Dec. 10, 2012
By Mike Esse, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Maggie Lucas has already put together some impressive career numbers in just over two years in a Lady Lion uniform. Her performance Sunday against Georgetown (7-3) may hold the top spot on that list as she shattered the Bryce Jordan Center scoring record with a career-high 39-point performance leading Penn State (7-2) to a 97-74 win over the Hoyas.
Penn State was able to open the game up at the 15:49 mark when a Lucas three pointer put them ahead of Georgetown 11-9. On Georgetown's next possession Lucas stripped Sydney Wilson, which lead to an easy transition layup. Just 21 seconds later, Talia East knocked the ball away from Sugar Rodgers of Georgetown and hit Lucas in transition to cap off a personal 7-0 run for the junior.
The Lady Lions' constant defensive pressure led to a fast start offensively not only for Lucas, but for the team as a whole.
"I just tried to get out in the passing lanes," said Lucas. "I think all our guards did and we denied the ball a lot. Ariel (Edwards) and Dara (Taylor) did a great job on Sugar Rodgers, which will always lead to offense for us."
Lucas started the game by scoring 17 of Penn State's first 24 points, knocking down four three pointers just eight minutes into the first half. Not only did Lucas have good looks at the basket early, but they were open looks, something that came as a surprise to the junior guard.
"We said the corners were going to be open," said Lucas. "We said we would move the ball fast and there would be a lot of openings, but it was shocking to get that many (open shots)."
With 12:18 remaining in the first half, Lucas was beginning to catch fire and point guard Alex Bentley knew what she had to do when she had the ball.
"Just keep getting her that rock," said Bentley. "I am always looking for her, especially when she's hot. That girl can shoot."
Lucas finished the half with 26 points, shooting 50 percent from the field, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Georgetown as a team tallied 25 points of their own shooting 3-for-11 from three point land.
Georgetown head coach Keith Brown knew that Penn State featured two prolific scoring guards, Bentley and Lucas, and knew it would be tough to contain both of them. Brown was able to see what Lucas did her in AAU days when he was an AAU coach, but the performance she put out today showed her consistent growth since arriving at Penn State.
"She's always been a good shooter," said Brown. "The staff here at Penn State has shown her how to get open without the ball. When she's open, she's in the shot and I think that's what makes her so special."
Lucas ended up with 39 points, five rebounds and a career-high six steals in 33 minutes of play against the Hoyas. Her seven three pointers made tied the Bryce Jordan Center record that she already shared with Penn Staters Adrienne Squire and Kelly Mazzante.
The 39 point performance was the third time Lucas eclipsed the 30-point plateau in her career, becoming the first Lady Lion to score more than 35 since Mazzante did in March of 2003. However, Lucas deflected all of the praise for her record-breaking day.
"It feels good, but it is about the team," said Lucas. "It is a team thing."
Her team played a big part as to why there were so many open looks in the first half, especially after they were able to adjust to the zone Georgetown presented at the beginning of the half. Once the adjustment was made, Lucas began to get open and her teammates put the ball in their leading scorer's hands.
"When we moved the ball and made the zone shift, Maggie was on the backside a lot of the time and she got wide open," said Penn State head coach Coquese Washington. "She's just such a good shooter that if she gets that wide open she's going to make a lot of them."
Penn State will head to Virginia Tech on Wednesday before returning home to the Bryce Jordan Center on Dec. 16 against South Dakota State.
--NITTANTY LIONS--