Dec. 8, 2013
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senior guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) scored 30 points and joined the exclusive 2,000-point club as the #11/10 Penn State Lady Lions (6-2, 0-0 Big Ten) won their first true road game with a 77-68 victory at Georgetown (5-3) Sunday. Lucas becomes the fifth member of Penn State's 2,000-point club, joining Kelly Mazzante, Kahadeejah Herbert, Susan Robinson and Tyra Grant.
Lucas connected on five three-pointers on the day en route to her sixth career 30-point performance and second of the season. She also added five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Senior guard Dara Taylor (Wilmington, Del.) had a strong second half, scoring all 12 of her points after the break. She added six assists, five rebounds and a steal in the win.
Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) also reached double figures for Penn State with 10 points apiece. East also pulled in five rebounds and dished out two assists, while Edwards added six rebounds and four assists. Tori Waldner (Milton, Ga.) snagged a game-high 10 rebounds.
Lucas went on a personal 6-2 run to start the game with a pair of triples, but the Hoyas bounced back with five consecutive points to take a 7-6 lead with 12:10 left in the opening frame. The Lady Lions responded with a 10-2 run of their own thanks to scores by five different players, East, Waldner, Edwards, Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Lucas, to take a 16-9 lead with 9 minutes to play.
The Hoyas bounced back by scoring eight of the game's next 11 points to close within two at 19-17 with less than seven minutes to play in the first half. Penn State scored five of the next seven points to extend the lead to 24-19 with 4:42 remaining, but Georgetown scored five of the next seven tallies from the free throw line to close the gap to 26-24. Lucas had the Lion's final points of the half with two free throws and Andrea White ended the scoring in the first frame with one free throw to send the team's into the break with Penn State holding a 28-25 lead.
The Lady Lions came out strong in the second half with an 11-2 run that featured seven points from Lucas and layups by East and Edwards to make it a 39-27 lead for Penn State with 16:17 on the clock. The squads swapped scores to keep the Penn State lead in double figures until a 9-0 run for Penn State extended the lead. East opened the run with a layup, followed by buckets by Waldner and Taylor. Lucas ended the run with a three-pointer by Lucas to make it 52-34 with less than 12 to play. The Hoyas would not go away, scoring 13 of the game's next 17 points to make it a 56-47 game with less than eight to play.
Penn State extended its lead with a 9-1 spurt that included a layup by East, a five points for Edwards and a jumper by Lucas to make it 65-48 with 4:51 left. The Hoyas fought back with a 13-1 run to close within five at 66-61 with two minutes left, but that was as close as Georgetown would get as Penn State outscored the Hoyas by four down the stretch for the 74-68 final.
GAME NOTES: Maggie Lucas becomes the fifth player in Penn State history to score 2,000 career points, as the senior entered the game with 1,978 as a Lady Lion and added 30 points to move her total to 2,008 ... Lucas joins Kelly Mazzante, Susan Robinson, Tyra Grant and Kahadeejah Herbert in the program's 2,000-point club ... With a make from beyond the arc to open the scoring in the second half, Lucas moved into fifth place on the Lady Lions' all-time career scoring list with 1,996 points, passing former Penn State great Tanisha Wright ... Lucas scored 30 or more points for the sixth time in her career and second time this season ... Lucas hit a three-pointer for the 43rd consecutive game, extending her school record ... Tori Waldner hauled in a season-high 10 rebounds in the victory, leading the Lady Lions for the first time this year in boards ... Waldner has now recorded a block in seven-straight games ... Lucas' streak of consecutive free throws made came to an end at 30 in a row after the senior missed her fifth attempt late in the second half ... Dara Taylor has now reached double figures in scoring in four consecutive games with 12 in today's win ... The Lady Lions held the Hoyas to 25 first half points, the second fewest Penn State has allowed in the opening 20 minutes of any game this season (23 vs. Bucknell, 11/20/13) ... The Lady Lions are a perfect 3-0 away from the Bryce Jordan Center this season ... Penn State is now 5-1 all-time vs. Georgetown, including 2-0 as the visitor. The Lady Lions have won four straight over the Hoyas.
The Lady Lions continue their road swing at South Dakota State on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. (ET). Penn State returns home to face nationally-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. for the Toys for Tots game. Additionally, fans will get a Talia East mini-bobblehead while supplies last as the second in a series of six giveaways.
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.