Sept. 18, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. -
Penn State Lady Lion guards Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Maggie Lucas (Narbeth, Pa.) are among 25 players that have been named to the "Wade Watch" list for the State Farm® Wade Trophy, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today. Bentley and Lucas are two of the five Big Ten players on the preseason list, which also includes Ohio State's Tayler Hill and the Nebraska duo of Jordan Hooper and Lindsey Moore.
Bentley, who is one of 34 Lady Lions to score 1,000 career points, is on the Wade Watch for the second consecutive season. The senior is coming off an outstanding 2011-12 campaign where she was selected All-Big Ten first team for the second time in her career and garnered WBCA All-America Honorable Mention accolades. The point guard currently sits 10th on Penn State's career assists chart (455), 15th in scoring (1,335) and 12th in steals (216). Bentley is the first Lady Lion to lead the conference in steals (3.1) since Jess Strom led the league in 2003-04 and 2004-05.
Lucas, who was named Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press last year, was also selected to the All-Big Ten first team accolades in 2011-12. The junior became just the third sophomore in school history and 11th-fastest player in Big Ten history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Additionally, Lucas was third in the conference and 20th in the NCAA in scoring with a 19.5 scoring. With 642 points last year, she is the fourth person in school history to surpass the 600-point mark in a season, joining Suzie McConnell (1988), Susan Robinson (1990) and Kelly Mazzante (three times). The Narberth, Pa., native leads the Lady Lions' career free throw percentage chart (.881) entering her junior campaign and sits third in school history in career three-pointers list (194) and 25th in career scoring list (1,194).
Now in its 36th year, the State Farm Wade Trophy is named in honor of the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. Regarded as "The Heisman of Women's Basketball," the award is presented annually to the NCAA® Division I Player of the Year by the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) and the WBCA.
The preseason list is composed of top NCAA Division I women's basketball players who best embody Wade's spirit from 18 institutions and eight conferences. A committee of coaches, administrators and media from across the United States compiled the list using the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.
About State Farm®
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
About the NAGWS
The National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) was established to develop and deliver equitable and quality sport opportunities for ALL girls and women through relevant research, advocacy, leadership development, educational strategies, and programming in a manner that promotes social justice and change.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For more information on the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.
Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are available by calling 800-NITTANY. Season tickets are $99 for adults and $50 for youth (12 and under), this includes a Nittany Lion Kids Club Membership for 2012-13. The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game and the Lady Lions' Pink Zone game.
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.
2012 Wade Trophy Watch List
Player, Institution
Alex Bentley,Penn State
Heather Butler, UT Martin
Carolyn Davis, Kansas
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame
Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut
Christina Foggie, Vanderbilt
Chassidy Fussell, Texas
Angel Goodrich, Kansas
Chelsea Gray, Duke
Brittney Griner, Baylor
Bria Hartley, Connecticut
Tayler Hill, Ohio State
Jordan Hooper, Nebraska
Maggie Lucas, Penn State
Anna Martin, DePaul
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Lindsey Moore, Nebraska
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Connecticut
Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown
Shoni Schimmel, Louisville
Odyssey Sims, Baylor
Alyssa Thomas, Maryland
Elizabeth Williams, Duke