Jan. 22, 2016
| GAME 18 | |
| Saturday, January 23 - 3 p.m. ET | |
| State Farm Center | Champaign, Ill. | |
| Game Day Information: | |
| ParkingTicketsBag Policy --> | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
TV: Big Ten Network (Live)<-->BTN2go VideoLive Audio (Free) | GameTrackerWomen's Basketball BlogFollow Us: @PennStateWBB | Facebook | InstagramGame Notes: Penn State | Illinois Statistics: Penn State | Illinois
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --The Penn State women's basketball team closes out its first extended Big Ten road trip on Saturday (Jan. 23) afternoon inside the State Farm Center against host Illinois. The Lady Lions (7-11, 2-5 B1G) will meet the Illini (8-10, 1-6 B1G) at 3 p.m. ET with the game shown live on BTN2go.com and airing live on the Penn State Sports Network.
Getting Social
Follow Penn State women's basketball on Facebook by clicking here or on Twitter by clicking here. Stay up to date with all of our 31 varsity programs on your favorite social media platforms by clicking here. You can also stay up to date with the women's basketball program on LadyLions.com.
Series Notes
// Penn State and Illinois will meet for the 46th time in program history. More on Page 5.
// The Lady Lions are 30-15 all-time against the Fighting Illini, with the series tied at 10-10 in Champaign.
// Penn State has won seven of the last eight meetings.
// The first meeting came on Dec. 6, 1986, with Illinois winning, 80-77.
// Penn State has won the last three meetings in Champaign, with Illinois' last win at home coming during the 2009-10 season.
At A Glance
// Freshman Teniya Page scored 31 points vs. Michigan on Sunday to become just the fifth freshman to ever eclipse the 30-point mark in a game. More on Page 6, 8 & 29.
// Junior Kaliyah Mitchell connected on 3-of-5 free throws at Iowa to move her free throw percentage to .867 for the season. That total ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten and No. 31 in the NCAA. More on Page 7, 8 & 33.
// Penn State has connected on 88 three-pointers this season, a total that already eclipses its total of 74 from the entire 2014-15 campaign. More on Page 6.
// Senior Brianna Banks has reached double figures in 11 straight games after a 16-point effort at Iowa (1/20). She also moved past the 150-assist mark for her career. More on Page 3, 7 & 23.
// Junior Peyton Whitted notched her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points & 10 rebounds at Iowa (1/20). It is her seventh 10-plus rebound game of the year. More on Page 7, 8 & 41.
// The Lady Lions will host Maryland on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The game will be played at 7 p.m. and be carried on BTN2go.com and via the Penn State Sports Network. NOTE: This is a date change from the original Tuesday, January 26 contest.
Scouting Illinois
// Sophomore Chatrice White is a force in the middle for the Illini, leading the team in scoring (17.1 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg) and blocks (2.2 bpg).
// In just two seasons, White has already moved into rare air in the Illinois record books, sitting No. 6 all-time with 101 career blocks.
// Currently, White ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten with 2.2 rejections and 9.5 rebounds per contest. She is No. 36 and 45, respectively on the national charts, while her 17.1 points sit No. 12 in the conference.
// White leads the Big Ten with 11 double-doubles this season, a total that is No. 7 nationally.
// Freshman Sierra Rice ranks second on the team with 13.6 points per game, but has not see action since Dec. 22 due to injury.
// Redshirt senior Kyley Simmons leads Illinois with 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She also ranks No. 3 on the team at 11.9 points per game.
// The Fighting Illini are among the nation's top three-point shooting teams, ranking No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 31 overall with 7.6 made three pointers per game.
Last Time Out - at Iowa (Jan. 20, 2016)
// Lindsey Spann moved pass the 600 career point mark on Wednesday evening at Iowa. Ending the game with 615 points in 47 games played.
// Spann added a career-high eight assists, as well.
// Brianna Banks reached double-figures for the 11th straight game and 13th time in 2015-16 with a game-high-tying 16 tallies.
// For the 15th time in her young career Teniya Page reached double-figures in the scoring column with 14 points in the contest.
// Peyton Whitted notched her fourth career double-double -- all of them coming in 2015-16 -- with a 14-point, 10-rebound effort.
// Whitted now has seven games this season with 10-plus rebounds.
// Kaliyah Mitchell broke the 10-point mark 10th time in 2015-16 with 12 points
// Freshman Jaylen Williams tied her career-highs for points (four) and rebounds (six) .
// Penn State set a new season high for points in the first quarter (25) and points in the first half (46).
// The Lady Lions made a season-best 21 free throws, topping the 20 makes from the charity stripe against Holy Cross on Nov. 13, 2015.
Lighting Up the Scoreboard
// Penn State is averaging 75.4 points per game in Big Ten play through seven games.
// The Lady Lions have reached 75 points in five of the first seven conference games, the first time that has happened since 2002-03.
// The 2002-03 squad scored 75 points or more in five of the first seven conference games that season. Only five other Penn State teams have accomplished that in their time in the Big Ten (1992-present).
// For just the second time in program history, Penn State has had two different players score 30-plus points in a single game in the same season.
// Lindsey Spann netted 30 points at Minnesota (1/3/16) and Teniya Page scored 31 points vs. Michigan (1/17/16).
// In 1999-2000, Maren Walseth netted 35 pointsvs. Michigan (1/27/2000) and Lisa Shepard had 31 points vs. St. Joseph's (11/27/1999).
Lineup Shuffle
// Head coach Coquese Washington has used seven different starting lineups this season.
// The most used lineup is Brianna Banks, Kaliyah Mitchell Teniya Page, Lindsey Spann and Peyton Whitted, which has been used eight times.
// Page has started all 18 games as a true freshman, while Whitted has started 17 contests.
// Brianna Banks, who has started 15 games, was sidelined with an injury for three contests this season.
// Perspective: Washington used only seven different lineups total during the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons combined.
30 For Spann at Minnesota
// 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.
// The complete list of 30-point can be found on the Records Watch on Page 9.
Teniya's 30-Point Effort
// Freshman Teniya Page poured in a career-high 31 points on Jan. 17 against Michigan in the 10th Annual Pink Zone at Penn State game.
// The 31-point effort marks the first of her career and makes her just the fifth freshman in school history to eclipse the 30-point mark as a rookie.
// Page joins Jen Bednarek (1976-77), Tyra Grant (2006-07), Kelly Mazzante (2000-01) and Susan Robinson (1988-89) in the exclusive list.
// It is just the second time a Big Ten freshman eclipsed the 30-point mark this season, with Nebraska's Jessica Shepard tallying 35 points vs. Northern Arizona in non-conference play.
// Page joined Lindsey Spann in the 30-point club this season, making Penn State one of three Big Ten teams with two players that have reached the 30-point mark in a game this season. (Minnesota & Nebraska)
Balanced in the Scoring Column
// Penn State has seen at least three players reach double figures in 15 of 18 games this season.
// Four Lady Lions have eclipsed the 10-point mark in 10 games - including three games with five players scoring 10-plus points.
// At USF, Penn State placed all five starters in double figures, as Brianna Banks, Kaliyah Mitchell, Teniya Page, Lindsey Spann & Peyton Whitted all topped the 10-point mark.
// It was the first time since Jan. 25, 2015 that five different Lady Lions scored 10 or more points in the same game.
// The same five players tallied 10-plus points vs. Nebraska (1/13) and at Iowa (1/20).
// Freshman Teniya Page reached the 10-point plateau in each of her first eight career games.
// Senior Brianna Banks has eclipsed the 10-point mark in 11 straight games, dating back to Dec. 6, 2016.
// 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.
Triples Falling in 2016
// Penn State has connected on 88 three-pointers this season, a total that already eclipses its total of 74 from the entire 2014-15 campaign.
// Lindsey Spann has 36 triples this season - just one off the pace of her total (37) from last season.
// As a team, Penn State is shooting .325 from long distance, compared to .254 last season.
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 11 of her last 13 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 vs. Michigan to move her career total to 111 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.
Whitted Wiping the Glass
// Peyton Whitted enters today ranked No. 7 in the Big Ten with 8.2 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 seven such games this season, including 10 boards at Iowa on Wednesday.
// The Suwanee, Ga. native has led the team in rebounding on 11 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 is making the most of her only season on the court for the Blue and White, posting 13 double-digit scoring games in 16 tries.
// Banks has reached the 10-point mark in each of her last 11 games, including a game-high-tying 16 points on Wednesday at Iowa.
// 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 13 of the 14 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.
Freebies For Mitchell
// Junior Kaliyah Mitchell was the team's top free throw shooter last season and has continued that trend again in 2015-16.
// Mitchell currently ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten and No. 31 nationally with a .867 free throw clip. She has connected on 46-of-53 freebies.
// 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.
// For her career, Mitchell is a .757 shooter from the charity stripe, making 178-of-235 free throws. That percentage currently sits No. 20 on the all-time list at Penn State.
White Hot Start for 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.
// 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.
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.
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.
// Against Michigan on Jan. 17, Page netted 31 points to become just the fifth freshman in program history to eclipse the 30-point mark in a game.
// 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 then-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 and has nine such efforts this season, including a 16-point, four-assist night at Iowa (1/20).
// 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 36:28 average ranks No. 3 in the B1G and No. 34 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 each of the next five games.
// She has 10 double-figure scoring games this season and ranks fourth on the team with 9.9 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.
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.
2016 Pink Zone at Penn State
// The 10th Annual Pink Zone at Penn State was held on Sunday, January 17 in the Bryce Jordan Center with the Lady Lions falling, 78-91, to the Wolverines.
// The 2016 contest was the highest scoring affair in the 10 years of the event, with the two teams combining for 178 points.
// A final total raised will be released this summer, however, early fundraising efforts have topped $160,000 through the Pink Zone game.
// 640 cancer survivors attended the game vs. Michigan, with 4,203 years of survivorship gathering on the court during the halftime celebration.
// For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.pennsylvaniapinkzone.org.
An Event Like No Other
// Penn State was the first team in the NCAA to don pink uniforms, debuting the threads on Feb. 4, 2007 against Wisconsin at the Bryce Jordan Center.
// The Lady Lion program has been honored as the Play 4 Kay Division I initiative winner twice in program history, winning the award in 2013 and 2014.
More Than Just a Game
// The Lady Lions own a 6-4 record in Pink Zone at Penn State games, including a five-game winning streak from 2010-2014.
// Pink Zone at Penn State has raised over $1.5 million in funds through its first 10 games, including a record $310,000 in 2014.
// The event began in 2007 with $20,490 raised and 31 cancer survivors in attendance and has grown into an event that annually raises over $200,000 (five straight years) and welcomes over 600 cancer survivors.
// In 2016, Penn State has currently raised $161,000 (final total announced later this year) and 640 cancer survivors joined the Lady Lions in the BJC.
// This year, Pink Zone's six beneficiaries include; Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Kay Yow Cancer Fund, PA Breast Center Coalition, JC Blair Memorial Hospital and Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital
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 (.676).
// The Lady Lions are one of just three Big Ten teams to amass 890 or more victories. Ohio State (958), Maryland (900) and Penn State (894) 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.
Four McDonald's All-Americans
// The Lady Lions tout four McDonald's High School All-Americans in the program; Candice Agee, Brianna Banks, De'Janae Boykin and Sierra Moore.
// Boykin was a part of the 2015 game, Agee and Moore were participants in the 2012 game and Banks played in the 2011 contest.
// 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.
Boykin Joins Lady Lions
// Head coach Coquese Washington announced the addition of freshman transfer De'Janae Boykin to the Penn State women's basketball roster on Friday, January 22.
// Boykin joins the program after transferring from the University of Connecticut, where she did not appear in any games during her first semester of college.
// A three-time gold medalist in international competition, Boykin also earned McDonald's All-American honors following her final prep season.
// She was the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Maryland after averaging 21.1 points, 15.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game during her junior season at C. H. Flowers High School.
// Her senior season included just six games -- averaging 21.5 points per game -- before she was sidelined due to injury, however, her efforts still earned her McDonald's All-America honors and was the No. 23 ranked player in the country according to ESPN/HoopGurlz.
// Boykin's career also included extensive USA Basketball experience, including three gold medals in international competition. Boykin won gold at the 3-on-3 competition at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. She started all seven games for Team USA at the 2014 FIBA U-17 World Championships and started all five games at the 2013 FIBA Americas U-16 Championships, winning gold medals at both competitions.
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.