Dec. 19, 2015
| GAME 11 | |
| Sunday, December 20 - Noon ET | |
| Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, Pa.. | |
| Game Day Information: | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
TV: Big Ten Network (Live) -->BTN2go Video ($)Live Audio (Free) |Women's Basketball BlogFollow Us: @PennStateWBB | Facebook | InstagramGame Notes: Penn State | Sacred Heart Statistics: Penn State | Sacred Heart
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The Penn State women's basketball program returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to host Sacred Heart at Noon on Sunday, December 20. The game between the Lady Lions (3-6) and Pioneers (2-7) will serve as the Lady Lions' first Subway Full Court 4 Pack game, along with Santa and Mrs. Claus attending the game to take photos with all in attendance.
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Series Notes
// Penn State and Sacred Heart will meet for the first time in program history on Sunday.
// The Lady Lions are 11-1 all-time against the current members of the Northeast Conference.
// Six Degrees of Separation: Former Penn State guard Dara Taylor is now an assistant coach at Wagner - a member of the NEC - and will face Sacred Heart twice in 2015-16, meeting on Jan. 11 and Jan. 23.
At A Glance
// Senior Brianna Banks scored a career-high 26 points in the loss at St. Bonaventure. She connected on a personal-best 10 field goals in the game to lead all scorers.
// Over her last five games, junior Kaliyah Mitchell is averaging 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. Those totals include a 16-point, 12-rebound contest vs. Youngstown State.
// Freshman Teniya Page continues to help the team in many ways on the floor, grabbing a team-high six rebounds at St. Bonaventure. She has now led the team in scoring (1), rebounding (3), assists (7), steals (4) and blocks (1) in 2015-16.
// Sophomore Lindsey Spann is averaging 13.8 points over her last five games - which includes three starts. She is also shooting 35.7% from three point range during that span.
// Penn State has seen at least three players reach double figures in scoring in eight of 10 games this season.
// Penn State will play kick off the Big Ten season at home vs. Northwester on New Year's Eve at the Bryce Jordan Center. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Thursday, Dec. 31.
Scouting Sacred Heart
// Sacred Heart is coming off of a 69-60 victory over Binghamton on Saturday, Dec. 12. The Pioneers trailed after the first quarter, but limited the Bearcats to just 12 points in both the second and fourth quarters to earn the win.
// Redshirt junior Hannah Kimmel enters the meeting with five double-doubles on the season. She posted 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead the team vs. Binghamton.
// Alissa Tarsi (11.6) and Adaysha Williams (11.0) both average double-figure scoring for Sacred Heart, while Shelby Hickey adds 8.2 points per game.
// Miranda Drummond picked up the slack with Healy on the bench, scoring 25 points against James Madison and 17 points vs. Georgetown.
// The Pioneers have only allowed two opponents to reach 70 points this season. New Hampshire (81 pts) and Temple (92 pts) are the only opponents to score more than 68 points vs. SHU.
Last Time Out - at St. Bonaventure (Dec. 12, 2015)
// Senior Brianna Banks scored a career-high 26 points to lead all scorers at St. Bonaventure. Banks' previous career-best was a 22-point effort earlier this season against Fordham (11/15).
// Banks netted a career-high 10 field goals and tied her career-best with four made free throws (on five attempts).
// Sophomore Lindsey Spann finished the night with 17 points to mark her fourth straight double figure scoring game and sixth of the season.
// With five points at St. Bonaventure, junior Kaliyah Mitchell netted her 500th career point. She ended the afternoon right at 500 career points.
// Junior Keke Sevillian nabbed one steal to give her at least one theft in 11 straight games, the longest streak of her career. She now has 20 steals in 10 games this season.
Getting Jiggy Whitted
// Peyton Whitted enjoyed a quick start to her junior season, setting career-highs for points (22), rebounds (16), assists (7), field goals made (8) and free throws made (6) in her first three games.
// Whitted entered today ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten with 86 rebounds in 10 games.
// She posted three double-doubles over her first four games this season. Her 22-point, 11-rebound effort in the season opener marked her first career double-double.
// She hauled in 10-plus boards in each of her first four games, making her the first player since Nikki Greene (2013) to post four straight games with at least 10 rebounds.
// Whitted's first three career double-doubles have come against Holy Cross (22p, 11r), at Tennessee (17p, 16r) and vs. Central Connecticut State (15p, 15r).
// Her 17-point, 16-rebound effort at No. 4/5 Tennessee came against her father's alma mater. Whitted's dad, Kevin, played basketball at UT from 1993-95, leading the team in field goal percentage twice.
// Whitted was named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 16.0 points and 15.5 rebounds for the week of Nov. 16-22.
// Entering the season, Whitted had just one double-digit rebound game. She has four this season.
Northeast Notes
// The first meeting between Sacred Heart and Penn State will add the fifth Northeast Conference school to the record books.
// Penn State defeated Central Connecticut State earlier this season, 73-47, at the Bryce Jordan Center.
// Former Lady Lion Dara Taylor is an assistant coach at Wagner, a member of the NEC.
// The Lady Lions all-time record against the current alignment of the Northeast Conference is 11-1.
Agee Sending It Back
// Senior Candice Agee blocked three shots vs. Cal State Northridge to become just the 10th Lady Lion to record 100 career rejections.
// She enters today with 103 blocks for her career.
// She trails Tori Waldner (120, 2012-15) for the No. 8 spot on the career charts.
// Agee has 29 career games with two-plus blocks.
// The Victorville, Calif., native enjoyed a 13-game streak with at least on blocked shot in 2014-15. She rejected shots in each game from Jan. 6 - Feb. 26, 2015.
// Agee recorded a career-high five blocks in a win over Rider on Dec. 14, 2014.
// Agee is looking to become just the 10th player in Penn State history to register 1.0 blocks per game for a career. She is currently at 1.06 bpg.
Balanced in the Scoring Column
// Penn State has seen at least three players reach double figures in eight of 10 games this season.
// Four Lady Lions have eclipsed the 10-point mark in six games - including one game with five players scoring 10-plus points.
// At USF, Penn State placed all five starters in double figures, marking the first time since Jan. 25, 2015 that five different Lady Lions scored 10 or more points in the same game.
// Freshman Teniya Page reached the 10-points plateau in each of her first eight career games.
// Five different Lady Lions have five-or-more double-digit scoring games, including freshman Teniya Page, sophomore Lindsey Spann, juniors Kaliyah Mitchell and Peyton Whitted and senior Brianna Banks.
// In 2014-15, Penn State had four players reach double-figures in the same game on seven occasions, five times w/ four players and twice with five players.
Banks Depositing 20's
// Senior Brianna Banks made her Penn State debut on Nov. 13 vs. Holy Cross and promptly tied her then-career-high with 20 points.
// In her second game, Banks eclipsed that effort with 22 points against Fordham.
// On De. 12 at St. Bonaventure, Banks netted a career-best 26 points on a personal-best 10 field goals.
// Banks has reached double figures in five of the six games she has completed, missing most of four games due to injury.
// Banks played just two minutes at No. 5/4 Tennessee before leaving the game with an injury. She missed games vs. Central Connecticut State and at Cal State Northridge, and played just three minutes vs. BYU.
On the Right Page
// True freshman Teniya Page has been impressive as the Lady Lion point guard to begin her career, reaching double figures in the scoring column in each of her first eight career games.
// The Chicago, Ill., native poured in a career-high 26 points to go along with personal best marks of eight rebounds and four steals against Cal State Northridge on Nov. 27.
// Page opened her career with seven straight 10-plus point, four-plus assist efforts.
// Her eight straight games of 10-plus points to open her career is a feat not accomplished by Penn State's top two career scoring leaders, Kelly Mazzante and Maggie Lucas.
// She scored 15 points with seven assists vs. Holy Cross, handed out six helpers with 11 points vs. Fordham to open her career.
// Page currently ranks No. 6 in the Big Ten and No. 76 nationally with a 2.05 assist to turnover ratio.
Mitchell's Double Digit Streak
// After not reaching the scoring column in the season opener vs. Holy Cross, junior Kaliyah Mitchell secured double figures in scoring in the next five games.
// Mitchell led the team in scoring at USF with 18 points, just two points shy of her career-best effort.
// Mitchell posted her first double-double of the season on Tuesday, Dec. 8 against Youngstown State with 16 points and a game-high 12 boards.
// She has also cashed in at the free throw line, making 28-of-31 shots from the charity stripe. Her .903 free throw percentage ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 12 nationally.
// Mitchell made 19 free throws in a row from the third quarter vs. Central Connecticut State to the third quarter against Youngstown State, including a 6-of-6 effort vs. BYU on Nov. 28.
Spann Heating Up
// After leading the team in scoring last season as a redshirt-freshman, Lindsey Spann didn't get off to a strong start to her sophomore campaign, but has started to heat up recently.
// Spann notched her first 20-point effort of the season vs. Virginia Tech on Dec. 3, pouring in 20 points.
// Against the Hokies, she tied a career-best with six made free throws (6-of-6) and made 6-of-12 field goals.
// She added 17 points at St. Bonaventure on Dec. 12 and at USF on Dec. 6.
Injury Bug Strikes
// Senior guard Brianna Banks missed most of a four-game stretch due to a lower leg injury from Nov. 18 - Nov. 28. She came out of the Tennessee game with the injury, missed all of the next two contests and played sparingly in the BYU game.
// Junior guard Sierra Moore and freshman guard Amari Carter will both miss the 2015-16 season due to injuries (knee).
// Moore averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists, and added 15 blocked shots and 35 steals in 30 games last season.
// Carter also missed her senior year of high school due to a knee injury.
Working Overtime
// Penn State opened the season with an 86-82 overtime victory vs. Holy Cross and are now 21-18 all-time in overtime.
// The season opening overtime contest marked just the third time PSU opened a season with extra time.
// The Lady Lions are 2-1 all-time in season opening overtime games. The also won at Dayton, Nov. 12, 2010, but lost, 93-84, to Connecticut on Nov. 25, 1989 in a game played at Iowa.
// The overtime victory marked the first overtime victory for PSU since the Nov. 18, 2010 at Oakland (96-89). Penn State had lost three straight overtime contests.
Washington Reaches 150
// Head coach Coquese Washington won her 150th career game on Sunday, Nov. 15 vs. Fordham, 75-59.
// Washington has started each of her nine seasons at the helm of the Lady Lions with a victory.
// In eight of the nine seasons, Penn State has began the year with at least two victories.
// Washington is unblemished in home openers, as well, winning all nine of her initial games in front of the home crowd.
Nice Opener for Newcomers
// All five Penn State newcomers saw time on the floor vs. Holy Cross in the season opener.
// Three newcomers; senior Brianna Banks, and freshmen Teniya Page and Ashanti Thomas all started their first games in the blue and white.
// Banks ranked second on the team in scoring with 20 points, while Page also reached double figures with 15 points.
// Page handed out seven assists, grabbed two rebounds and had one steal in the contest.
// Thomas chipped in seven points, six rebounds and one blocked shot in her first collegiate game.
// Freshmen Amari Carter and Jaylen Williams each scored two points in the contest.
2016 Pink Zone at Penn State
// The 10th Annual Pink Zone at Penn State will be held Sunday, January 17 in the Bryce Jordan Center when the Lady Lions take on Michigan. The game time will be 2 p.m. ET.
// Last year, the Lady Lions donated $999,999 after setting a record with $310,000 raised for breast cancer causes in 2013-14.
// All totaled, the Lady Lions have donated more than $1.375 million for breast cancer research and awareness in the first nine years.
// Money raised this year will be disbursed to six different beneficiaries: Mount Nittany Medical Center, The Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, The Kay Yow Cancer Fund, PA Breast Cancer Coalition, JC Blair Memorial Hospital, and Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital.
// For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.pennsylvaniapinkzone.org.
Three McDonald's All-Americans
// The Lady Lions tout three McDonald's High School All-Americans on their roster this season in Candice Agee, Sierra Moore and Brianna Banks.
// Banks played in the 2011 contest, while Agee and Moore were participants in the 2012 game.
// Prior to Coquese Washington taking the reins, the Lady Lions only had one McDonald's High School All-American in program history.
Adding Two for 2016-17
// Head coach Coquese Washington and her coaching staff added a pair of top-25 guards during the early signing period in Siyeh Frazier and Jaida Travascio-Green.
// The 5-foot-11 Frazier averaged 18.5 points and nine rebounds per game as a junior at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Mich.
// She added nearly seven assists and six steals per game to earn AP All-State honors and Detroit Free Press Dream Team.
// An all-conference performer since her freshman year of high school, Travascio-Green garnered all-state honors after averaging 17 points, six rebounds, nearly four assists and two steals per game as a junior.
// A state qualifier and school-record holder in the high jump, Travascio-Green earned 2015 honorable mention all-state from the Chicago Tribune.
#WePlayOn
Penn State ended the WNBA season with four players on active rosters, including one All-Star and one WNBA Finals participant.
// Alex Bentley and Nikki Greene each suited up for the Connecticut Sun, Maggie Lucas played for the Indiana Fever and Tanisha Wright spent the season with the New York Liberty.
// Bentley ranked among the top-15 in the WNBA in steals (1.9) and scoring average (14.7), sitting third and 11th, respectively.
// Bentley was selected to the WNBA East All-Star roster and scored a team-best 23 points off the bench and handed out five assists.
// Lucas saw action in 30 games with a career-best 5.7 points per game average. She helped the Fever to an Eastern Conference championship and push the Minnesota Lynx to five games in the WNBA Finals.
// Wright ended her 11th season in the league with 7.4 points, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
// Her assist total ranked ninth in the WNBA in 2015 and she moved into No. 14 in league history with 1,127 helpers in 364 career games.
// Greene played in 12 games as a late-season signing for the Sun, averaging 1.2 points and 2.0 rebounds.