Jan. 17, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State Lady Lion senior guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 List. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the list is made up of 20 student-athletes who, based on their performances in November, December, and January, are the frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. Lucas is one of three student-athletes from the Big Ten to be named to the midseason list (Minnesota's Rachel Banham and Nebraska's Jordan Hooper).
The Narberth, Pa. native ranks second in the Big Ten and 23rd in the NCAA in points per game (21.2) and leads the country in free throw percentage with an astonishing 97% mark (96-99). Additionally, Lucas is seventh in the Big Ten in threes made per game, averaging 2.1 treys per outing. The senior also ranks among the Top 10 in the conference in steals, recording 2.1 takeaways per game for ninth place.
The 2013 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, Lucas became the fifth player in Penn State history and the 18th player in Big Ten history to join the 2,000-point. With 18 points against Ohio State, Lucas moved into 11th place on the all-time Big Ten scoring list with 2,177 points ands ranks third in Penn State program history. The senior guard also rates among the program's elite in a number of other categories in the Penn State career record books; currently placing first in free throw percentage (.904), second in three-point field goals made (326), third in three-point field goal percentage (.420), sixth in free throws made (461), eighth in career field goals made (695) and 14th in steals (206).
The 38th annual Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy's will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners the weekend of April 11-13, 2014. It will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and will recognize the Legends of Coaching recipient Tara VanDerveer of Stanford.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Candace Parker ('07 and '08), Maya Moore ('09 and '11) and Brittney Griner ('12 and '13)
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the All American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award's name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award ceremony.
Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com. For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5231 or email at woodenaward@laac.net.
The Lady Lions travel to Michigan State to face the Spartans on Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 before returning to the BJC to host Indiana on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. It's Dollar Dog Night and Centre County Women's Resource Center Day. Fans that bring items from the CCWRC needed item list and receive a $5 ticket
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.