Nov. 18, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The ninth-ranked Penn State Lady Lions (3-0) used a balanced offensive attack and runs of 20-0, 14-0 and 9-0 to earn a 75-34 victory over Lafayette Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center. Senior Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) and junior Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) each netted 12 points in the victory. Lucas tallied nine rebounds falling just short of her second career double-double.
Every Lady Lion player recorded at least three points while nine of the 10 active players scored five or more. Junior Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) chipped in nine points to go along with six rebounds and a block. Senior point guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) added eight points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Senior Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) saw just 10 minutes but was effective, scoring six points, grabbing six boards and blocking three shots. Freshman Candice Agee (Victorville, Calif.) scored her first career points, tallying seven to go along with four rebounds and a block, while sophomore Tori Waldner (Milton, Ga.) and senior Gizelle Studevent (La Jolla, Calif.) each added seven points.
The Lady Lions jumped out to a 14-0 run to begin the game. Nickson started the contest with a turnaround jumper and two free throws to score four of Penn State's first five points. An Edwards put back on a missed Lucas layup and a Greene layup gave the Lady Lions a 9-0 advantage. Lucas went on to score the next five points on a lay in and a step-back three-pointer. Lafayette ended the run at 15:31 as Annette Snow hit a baseline jumper.
Later in the half with the Lady Lions leading 21-6 at the 11-minute mark, Penn State put together a 9-0 run. Nickson started it off with a layup and the foul for a three-point play. Greene went on to score the next four points on a shot fake up and under followed by a floater in the paint. A Bentley bank shot and Waldner lay in capped of the 9-0 run to give Penn State 32-8 lead with 6:52 remaining in the half.
Agee, who scored her first collegiate point on a free throw at the 13:20 mark, would score four-straight Penn State points to give the Lady Lions a 36-8 advantage with 1:55 to go in the first stanza. Bentley closed the half with the final four points on two free throws and a steal and layup to send the Lady Lions into the locker room with a 42-12 lead.
The Lady Lions got off to a slow start in the second staff as the Leopards outscored Penn State by a 9-4 count. However, Penn State would account for its largest run of the game beginning at the 12:11 mark. Studevent started things with a free throw and a baseline jumper off a big Agee rejection on the other end of the floor. Following a Waldner layup, Agee grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back with a hook shot in the lane. Penn State's next four points came on transition layups from Lucas and Bentley. Edwards converted on one of two free throws before Lucas and junior Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa.) nailed field goals to give the Lady Lions a 62-23 lead with 7:15 remaining in the game. Lucas hit her second three-pointer of the game to up the lead to 65-23. A Dara Taylor (Wilmington, Del.) free throw capped off a 20-0 run, as the Lady Lions held the Leopards scoreless for seven-plus minutes.
Penn State closed out the game on a 9-6 run. Nickson gave the Lady Lions a 69-28 lead on an old-fashioned three-point play. Studevent tallied her seventh point and Edwards converted on a layup to give the Lady Lions a 73-34 advantage. East and Edwards each made a free throw, resulting in a final score of 75-34.
GAME NOTES: Penn State improved to 20-0 all-time against Patriot League opponents ... The Lady Lions extended their home non-conference win streak to nine games ... Penn State is 3-0 for the sixth time in the last seven years ... The Lady Lions are 3-0 for the fifth time under head coach Coquese Washington ... Penn State held a team to fewer than 40 points for the first time since Virginia Tech Dec. 6, 2011 (28 points) ... The Lady Lions grabbed at least 50 rebounds (57) for the first time since Ohio State (60) Feb. 20, 2012 ... Penn State forced the most turnovers (27) since generating 26 against Nebraska Dec. 30, 2011 ... Penn State won by at least 41 points for the first since defeating Wagner by a 61-point margin Dec. 18, 2011 ... Mia Nickson recorded 12 points to give her 603 in a Penn State uniform ... Nickson gathered six rebounds to give her 504 in her career ... Ariel Edwards gathered six rebounds to give her 202 in her career . Maggie Lucas made two three-point field goals to give her 201 in her career, joining Kelly Mazzante and Lisa Shepherd as only Lady Lions to record at least 200 three-point field goals ... Lucas moved into 22nd place on the career scoring list (1,249) ... Lucas tied a career high with four steals ... Candice Agee recorded the first points of her collegiate career ... Agee finished with career-highs in points (7), rebounds (4), minutes (18), field goals made (3), field goals attempted (5), free throws made (1), free throws attempted (2) ... Tori Waldner tied her career high with six points and three made field-goals ... Alex Bentley made her 100th career start in today's game. She is the 12th player in school history with 100 career starts and joins teammate Nikki Greene on the list.
Penn State next heads to California for the Radisson Hotel Chatsworth Thanksgiving Tournament in Northridge. PSU faces Detroit in the first round on Friday and will face either the host Matadors or South Alabama on Saturday. The Lady Lions will remain on the road for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 29 when they travel to Miami (Fla.). Go to www.GoPSUsports.com/promotions/wbb.html for complete promotions information.
Single game tickets for the Lady Lions are on sale now. Tickets are $15 and $12 for adults and seniors and $9 and $7 for youth (12 and younger). Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are still available by calling 1-800-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 2013 Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24 as the Lady Lions take on Michigan in the Bryce Jordan Center. Last year, the Lady Lions donated a record $203,000 to 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.pennsylvaniapinkzone.org.
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.