Jan. 17, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - After a two-game homestand, the #17/16 Penn State Lady Lions (12-4, 3-1 Big Ten) hit the road again when they visit the lone unbeaten Big Ten team in Michigan State (12-5, 4-0) on Sunday at 5 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2 with Brenda Van Lengen and Carolyn Peck on the call. The game is also available on ESPN3.com.
TV: The game will air on ESPN2 with Brenda Van Lengen and Carolyn Peck on the call. The game is also available on ESPN3.com.
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 put on a defensive clinic in their 66-42 win over Ohio State Thursday. The 42 points are the fewest the Lady Lions have allowed since Jan. 17, 2013 against Wisconsin (40). Penn State held the Buckeyes to just 29.6% shooting and forced 22 turnovers in the victory. Offensively the Lady Lions were led by senior guard Maggie Lucas, who scored 18 points to go along with five assists, five rebounds and three steals. Senior guard/forward Ariel Edwards made a major impact on the game, finishing with her second double-double in the last three games and third of her Lady Lion career. Edwards accounted for 13 points and led the team on the glass with 10 rebounds. Talia East nearly posted her second career double-double with eight points and nine rebounds, while Dara Taylor paced the defensive effort with a game-high six steals.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans are 12-5 on the season and the lone unbeaten in Big Ten play with a 4-0 record. MSU is on a roll, having won their last six games, dating back to Dec. 20. Redshirt freshman Aerial Powers has been solid for the Spartans, leading team in scoring (14.0), rebounding (8.0), steals (2.0) and field goal percentage (.508). Annalise Pickrel ranks behind Powers in scoring (13.8) and rebounding (7.1), while Tori Jankoska is the third MSU player averaging double figures at an 11.5 per game clip. Becca Mills (9.3) and Kianna Johnson (9.1) have also been key components of an offense that scores 77.2 points per game.
ALL-TIME VERSUS THE SPARTANS: The Lady Lions are 26-14 all-time against Michigan State, have lost eight of their last 11 against the Spartans. PSU is 9-8 in games played in East Lansing, including a 76-55 win last season. The Lady Lions won both regular season games between the teams last season with a 76-55 win in East Lansing and a 71-56 win at home. However, the Spartans claimed a 54-46 victory in the Big Ten Tournament.
LAST TIME VERSUS MSU: The Lady Lions struggled from the field with a 22.4% shooting effort en route to a 54-46 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on March 9, 2013. The shooting effort marked the first time since Dec. 19, 1996 that Penn State shot below 25% since shooting 23% at Alabama. Maggie Lucas connected on seven of her 13 three-point attempts en route to 23 points. She also pulled in nine rebounds and had one steal. Alex Bentley added eight points, three assists and two steals.
HOMECOMING - TIMES TWO: The Michigan State game will mark a homecoming of sorts for Lady Lion head coach Coquese Washington and freshman guard Keke Sevillian. Washington and her husband, Raynell Brown, are both natives of Flint, Mich., and expect to have a healthy contingent of family and friends on hand. Sevillian is a native of Goodrich, Mich. and will also have a solid turnout of family and friends. Washington and Sevillian's mother, Arteka, were close friends growing up in Flint and attended elementary and middle school together.
STELLAR "D": Penn State forced 22 turnovers and held Ohio State to just 29.6% shooting from the field on the way to a 66-42 win on Jan. 16. Ohio State's 21 points in the first half and 42 for the game are opponent lows for the season. The 24-point victory marks the first time that Penn State has defeated a Big Ten opponent by at least 20 points since topping Illinois (33; 2/20/13), 95-62. The 42 points scored by the Buckeyes are the fewest allowed by the Lady Lions since giving up 40 tallies to Wisconsin on Jan. 17, 2013.
BOUNCEBACK-ABILITY: Penn State has shown that it is resilient after a loss. The Lady Lions have won their last 19 games following a loss, dating back to the 2010-11 season. The Lady Lions last lost consecutive games on Feb. 17 and Feb. 24, 2011, which is the only time this season class has lost consecutive games in their career. PSU is 4-0 in games after a loss this season.
NEWBIES CONTRIBUTE IN WIN: Penn State's five freshmen all contributed to a 66-42 win over Ohio State on Jan. 16. The group combined for 19 points, 24 rebounds, two assists and four steals. Kaliyah Mitchell led the scoring effort for the newbies with seven points to go along with two assists, two steals and three rebounds off of the bench. Jenny DeGraaf tied her career high with five points, including a three-pointer, in just three minutes of action, while Alex Harris hauled in eight rebounds.
LUCAS NAMED TO WOODEN MIDSEASON LIST: Senior guard Maggie Lucas has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 list for the National Player of the Year. Lucas, who was one of 15 finalists for the award last year, is one of three representatives from the Big Ten.
The Lady Lions are back in 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. It's also another Dollar Dog Night, as well as Greek Night for Penn State students.
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.