March 21, 2014
NCAA First & Second Round Notes | ESPN2 Coverage Maps
espn3.com | | 2014 NCAA Tournament Central
2014 NCAA Tournament First & Second Round Tickets | NCAA Bracket
Lucas espnW Blog | LadyLions.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The No. 15/14 Penn State Lady Lions (22-7, 13-3) return to the Bryce Jordan Center to host the first and second rounds of the 2014 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The third-seeded Lady Lions will meet face No. 14 seed Wichita State (26-6, 14-4 Missouri Valley) on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., followed by a match-up between No. 6 seed Dayton (23-7, 14-12 Atlantic 10) facing No. 11 Florida (19-12, 8-8 SEC) at 3 p.m. The winner of each game will face off in a second round matchup on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the BJC. The Penn State-Wichita State game will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN3.
Single-session tickets for either the NCAA Tournament First Round or Second Round games at University Park are $20 for adults and $11 for youth and students. There is also a single-session group rate for groups of 20 or more of any age at $10. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY or visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office between the hours of 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. NCAA Tournament First and Second Round ticket information and a link to purchase online for the University Park site is also available at www.GoPSUsports.com/ncaawbbtix.
All-session tickets for the NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds at University Park, which will give you admission to both first round games on Sunday, March 23 and to the second round game on Tuesday, March 25, are $30 for adults and $17 for youth and students. There is also an all-session group rate for groups of 20 or more of any age at $18 per package.
The first 100 Penn State students to come to Sunday's games will receive a free ticket courtesy of the Lady Lion Cager Club.
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.
TV: The game will air on ESPN2 and espn3.com with Bob Picozzi and Krista Blunk calling play.
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.
LADY LIONS AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: The Lady Lions are making their 25th NCAA Tournament appearance and claim their fourth consecutive tourney berth. Penn State is one of only 10 teams to earn 25 or more NCAA Tournament bids, joining Tennessee (33), Georgia (30), Stanford (28), Texas (27), Louisiana Tech (27), Vanderbilt (26), Connecticut (26), Old Dominion (25) and North Carolina (25). The Lady Lions are 30-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Penn State earns a No. 3 seed for the second-straight season, marking the first time since a six-year span from 1991 to 1996 that Penn State has been a top three seed in back-to-back tournaments. The Lady Lions have been a top three seed 12 times in program history, including six selections as the #3 seed. PSU is 4-5 all-time when serving as the three seed. The Lady Lions' 30 NCAA Tournament wins are tied for 17th all-time. PSU's 54 NCAA Tournament games are 16th all-time. Penn State has been an at-large selection into the NCAA Tournament 16 times.
THE NCAA TOURNEY RETURNS TO THE BJC: Penn State will host the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship First and Second Round games for the 15th time in program history. Penn State last hosted the First and Second Rounds in 2011 when the Lady Lions, DePaul, Dayton and Navy competed in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lady Lions have won nine of their last 10 home NCAA Tournament games. Penn State is 17-5 overall record in NCAA Tournament games.
SCOUTING #14 SEED WICHITA STATE: The Shockers posted a school-record 26-6 overall mark and 14-4 effort in Missouri Valley Conference play on the way to their second-straight MVC regular-season title. Alex Harden paces the Wichita State attack with 17.1 points and 5.0 assists per game en route to her second All-MVC first team honor. Harden is also a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year honoree. Jamilah Bonner accounts for 13.1 points per game with 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, while Michelle Price adds 12.3 points per outing and leads the team in rebounding at a 7.3 clip.
ALL-TIME VS. THE SHOCKERS: The Lady Lions and Wichita State have never met on the hardwood. Penn State is 2-1 all-time against Missouri Valley teams with all three contests coming against Illinois State, including a 72-60 win over the Redbirds in the Junkanoo Jam this season.
SCOUTING #6 SEED DAYTON: The Flyers are making their fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Atlantic 10 regular-season title with a 23-7 overall record and a 14-2 mark in conference play. Dayton fell to Fordham in the conference tournament championship game. Andrea Hoover was selected as the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as she averaged 17.2 points per game with 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. She has also knocked down a team-best 66 three-pointers this season. Ally Malott joined Hoover on the All-Atlantic 10 first team as she accounted for 14.5 points per game and a team-best 8.2 rebounds. Rounding out the quartet of double-digit scorers for the Flyers are Amber Deane (13.2), Kelley Austria (11.4) and Cassie Sant (10.9). Austria will miss the postseason after having ACL surgery in February.
ALL-TIME VS. THE FLYERS: The Lady Lions are 2-1 all-time against Dayton and have won the last two contests. PSU is won the only NCAA Tournament meeting between the teams, a 75-66 win in the first round of the 2011 tourney in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State is 115-13 all-time against current Atlantic 10 schools.
LAST TIME VS. UD: The Lady Lions used a 25-point performance from guard Alex Bentley to post their first NCAA Tournament win since 2003-04 with a 75-66 decision over No. 11 seed Dayton on March 19, 2011. Bentley connected on 12 field goal attempts en route to her game-high 25 points. Mia Nickson posted her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Maggie Lucas also reached double-digits with 12 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals, while Julia Trogele added nine points, seven rebounds and three steals.
SCOUTING #11 SEED FLORIDA: The Gators are 19-12 overall with an 8-8 mark in SEC play and collect their 14th NCAA Tournament bid. Leading the way for Florida is All-SEC first team selection Jaterra Bonds, who registers 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Kayla Lewis chips in 11.9 points per game as she shoots 60% from the field to go along with a team-high 8.6 rebounding average. Cassie Peoples also averages double figures for the Gators at a 10.2 per game clip, while Ronni Williams was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after chipping in 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
ALL-TIME VERSUS THE GATORS: The Lady Lions and Gators have split the only two meetings between the teams. Penn State won the series opener, 91-67, on Jan. 8, 2000 at home, but dropped a 92-79 decision at Gainesville on Dec. 3, 2000. The Lady Lions are 24-30 all-time against current SEC members. Penn State last faced an SEC foe when they posted a 66-58 win over Texas A&M in the Bryce Jordan Center on Dec. 15, 2013.
LAST TIME VS. UF: Five Lady Lions scored in double figures, but it was not enough as Florida defeated Penn State by a final of 92-79 on Dec. 3, 2000. Lisa Shepherd led the Blue and White in scoring with 25 points. The senior was an impressive 12-for-13 from the free throw line in the performance. The Lady Lions posted two double-doubles in the contest, as Maren Walseth had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Courtney Upshaw ended the game with 10 points and a team-high 12 boards. Kelly Mazzante poured in 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.
EIKENBERG RETURNS TO PSU: There will be a Lady Lion connection across the bench as Wichita State assistant coach Dana Eikenberg returns to Happy Valley. Eikenberg played for the Lady Lions from 1989-92 and was a member of Penn State's first-ever #1-ranked team in 1991. The Lady Lions made four NCAA Tournament appearances and won back-to-back Atlantic 10 regular-season titles (1990 & 1991) and the 1991 Atlantic 10 Tournament championship during Eikenberg's stay. Eikenberg played with Susan Robinson, Kathy Phillips, who is now the Lady Lions' marketing director, and Lynn Dougherty. Eikenberg is tied for sixth on Penn State's career assists chart with 567 helpers.
LUCAS CLAIMS LONG RANGE RECORD: Senior guard Maggie Lucas broke the Big Ten and Penn State record for career three-point field goals made with a pair of triples against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. Lucas has 358 triples in her collegiate career, breaking Kelly Mazzante's Big Ten and Penn State record of 357 three-pointers. Lucas is just the second player in Big Ten history and 45th player in NCAA Division I history with 300 career three-pointers. Lucas currently ranks 12th on the NCAA's career three-pointers list.
"D" IS THE KEY: The Lady Lions' defense has proven to be a case of Jekyll and Hyde this season. Penn State appears to be two different teams defensively in its wins and losses. In Penn State's 22 victories this season, the Lady Lions have held opponents to 61.9 points per game with a 35.1% opponent shooting percentages from the field and a 27.9% effort from three-point range. Conversely, in the Lady Lions' seven losses this season, Penn State is allowing 83.0 points per game with opponents shooting 45.3% from the field and 46.6% from long range. Additionally in the losses, Penn State allows 8.8 three-pointers per game as compared to 6.4 in wins.
EDWARDS HITS CAREER-HIGH: Senior guard/forward Ariel Edwards had a career game against Ohio State on March 7 as she tallied 29 points. Edwards' 29 points surpass her previous personal best of 24, which was set three times in her career, most recently at Nebraska on Feb. 24. The effort marked the third-straight 20-point performance for Edwards and the eighth of her career. She also went 11-for-15 from the free throw line, which were also career highs. Additionally, Edwards pulled in 10 rebounds to post her fourth double-double of the season and fifth of her career.
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