Nov. 20, 2013
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The #15/14 Penn State Lady Lions (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) used double-digit scoring performances from five different players in the 92-49 victory over Bucknell (1-3) on Wednesday. Sophomore center Candice Agee (Victorville, Calif.) was one of four Lady Lions to have a career high scoring night with 16 points.
Agee, whose previous personal mark was eight points on four occasions, was 7-for-10 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. She also pulled in six rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, and rejected a pair of shots in 21 minutes of action. Senior guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) added 17 points and four rebounds, while Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) had a solid all-around game with 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Freshman guard/forward Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) had a career-high 14 points to go along with eight rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes of play. Junior post player Tori Waldner (Milton, Ga.) rounded out the Lady Lions in double digits with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Another Lady Lion with a notable performance was freshman Alex Harris (Lorain, Ohio), who narrowly missed her first double-double. The forward was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor to total eight points and hauled in a team-best 11 rebounds.
The two sides battled in the first five minutes, with Penn State narrowly leading the Bison 10-9. Lucas scored the opening bucket off a drive to the hoop, followed by a Bucknell layup on the other end. Waldner then took over the Lady Lion offense, scoring the team's next six points. Edward's finished the stretch by hitting a layup for her first points of the evening.
With the Lady Lion lead at 10-9, Penn State reeled off 13 straight points to take a commanding 23-9 lead with 11:59 left in the first frame. Lucas started the scoring run with a three and capped it off with a jumper. Edwards added back-to-back layups in the stretch, while Dara Taylor (Wilmington, Del.) and Agee each added a bucket.
Bucknell's Micki Impellizeri converted two free throws from the charity stripe to end the run and draw the visitors within 12 at 23-11, but PSU went on another impressive scoring stretch, scoring 10 of the game's next 12 points to increase the lead to 20 for the first time at 33-13 with 6:56 left on the clock. Lucas was responsible for four of the Lady Lions' points during the stretch, while Taylor, Waldner and Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa.) each hit shots from the field to help build the Penn State lead.
The Lady Lions continued to dominate both ends of the floor for the remainder of the half, outscoring the Bison 20-10 to take a comfortable 30-point lead at 53-23 into the intermission. All of the offensive damage was done by the quartet of Edwards, Harris, Agee and Mitchell, with Mitchell and Agee leading the way with six points each and Edwards and Harris each adding four.
Through the first 10 minutes of action in the second stanza, each team scored 12 points to move the score to 65-35. The Lady Lions put the exclamation mark on the game by outscoring the Bison 27-14 the rest of the way to cement the 43 point win at 92-49. Seven different Penn State players scored in the last 10 minutes, including a jumper from freshman Jenny DeGraaf (Springboro, Ohio), giving the forward her first two career points as a Lady Lion.
GAME NOTES: Sophomore center Candice Agee had a career-high 16 points, surpassing her previous personal mark of eight points, which happened of four occasions ... Maggie Lucas has made a triple in each of last 39 contests to increase her school record ... Lucas moves into seventh place all-time on career free throws made list (390), passing Jess Strom (387) and Lisa Shepherd (387) ... This was the first time since Dec. 2, 2013 against Fairleigh Dickinson that Penn State had five players in double figures (Edwards, Lucas, Waldner, Agee, Mitchell) ... Jenny DeGraaf scores first collegiate basket ... Four Lady Lions earn career-best point total (Agee with 16, Harris with 8, Mitchell with 14, DeGraaf with 2) ... Freshman Alex Harris had a career-high 11 rebounds, besting her previous mark of 10 against St. Francis (Pa.) ... Tori Waldner posted her second straight double-digit performance and the second of her career ... Ariel Edwards dished career-high five assists, surpassing her previous high of four on two occasions ... The 43-point margin of victory is the largest since defeating Wisconsin by 44 on Jan. 17, 2013.
The Lady Lions head to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving where they will face Oregon State in the opening round of the Junkanoo Jam on Friday at 3:15 p.m. Penn State will then face either Florida or Illinois State in the champions/consolation game. PSU returns to the BJC to meet Notre Dame on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Lady Lion Basketball single-game and season tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Single-game tickets are $15 and $12 for adults and seniors and $9 and $7 for youth (12 and younger). Season tickets are $99 for adults and $50 for youth (12 and under), this includes a Nittany Lion Kids Club Membership for 2013-14. New this year, the Lady Lions have introduced a Family Season Ticket package. For $200, fans will get two adult tickets and two youth tickets for the 2013-14 campaign. 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 2014 Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 as the Lady Lions take on Wisconsin in the Bryce Jordan Center at 1 p.m. Last year, the Lady Lions donated a record $260,000 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.