Jan. 6, 2016
| GAME 14 | |
| Thursday, January 7 - 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 | Michigan State Statistics: Penn State | Michigan State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --The schedule doesn't get any easier for head coach Coquese Washington and the Penn State women's basketball program, as they return home to face No. 22/23 Michigan State on Thursday evening at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lady Lions (6-7, 1-1 B1G) will tip off at 7 p.m. against the Spartans (10-3, 1-1 B1G).
Game Day Promotions
// Faculty/Staff Night - All faculty and staff that show their ID at the ticket office will receive tickets for $6.
// Dollar Dog Night - Hot dogs are just $1 at the concession stands.
// Halftime will feature State College's M Twirling Team
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 Michigan State will meet for the 43rd time in program history. More on Page 5.
// The Lady Lions are 27-15 all-time against the Spartans, but Michigan State has won six of the last nine meetings.
// All but one meeting between the two schools has come as members of the Big Ten Conference.
// The first meeting came on December 20, 1991 at Penn State, with the Lady Lions earning an 82-55 victory.
// Michigan State won the only meeting last season, claiming a 74-67 decision at the Bryce Jordan Center.
// The two teams will meet again on Feb. 11, 2016 in East Lansing.
At A Glance
// Penn State opened its 24th season in the Big Ten Conference with a 79-72 victory over Northwestern on New Year's Eve. The Lady Lions are now 248-134 all-time in B1G play, including a 14-10 mark in openers. More on Page 6.
// Freshman Teniya Page notched her second career 20-point game with a career-best 27-point effort vs. Northwestern. More on Page 8 & 28.
// Penn State has four players averaging in double figures over the last five games, including 18.6 points from Brianna Banks and 17.0 points from Lindsey Spann. More on Page 8.
// Sophomore Lindsey Spann became the 15th player in Penn State history to score 30 points in a game with her 30-point effort at Minnesota on Jan. 3, 2016. More on Page 6, 7 & 26.
// Penn State will travel to Wisconsin for an afternoon showdown on Sunday, January 10. The Lady Lions and Badgers will tip off at 4 p.m. ET with the game airing live on the Big Ten Network.
Scouting Michigan State
// Redshirt junior Aerial Powers earned her fourth double-double of the season and 38th of her career with 21 points and 12 boards vs. Wisconsin.
.// Powers currently ranks among the top-10 in the Big Ten in both scoring average (18.5) and rebounds per game (8.6), both totals that lead the Spartans.
// The Spartans scored over 70 points for the 10th-straight game and the 12th time overall this season with 77 points vs. Wisconsin. MSU has won 77 of its last 82 games when scoring at least 70 points, and MSU is 94-10 under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard.
// Michigan State currently leads the Big Ten and ranks No. 8 nationally in free throw percentage. The Spartans are shooting at a .770 clip from the charity stripe entering the game.
// The Spartans ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 7 nationally in rebounding margin, out-rebounding the opposition by 14.7 boards per game.
// This season, Michigan State's scoring margin is plus-19.3 points per game. That total ranks third in the Big Ten and No. 13 nationally.
Last Time Out - at Minnesota (Jan. 3, 2016)
// Lindsey Spann scored a career-high 30 points at Minnesota, becoming the first Lady Lion to score 30-plus points since Maggie Lucas netted 32 points vs. Indiana on Feb. 13, 2014.
// Spann is just the 15th player in school history to record a 30-point game.
// Her seven made threes are the most by a Penn State player since Lucas notched seven on March 9, 2013 against Michigan State.
// Brianna Banks reached double-digits in scoring for the sixth straight game with 13 points.
// Banks added a career-high three blocks, surpassing her two blocked shots at Marquette on Feb. 25, 2012 when she was at Connecticut.
// Teniya Page scored 16 points to reach the 10-point plateau for the 11th time in 13 career games.
// Peyton Whitted notched 10 points and seven rebounds at Minnesota and now has seven games this season with at least 10 points and seven boards.
// The 11 made three pointers are the most since Nov. 30, 2011 when the Lady Lions netted 14 made triples.
// Penn State handed out 15 assists to mark the 11th time in 13 games it reached the 10-assist plateau in a game.
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 248-134 in conference play.
// All-time, Penn State is 147-45 at home in Big Ten conference games, while owning a 101-89 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 329-190 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 274-153 vs. its conference brethren. That mark includes a 248-134 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 3-2 in its last five games, including a 3-0 record at the Bryce Jordan Center.
// The Lady Lions are allowing 67.4 points per game, while scoring 75.0 points per contests.
// As a team, Penn State has made 79-of-105 free throws, which is 22 more makes and 30 more attempts than its opponents.
// Penn State 44.4 rebounds per game average is helped by a 62-rebound performance vs. Northwestern. That total set a Bryce Jordan Center record (MBB or WBB).
// Four players are averaging in double figures; Brianna Banks (18.6), Lindsey Spann (17.0), Teniya Page (14.2) & Kaliyah Mitchell (10.2).
// Banks has two 25-plus point efforts in her last five games, with 26 tallies vs. Northwestern (12/31) and 26 points at St. Bonaventure (12/12).
// Junior Kaliyah Mitchell leads the team with an 9.2 rebounds per game average.
// Spann became the 15th Lady Lion to notch a 30-point game, with 30 tallies at Minnesota on Jan. 3, 2016.
Balanced in the Scoring Column
// Penn State has seen at least three players reach double figures in 10 of 13 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.
// Five 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 senior Brianna Banks.
// 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. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 61 nationally with 9.1 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 eight double-digit scoring games in 11 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 eight of the nine 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
// 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.
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 seven of her last eight 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 currently ranks No. 3 in the B1G and No. 27 nationally with a .878 free throw percentage.
Agee Sending It Back
// Senior Candice Agee blocked four shots vs. Sacred Heart to move her career total to 107 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 30 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.
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 currently ranks No. 9 in the Big Ten and No. 66 nationally with a 2.00 assist to turnover ratio.
// Page is also one of just four freshmen nationally averaging better than 35 minutes per game. Her 36:23 ranks No. 3 in the B1G and No. 32 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.
// 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. 5 in the Big Ten and No. 42 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
// 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 Keke Sevillian missed the Lady Lions contest vs. Sacred Heart due to injury.
// 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.
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 893-425 (.678).
// The Lady Lions are one of just three Big Ten teams to amass 890 or more victories. Ohio State (954), Maryland (895) 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.
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.