Jan. 22, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior center Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa) had a career night, recording her second collegiate double-double performance with a personal-best 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the #13/13 Penn State Lady Lions (14-4, 5-1 Big Ten) to a 65-52 win over Indiana (15-4, 2-4). The Lady Lions defense was the star of the game once again, holding the Hoosiers to 27.6% from the field and nabbing eight steals on 12 turnovers.
East was 4-for-7 from the field and hit five of her eight free throws on the way to her 13 points. In addition to her 11 boards, she also blocked on shot. Additionally, seniors Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) and Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) led the team in scoring with 18 points each. Edwards had a very efficient evening, shooting 6-of-8 from the floor, including 1-for-1 beyond the arc, and 5-of-6 at the free throw line. Edwards added eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block to complete her performance. Lucas connected on two treys and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe en route to her 18 points. The senior also pulled down eight boards and chipped in two assists and a steal in the winning effort. Junior Tori Waldner (Milton, Ga.) also had a noteworthy game, matching her career high with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. The center managed to fill the rest of her stat line with four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
The Lady Lions got out of the gate quickly in Wednesday's contest, outscoring the Hoosiers 11-2 over the first six minutes of action. Edwards led the charge early, scoring seven points off three layups and a free throw. East and Waldner each added two points to complete the strong start.
The Hoosiers responded with a 10-2 during a four minute stretch to cut the deficit to just one point at the midway point of the first half with a score of 13-12. Freshman Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) was the only Lady Lion to score during the run, hitting two free throws.
Penn State bounced back in an impressive manner, reeling off a 10-0 run in less than a two-minute span to grab an 11-point lead at 23-12, its largest of the half. Lucas and Edwards exploded during the stretch, combining to score all 10 points. Lucas and Edwards hit back-to-back threes. Lucas then hit two free throws and Edwards capped the run with a layup.
The Hoosiers' Tabitha Gerardot hit a trey to put an end to the Penn State run at the 8:03 mark. Indiana proceeded to score the next four points to make it a four-point game at 23-19.
Over the remaining six minutes of the first frame the Lady Lions were able to score eight of the last 12 points to take a 31-24 lead into the halftime break. Lucas scored six of the Lions' final eight points, hitting two jumpers and adding two makes at the charity stripe. East chipped in two makes from the free throw line to close the half.
Penn State opened the second stanza by outscoring IU, 11-7, to push its lead back up to 11 (42-31). Once again, Lucas led the way in scoring over the stretch with five makes, while Edwards, East and Waldner each added two. After the back-and-forth start to the second half, the Lady Lions blew the game wide open after reeling off another 10-0 run to take a commanding lead at 52-31 with just under 10 minutes left in the game. The scoring spurt was a team effort as five different players scored over the stretch.
With the decisive lead, the Lady Lions never allowed the Hoosiers to claw their way back into the game, as the visitors did not get any closer than 12 points the rest of the way. Indiana managed to outscore Penn State 21-13 over the last nine and a half minutes of play but Lady Lions secured the 65-52 win.
GAME NOTES: Talia East earned her second career double-double game with 13 points and 11 rebounds ... East's 13 points are a career high, surpassing her previous mark of 12 set against Notre Dame earlier this season ... East attempted eight free throws surpassing her personal best of seven and tied her free throws made at five set against Purdue (2/4/13) ... Scoring 18 points, Maggie Lucas surpasses her 2,200 point milestone (2,211) ... Lucas also moved up two places ranking fourth in the Penn State record book for career field goals attempted with 1,676 ... Ariel Edwards scored 18 points to pass the 800-point milestone with 806 points ... Tori Waldner tied her career high with 11 points, equaling the mark set against Connecticut (11/17/13) ... The Lady Lions improve to 30-9 in all-time against the Hoosiers.
The Lady Lions will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Sunday when they host Minnesota at 1 p.m. Penn State women's athletic teams will host a free pre-game clinic and clinic participants will receive a free ticket and the opportunity to buy $5 tickets for their parents. Sunday's game is also a Subway Full Court 4-Pack game where fans will get four tickets and a voucher for four 6" Subway subs and four sodas for just $40. Additionally, fans will receive a voucher to redeem for a Maggie Lucas mini-magnetic bobblehead at gates while supplies last. There will also be a postgame autograph session with the full Lady Lion team.
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.