Dec. 13, 2013
Penn State Game Notes | Texas A&M Game Notes | Watch ($) | Listen ($) |
Tickets! | Promotions | Lucas espnW Blog | LadyLions.com | Nominate for Hometown Hero
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The #12/12 Penn State Lady Lions (6-3, 0-0 Big Ten) will welcome their third ranked opponent to the Bryce Jordan Center this season when #20/24 Texas A&M comes to the BJC on Sunday at 2 p.m. Sunday is the Lady Lions' annual Toys for Tots game. Fans that bring a new, unwrapped toy will receive a $5 ticket. Additionally, fans will receive a Talia East mini-magnetic bobblehead while supplies last.
PROMOTIONS: Sunday is the Lady Lions' annual Toys for Tots game. Fans that bring a new, unwrapped toy will receive a $5 ticket. Additionally, Sunday is a Subway Full Court 4-Pack game where fans can get four tickets and one voucher for four 6" subs and four 21 oz. fountain drinks at any of the seven State College Subway locations for just $40.
GIVEAWAY: Fans will receive a Talia East mini-magnetic bobblehead while supplies last. Fans will get a voucher at the gate to redeem the bobblehead at the redemption locations located in the BJC. This giveaway is the second in a series of six giveaways this season; the next giveaway will be a Dara Taylor mini-magnetic bobblehead on Sunday, Jan. 12.
LIMITED BAG POLICY: Penn State has implemented a limited bag policy at all home athletic events this season. One clear plastic one-gallon plastic bag per person will be permitted for medical needs, child care needs and general items as needed. Items that can fit in a pocket should remain in patrons' pockets (i.e. keys, cell phone, wallet, glasses, camera, sunscreen, lip balm, make-up). General items of this nature, including those that don't fit in patrons' pocket, can also be placed in a clear plastic one-gallon plastic bag. All clear bags will be inspected through the bag and article check stations as in prior years.
WEBSTREAM: The game is on the Big Ten Digital Network (BTN.com) for a fee.
RADIO: The game is on the Penn State Sports Network and WRSC 1390 locally with Jerry Fisher and Julia Trogele calling the action. The audio feed is available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions rallied from a 23-point deficit and got within one point with 1:17 left, but South Dakota State secured the 83-79 win Wednesday in Brookings. Senior guard/forward Ariel Edwards keyed the Lions' late drive and tied her career high with 24 points off of a 9-for-12 effort from the field to lead Penn State. She also pulled in seven rebounds, blocked a career-best four shots, nabbed four steals and dished out a pair of assists. Maggie Lucas posted her 51st career 20-point game with 20 tallies, while fellow senior Dara Taylor had a personal-best 19 tallies on 8-for-14 shooting to go with five assists and two steals. Tori Waldner also had a solid game with eight points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M: The Aggies are ranked 20th in the Coaches' poll and 24th in the AP poll with a 5-2 record on the season. Courtney Walker leads three Aggies averaging double figures with a 14.0 scoring average. She also dishes out 3.0 assists per game. Karla Gilbert is Texas A&M's force on the interior, accounting for 11.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. She also has a team-best 10 blocks. Achiri Ade chips in 10.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per outing to round out A&M's double figure scorers.
ALL-TIME VERSUS THE AGGIES: The Lady Lions and Texas A&M have split two all-time meetings. This will be the first time the squads have squared off in Happy Valley. A&M won the first match-up between the teams with a 61-57 victory in Malibu at the Timeout 4 HIV/AIDS Tournament on Nov. 2, 2008. Last season, the Lady Lions claimed a 63-58 victory in College Station to even the series at one apiece.
LAST TIME VS. A&M: The Lady Lions held the Aggies to just two points in the final 6:23 en route to a 63-58 win in College Station on Nov. 14, 2013. The loss was the first non-conference home loss for Texas A&M since Dec. 30, 2003, a string of 58 games. Alex Bentley battled foul trouble in the first half, but rebounded in the second half to score 14 of her game-high 21 points. She also accounted for four assists and four steals in the win. Maggie Lucas added 18 points with four rebounds, while Nikki Greene scored all eight of her points and had six of her seven rebounds in the second half. Dara Taylor was a defensive presence, notching five of Penn State's 12 steals on the game.
LUCAS EARNING SPOT ON BIG TEN SCORING LIST: Lucas became the 18th player in Big Ten history to reach 2,000 points at Georgetown on Dec. 8. With 20 tallies at South Dakota State on Dec. 11, Lucas moved into 16th place on the Big Ten's career scoring list with 2,028 points. Lucas passed Ohio State's Samantha Prahalis (2,010; 2009-12) for 17th spot and OSU's Tayler Hill (2,015; 2010-13) to move into 16th place in conference history. Lucas needs 16 points to tie Minnesota's Laura Coenen (2,044; 1982-85) and fellow Penn Stater Tyra Grant (2,044; 2007-10) for 14th spot.
DUO BLOCKING THE LANE: Senior center Talia East and junior center Tori Waldner have made it tough for opponents to find success in the lane as the pair have moved into the Top 20 in school history in blocks. East moved into a tie for 16th place in program history with one rejections at South Dakota State on Dec. 11 to bring her career total to 67. East is tied with Janessa Wolff (67; 2008-10) for the 16th spot. East needs one rejection to move into a tie for 15th place with Kelly Mazzante (68; 2001-04). With two blocks at South Dakota State on Dec. 11, Waldner moved into sole possession of 19th place, breaking the tie with Tanisha Wright (61; 2002-05), on the Lady Lions' career blocks list with 63 rejections. She needs three rejections to move into a tie for 17th place with East and Adrie DeVries (66; 1987-90).
MAGGIE MARCHING UP CAREER SCORING LIST: Senior guard Maggie Lucas moved into fourth place on Penn State's all-time scoring chart with her 20-point night at South Dakota State on Dec. 11. With 2,028 points, Lucas moved past Kahadeejah Herbert (2,025; 1982-85) for fourth place. Lucas needs 16 points to tie Tyra Grant (2,044; 2007-10) for third place. With 30 tallies at Georgetown on Dec. 8, Lucas moved into a tie for second place with Herbert on Penn State's all-time 30-point games chart with her sixth career contest with 30 or more tallies. Waldner has blocked a shot in each of the last eight games.
SENIOR DUO HAS CAREER NIGHT: Seniors Ariel Edwards and Dara Taylor each turned in career nights at South Dakota State on Dec. 11. Edwards tied her career mark with 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting against the Jacks. She also had 24 points against Detroit on Nov. 23, 2012 in the Cal State Northridge Tournament. Edwards also had personal bests in blocks (4) and steals (4). Her previous career mark in blocks was two, which has occurred three times. Edwards' previous career high in steals was three against St. Francis (Pa.) this season and Texas Tech in 2011. Taylor tallied a career-best 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting to surpass her previous high of 18 points set at Michigan State on Jan. 6, 2013. The senior guard trio of Edwards, Taylor and Maggie Lucas led the Lady Lion comeback at SDSU as the trio combined for 39 of Penn State's 44 second-half points.
The Lady Lions take a break for a week for exams before returning to the court to take on Alcorn State on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 11 a.m. as part of a men's and women's doubleheaders. Tickets are just $5 and will gain the holder access to both games. The Nittany Lions face Mount St. Mary's at 2 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.