| 75 | 71 |
| Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, Pa. | 3,327 | |
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Nov. 2, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - After sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, sophomore Sierra Moore (Hanover, Pa.) made the most of her debut with the Penn State Lady Lions, scoring 15 of their last 25 points in a 75-71 exhibition win over Indiana University (Pa.) on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
With the Crimson Hawks leading, 54-50, Moore led the rally with 15 of her team-best 18 points over the final 11:44 of the contest. Freshman Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.), who missed last season due to a knee injury, added four points, while Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.), Keke Sevillian (Goodrich, Mich.) and Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) each added two points down the stretch to complete the comeback.
Spann's 14 and Mitchell's 12 points, along with sophomore Jenny DeGraaf's (Springboro, Ohio) 11, gave Penn State four players in double figures in the exhibition win. DeGraaf had a solid outing, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from three point range.
Whitted led all players with 10 rebounds, adding eight points, a team-high five assists and one blocked shot. Senior Tori Waldner (Milton, Ga.) chipped in two blocks, five rebounds and four points in the exhibition win.
Penn State dominated the rebounding totals, 48-27, and shot nearly 50 percent from the field. However, IUP forced the Lady Lions into 20 turnovers and connected on 14-of-32 three pointers to keep the game close.
IUP's Amy Fairman played the role that her assistant coach and former Lady Lion, Kelly Mazzante, did all too often at the Bryce Jordan Center: leading scorer. Fairman paced all players with 26 points, including six three pointers, just as Mazzante did many times during her Penn State career from 2001-04.
Penn State built an 11 point lead right out of the gates, as five different players reached the scoring column in the early going. After Fairman got the Hawks on the scoreboard with a layup, Mitchell netted her third basket of the game to push the Lady Lions ahead, 13-2, with 16:02 left in the opening stanza.
The home team's lead swelled to 14 points after a Waldner put-back basket and a three-pointer from DeGraaf, but the Crimson Hawks came soaring back with a 20-5 run over the next eight minutes to grab their first lead of the contest at 30-29 with 4:16 left in the first half.
An 8-3 run closed the half for the Lady Lions, who entered the locker room leading, 37-33. Spann sparked the closing burst with a coast-to-coast layup and a transition basket to bookend field goals from Whitted and DeGraaf.
It was a tightly contested second half, with neither team holding a decisive advantage until late in the game. Penn State and IUP traded baskets to start the half, before the Hawks used a 19-8 run to grab a 54-50 lead with 11:44 to play.
Trailing by four, Whitted knocked down a jumper to spark a 16-2 run that would eventually help the Lady Lions take the lead for good. Ten of those points were scored by Moore, whose layup with 3:00 left in the contest made it 66-56 an accounted for Penn State's largest lead of the second half.
A Fairman three-pointer with five seconds left pulled the Hawks close at 75-71, but the Lady Lions ran out the clock to claim the exhibition contest.
The 2014-15 Penn State Lady Lion Basketball season is presented by Kish Travel and Kish Insurance. The Lady Lions open the season Friday, Nov. 14 at noon against Towson in the first round of the Preseason WNIT. If the Penn State wins its opener, it will either face Albany or St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. Should the Lions fall to Towson, they will host a consolation tournament on Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22 with doubleheaders each day at 4:30 and 7 p.m. Penn State would play the 7 p.m. game each day.
Lady Lion Basketball single-game and season tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Single-game tickets range from $10-17 for adults and seniors and $5-11 for youth (12 and younger). Season tickets are $105 for adults and $52 for youth (12 and under). Additionally, the Family Season Ticket package, which features two adult tickets and two youth tickets in the family section in section 114L, is $210. There is a $15 handling fee per order on season tickets.
The PNC Flex Books are $120 and give 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 Lady Lions also have a pair of mini-plans available this season with the B1G Deal and the Five for the 50th plans. The B1G Deal is a mini-plan that includes the nine Big Ten Conference home games. Tickets for the B1G Deal are $90 for adult sideline, $63 for youth sideline, $63 for adult baseline and $45 for youth baseline tickets. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics at Penn State, there is a Five for the 50th mini-plan. The plan features a ticket to the following games: South Florida (12/21), Illinois (1/4), Rutgers (1/10), Michigan State (2/11) and Ohio State (2/26). The package is $50 in honor of the 50th anniversary.
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.