15-4, 5-2) hit the road for a five-day trek to the state of Michigan where the Lady Lions meet the Wolverines (16-4, 5-2) Thursday at 7 p.m. in Crisler Arena. The game will stream live on BTN.com. The game is also on the Penn State Sports Network and ESPN Radio 1450 locally with Jerry Fisher and Brian Tripp calling the action. The audio feed is available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
TELEVISION: The game air as a "Student U" broadcast on Friday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
WEBCAST: The game will stream live on BTN.com.
RADIO/LIVE STATS: The game is on the Penn State Sports Network and ESPN Radio 1450 locally with Jerry Fisher and Brian Tripp calling the action. The audio feed is available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions used a 20-2 run over the final 6:32 to erase a two-point deficit and claim a 68-52 victory over Iowa Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Sophomore forward Ariel Edwards posted her first career double-double with a personal bests of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Alex Bentley led the Lions with 21 points and tied her career-best with seven boards. Bentley also nabbed six steals, including three on Iowa's first three possessions of the game. Junior forward Nikki Greene led the Lady Lions with 13 rebounds to go along with five points.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN: The Wolverines are 16-4 overall and 5-2 in Big Ten play. Michigan is riding a three-game winning streak with victories over Minnesota, Northwestern and Indiana. Rachel Sheffer leads a balanced offensive attack with a team-best 13.1 scoring average. Courtney Boylan also averages double figures at a 12.9 per game clip, while Jenny Ryan leads the team in rebounding (6.3), assists (4.5) and steals (3.4).
ALL-TIME VS. THE WOLVERINES: The Lady Lions are 27-9 all-time against Michigan, including a 12-5 mark in games played in Ann Arbor. Penn State is just 2-3 in the last give games in Crisler Arena. The Lady Lions picked up a 78-63 win over the Wolverines at the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 12, thanks in part to a 22-point game by Maggie Lucas.
LAST TIME VS. UM: The Lady Lions shot 55.4% from the field and earned a convincing 78-63 victory against Michigan on Jan. 12. Sophomore Maggie Lucas posted her ninth 20-point game of the season with 22 tallies to pace the Lady Lions. She also added five assists and three steals. Senior Zhaque Gray totaled 15 points with four rebounds, while junior Alex Bentley had 12 points, a team-best six assists and four steals.
PERFECT ROAD START: The Lady Lions are off to a 3-0 start on the road in the Big Ten for the first time since 2004-05 when that squad also started 3-0.
400 HELPERS: Junior guard Alex Bentley became just the 11th player in school history to reach 400 assists with two assists against Iowa Jan. 22. She is currently ranked 11th on Penn State's career assists chart with 401 career assists. Bentley needs 10 dimes to move into the Top 10.
ARI'S DOUBLE DUTY: Sophomore guard/forward Ariel Edwards posted her first career double-double in the win over Iowa on Jan. 22 with career highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Her previous career-best in points was 16 at Oakland (11/18/10) and her previous high in rebounds was nine vs. UMES (12/11/11).
LUCAS HELD TO SINGLE DIGITS: Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas scored seven points in the win over Iowa Jan. 22, marking just the seventh time in her career that she finished with less than 10 tallies. It is the first time that Lucas did not reach double digits since scoring seven points in the NCAA Tournament matchup with DePaul (3/21/11).
BENTLEY CLIMBS THEFTS LIST: With six steals versus Iowa Jan. 22, junior guard Alex Bentley moved into 17th place on Penn State's career steals chart with 181 career thefts. She passed Susan Robinson (180; 1989-92) for the spot. Bentley needs one steal to tie Dana Eikenberg (182; 1989-92) and Vanessa Paynter (182; 1984-87) for 15th spot.
BENTLEY MOVES INTO 26TH IN SCORING: With 21 points against Iowa Jan. 22, junior guard Alex Bentley moved past Jess Brungo (1,142; 2001-04) for 26th place on Penn State's career scoring list. Bentley needs six points to tie Lisa Faloon (1,162; 1984-87) for 25th spot.
The Lady Lions continue their road swing in the state of Michigan when they visit the Spartans Sunday, a game which will be televised on ESPN2. Penn State is back in the BJC to meet Indiana on Thursday, Feb. 2 for THON night at 7 p.m. Single game tickets and PNC Flex Books are available by calling 800-NITTANY. PNC Flex Books are $99 and give fans 12 vouchers, including one for the Coaches vs. Cancer game and one for the Pink Zone game, which can be redeemed for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets in any combination. 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 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.