Jan. 12, 2016
| GAME 16 | |
| Wednesday, January 13 - 7 p.m. ET | |
| Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, Pa. | |
| Game Day Information: | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
TV: Big Ten Network (Live) -->BTN2go VideoLive Audio (Free) |Women's Basketball BlogFollow Us: @PennStateWBB | Facebook | InstagramGame Notes: Penn State | Nebraska Statistics: Penn State | Nebraska
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --Returning home for a short two-game home stand, the Penn State women's basketball team will welcome Nebraska to the Bryce Jordan Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The Lady Lions (6-9, 1-3 B1G) and Huskers (10-5, 1-3 B1G) will meet for the ninth time in program history and seventh time as conference opponents.
Game Day Promotions
// Subway Full Court Four Pack Game - Enjoy 4 Tickets, 4 Subs, & 4 Drinks for just $40! Call 1-800-NITTANY to purchase your package.
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Series Notes
// Penn State and Nebraska will meet for the ninth time in program history. More on Page 5.
// The Lady Lions are 5-3 all-time against the Cornhuskers, but Nebraska has won the last two meetings.
// Six of the eight meetings have come as members of the Big Ten Conference.
// The first meeting came on Jan. 2, 1993 at Penn State, with the Lady Lions earning an 102-66 victory.
// This will be the first meeting at the Bryce Jordan Center since Jan. 13, 2013, an 80-58 win for the Lady Lions. The las three meeting have all come at Nebraska. More on Page 5.
At A Glance
// Sophomore Lindsey Spann continues to be a catalyst for Penn State's offense, posting her fourth 20-point game of the season with 21 tallies vs. the Badgers. More on Page 3, 7 & 30.
// Freshman Teniya Page has reached double figures in the scoring column in 12 of her 15 career games. More on Page 8 & 28.
// As a team, Penn State ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten with 8.6 steals per game, forcing 17.1 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 5 in the conference, as well. More on Page 6.
// Senior Candice Agee recorded her third game of the season with at least 10 points and five board with 16 points and nine rebounds at Wisconsin. More on Page 3, 7 & 18.
// Penn State scored 85 points in its first B1G road contest at Minnesota, the most points for a Lady Lion team in Williams Arena since an 88-83 win on Dec. 28, 2001.
// Penn State will close its short two-game homestand by hosting Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 17 in the 10th Annual Pink Zone Game. The Lady Lions and Wolverines will tip off at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be carried on BTN2go.com and via the Penn State Sports Network.
Scouting Nebraska
// The Huskers are led by freshman Jessica Shepard's 19.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. The rookie ranks No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, in the Big Ten.
// Shepard has won six Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards and one Big Ten Player of the Week honor this season.
// Senior Rachel Theriot leads the Big Ten and ranks No. 10 nationally with 6.7 assists per game.
// Sophomore Natalie Romero ranks No. 2 in the B1G with 44 made three pointers. She is shooting .427 from long range and ranks second on the team with 14.3 points per game.
// The Huskers added an impact transfer to their roster prior to the start of 2015-16, as Kyndal Clark transfered to Nebraska from Drake. Clark was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2014, before missing the 2015 season due to injury.
// Nebraska's offense has been efficient this season, with the Huskers assisting on 299 of 439 made field goals. That means the Huskers assist on 68.1 percent of their baskets this season.
// Nebraska has logged some miles early in the B1G season, playing three of five games on the road, so far. They have traveled to Northwestern (1/3) and Maryland (1/7) prior to today's game.
Last Time Out - at Wisconsin (Jan. 10, 2016)
// Sophomore Lindsey Spann notched her ninth double-figure scoring game and fourth 20-point game of the season with 21 points at Wisconsin.
// Spann now has 29 career 10-plus point efforts and nine 20-point games, including a 30-point effort earlier this season.
// Senior Brianna Banks reached double-digits in the scoring column for the eighth straight game with 12 points.
// Senior Candice Agee netted a season-high 16 points at Wisconsin, marking her second straight double figure scoring game.
// Agee also added a game-high nine rebounds, her firth game with at least seven rebounds this season.
// Agee also blocked one shot, giving her 110 career rejections, moving her within 10 swats of Tori Waldner for No. 8 on the Penn State career charts.
// Penn State notched 10-plus assists for the 12th time in 15 games at Wisconsin with 11 helpers.
B1G Highlights
// Penn State is in its 24th season as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
// The Lady Lions own an all-time mark of 248-136 in conference play.
// All-time, Penn State is 147-46 at home in Big Ten conference games, while owning a 101-90 mark in road games.
// Penn State's eight regular season championships since 1992-93 are the most won by any Big Ten team. Ohio State (7) and Purdue (6) are next on the list.
// The Lady Lions also own a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles, winning in 1995 & 1996.
// Their 25 NCAA Tournament appearances are the most in the Big Ten. Iowa, Purdue and Rutgers each have 24 NCAA Tournament appearances entering 2015-16.
B1G Honors
// Penn State has earned a pair of weekly honors from the Big Ten Conference this season.
// Junior Peyton Whitted was named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll for her performance on Nov. 23, 2015 after averaging a double-double in two games.
// Whitted posted 17 points, 16 rebounds at No. 4 Tennessee, before notching her third double-double of the season with a 15-point, 15-rebound outing vs. Central Connecticut State.
// Freshman Teniya Page earned her first career weekly honor when she was tabbed as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Jan. 4, 2016.
// The rookie posted a pair of double-digit scoring efforts, including a career-high 27 points in the Lady Lions' conference opening victory over No. 14/15 Northwestern. She added a 16-point effort at Minnesota.
Going For 30
// Sophomore Lindsey Spann became the 15th Lady Lion in school history to notch a 30-point game when she poured in 30 points at Minnesota on Jan. 3, 2016.
// Spann converted 10-of-18 shots from the field - including 7-of-11 from three-point range - and was 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
// Her 30-point effort was the first since Maggie Lucas netted 32 points vs. Indiana on Feb. 13, 2014.
// The seven made three-pointers by Spann were the most by a Penn State player since Lucas notched seven made three pointers on March 9, 2013 against Michigan State.
Ringing in the New Year
// Penn State played its fifth game all-time on New Year's Eve and own a 2-3 record.
// The Lady Lions played the first home game on New Year's Eve in school history vs. Northwestern. Three of the meetings have been played on the road, with the other coming at a neutral site.
// Four of the five New Year's Eve games have come in Big Ten play, with the other meeting coming against current B1G member Rutgers.
B1G Bragging Rights
// Penn State owns an overall mark of 329-192 against the current members of the Big Ten, including an overall winning record against 11 of the 13 teams in the conference.
// Since joining the conference in 1992-93, the Lady Lions are 274-155 vs. its conference brethren. That mark includes a 248-136 mark in conference play, a 25-19 mark in the Big Ten Tournament and one win vs. Indiana in the 1998 WNIT Semifinals.
// Since 1992-93, Penn State owns a winning mark vs. nine of the 13 Big Ten teams.
The Last Five Games
// Penn State is 2-3 in its last five games, including a win over No. 14/15 Northwestern (79-72).
// The Lady Lions are allowing 73.8 points per game, while scoring 72.8 points per contests.
// As a team, Penn State is averaging just 11.6 turnovers per game, while forcing 14.2 opponent missteps per contest.
// Penn State's 85-point effort at Minnesota mark the most points score by a PSU team at Williams Arena since an 88-83 win on Dec. 28, 2001.
// Three players are averaging in double figures; Brianna Banks (16.2), Teniya Page (16.0) & Lindsey Spann (15.4).
// Spann has three 20-point efforts in her last five games, including her 30-point outing at Minnesota on Jan. 3, 2016.
// Candice Agee (8.0), Peyton Whitted (7.8), Kaliyah Mitchell (7.4) & are all averaging at least 7.0 rebounds per game.
Balanced in the Scoring Column
// Penn State has seen at least three players reach double figures in 12 of 15 games this season.
// Four Lady Lions have eclipsed the 10-point mark in eight 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-point plateau in each of her first eight career games.
// Six different Lady Lions have six-or-more double-digit scoring games, including freshman Teniya Page, sophomore Lindsey Spann, juniors Kaliyah Mitchell and Peyton Whitted and seniors Brianna Banks and Candice Agee.
// Perspective: In 2014-15, Penn State had four players reach double-figures in the same game on seven occasions, including two games with five players in double-digits.
Whitted Wiping the Glass
// Peyton Whitted enters today ranked No. 7 in the Big Ten with 8.3 rebounds per game.
// 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 entered 2015-16 with just one double-digit rebound game, but has six such games this season.
// The Suwanee, Ga. native has led the team in rebounding on nine occasions this season. She only did that twice total during her first two seasons on campus.
// Her 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.
Banks Depositing 20's
// Senior Brianna Banks has already made the most of her only season on the court for the Blue and White, posting nine double-digit scoring games in 12 tries.
// She 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 Dec. 12 at St. Bonaventure, Banks netted a career-best 26 points on a personal-best 10 field goals.
// The Big Ten opener featured a 25-point, seven rebound, three steal effort.
// Banks has reached double figures in nine of the 10 games she has completed, missing most of four games due to injury.
// Her four 20-point games are the most on the team this season. She entered the season with just one 20-point game on her resume.
// 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.
White Hot Start for Whitted
// Senior Brianna Banks is making the most of her only season on the court for the Blue and White, posting 10 double-digit scoring games in 13 tries.
// Banks has reached the 10-point mark in each of her past eight games, including 12 points on Sunday at Wisconsin.
// She made her Penn State debut on Nov. 13 vs. Holy Cross and promptly tied her then-career-high with 20 points, following that with a 22-point showing against Fordham.
// On Dec. 12 at St. Bonaventure, Banks netted a career-best 26 points on a personal-best 10 field goals.
// The Big Ten opener featured a 25-point, seven rebound, three steal effort for the Newnan, Ga. native.
// Banks has reached double figures in 10 of the 11 games she has completed, missing most of four games due to injury.
// Her four 20-point games are tied for the most on the team this season (Spann). She entered the season with just one 20-point game on her resume.
// 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.
B1G Opening Win
// Penn State improved to 14-10 all-time in Big Ten openers with its 79-72 win over No. 14/15 Northwestern on December 31.
// The Lady Lions also moved their record to 9-3 in Big Ten openers played at home.
// The win over a ranked team give Penn State a 7-3 mark against such teams in the opening game of the conference season.
// The win also snapped a two-game losing streak in home conference openers.
Spann Heating Up
// After leading the team in scoring last season as a redshirt-freshman, Lindsey Spann reached double digits just twice in her first six games.
// After her two-point performance vs. BYU, Spann reached the 10-point mark in five straight games, including a pair of 20-point efforts.
// Spann has scored 10-plus points in eight of her last 10 games, including a pair of 20-point efforts and a 30-point game.
// Her first 20-point effort of the season came vs. Virginia Tech on Dec. 3, pouring in 20 points before adding 23 points vs. Sacred Heart on Dec. 20.
// Spann made seven three-pointers at Minnesota, which ranks tied for No. 22 nationally in a single game this season.
Agee Sending It Back
// Senior Candice Agee blocked one shot at Wisconsin to move her career total to 110 rejections.
// She trails Tori Waldner (120, 2012-15) for the No. 8 spot on the career charts.
// Her three blocks at Cal State Northridge helped her become just the 10th Lady Lion to record 100 career rejections.
// Agee has 31 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 1.05 bpg.
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 then-career-high 26 points to go along with personal best marks of eight rebounds and four steals against Cal State Northridge on Nov. 27.
// Her second 20-point effort came in the B1G opener vs. Northwestern with a career-best 27 tallies in a victory over the No. 14/15 Wildcats.
// 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 is one of just four freshmen nationally averaging better than 35 minutes per game. Her 36:27 average ranks No. 3 in the B1G and No. 31 in the NCAA.
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 each of the next five games.
// She has eight double-figure scoring games this season and ranks fourth on the team with 9.7 points per game.
// 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.
// The junior added 15 points and 11 rebounds on Dec. 20 vs. Sacred Heart for her second double-double of the year.
// She has also cashed in at the free throw line, making 38-of-44 shots from the charity stripe. Her .864 free throw percentage ranks No. 6 in the Big Ten and No. 43 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.
Injury Bug Strikes
// Junior guard Sierra Moore, junior guard Keke Sevillian and freshman guard Amari Carter will all 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.
// Sevillian played in 10 games this season before suffering the injury in practice in late December.
// 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.
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.
Among NCAA Victory Leaders
// Penn State is one of only 16 teams in NCAA Division I to accumulate 890 or more victories in program history, with an overall record of 893-427 (.677).
// The Lady Lions are one of just three Big Ten teams to amass 890 or more victories. Ohio State (956), Maryland (894) and Penn State (893) are the three B1G schools to reach the mark.
// Of the top 20 schools on the all-time victories list, the Big Ten owns the most; four. Conference USA is second with three teams, while the SEC and Big XII each have two teams.
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.
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.
// Both Siyeh Frazier and Jaida Travascio-Green were nominated for McDonald's All-American consideration in 2015-16.
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.