Aug 26, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - For the third consecutive season, the Penn State Lady Lions will be featured on ESPN2's Big Monday presented by Bud Light. This season, the Lady Lions will travel to Nebraska for their Big Monday game on February 24 at 7 p.m. Last year, Penn State hosted Purdue in a Big Monday contest and in 2012, the Lady Lions faced Ohio State.
ESPN's Big Monday presented by Bud Light will run from January 13 to March 3 and will included a pair of doubleheaders. All games will be accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on All games will be accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and on Apple TV to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
The complete Big Ten schedule will be announced at a later date.
The Lady Lions won their second-straight Big Ten regular season title with a 26-6 overall record and 14-2 mark in conference play last season. Guided by the two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year in Washington, Penn State will return the 2013 Big Ten Player of the Year Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) and Big Ten All-Defensive team choice Dara Taylor (Wilmington, Del.). The Lady Lions will also add an eight-player recruiting class that ranks in the Top 10 in the country.
Lucas is coming off of an outstanding junior campaign that saw her take home top conference honors, as well as All-America accolades from the WBCA, Associated Press, USBWA and Full Court. The Narberth, Pa. native averaged 20.1 points per game to finish third in the Big Ten and 16th nationally. Lucas also finished in the Top 10 in the country in three-point field goal percentage (4th- .462) and free throw percentage (9th - 90.0) and was 11th in three-point field goals made (3.06).
Taylor made an immediate impact for the Lady Lions, finishing second on the team and fifth in the Big Ten in steals with a 2.4 per game average. She also finished in the Top 10 in the league in assists (10th - 3.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (9th - 1.2). She also contributed 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Penn State also returns rising seniors Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) and Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa.). Edwards accounted for 7.9 points and 3.2 rebounds a year ago, while East contributed 2.2 points and 3.1 rebounds. East had a solid NCAA Tournament, averaging 4.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in a pair of games.
The Lady Lions will add eight new faces on the roster next season in guards Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.) and Keke Sevillian (Goodrich, Mich.), swing players Jenny DeGraaf (Springboro, Ohio), Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.), Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.), forward Alex Harris (Lorain, Ohio) and center Infiniti Alston (Baltimore, Md.), who signed National Letters of Intent in November, as well as Sierra Moore (York, Pa.), who will sit out the 2013-14 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
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.
2014 ESPN2 Big Monday presented by Bug Light Women's Basketball Schedule
Note: All games are on ESPN2 (Schedule subject to change)
January 13 - Connecticut at Baylor (7 p.m.)
January 20 - Notre Dame at Tennessee (7 p.m.)
January 27 - Notre Dame at Maryland (7 p.m.)
January 27 - USC at Stanford (9 p.m.)
February 3 - Baylor at Oklahoma (7 p.m.)
February 10 - North Carolina at Duke (7 p.m.)
February 10 - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (9 p.m.)
February 17 - Maryland at Duke (7 p.m.)
February 24 - Penn State at Nebraska (7 p.m.)
March 3 - Connecticut at Louisville (7 p.m.)