Oct. 28, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's basketball will play an exhibition contest on Sunday, Oct. 30 as they host Bloomsburg in a 2 p.m. contest at the Bryce Jordan Center.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with live stats via GoPSUsports.com.
PROMOTIONS
Promotions for Sunday's exhibition include:
- $5 Tickets
- Lady Lion Basketball Poster Pick Up.
LOOKING AT BLOOMSBURG
The Huskies are coming off of a 2015-16 season that ended with a 13-14 record and a 10-12 mark in the PSAC East. The sub-.500 record ended a string of six straight winning seasons and six straight years of at least 20 victories, while also ending the program's run of five consecutive PSAC East regular season titles.
A lot changed in the offseason, as there are a number of new faces on the court and on the bench, taking over the reins as the head coach of the program will be former Mansfield head coach, Alison Tagliaferri. She replaces Bill Cleary who departed after eight seasons for Division I Colgate University.
On the court, the Huskies will have an extremely young roster with only two seniors and one junior on the roster. A total of seven newcomers will join the mix in 2016-17 for Bloomsburgh.
Morgan Klunk is the leading returning scorer after averaging 11.3 points per game last season, playing a team-high 33.3 minutes per game. She also led the team in assists (96), was second in steals (40), and was fourth in rebounds (133) at the end of 2015-16. Alex Ross also returns after a breakout campaign a year ago that saw her start 25 games and average 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Sophomore Alyssa Mack returns after ranking fifth on the team in scoring at 7.1 points per game last season, aided by a team-high 31 3-pointers made. She was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Week four times a year ago.
VOLUMINOUS VETERANS
The Lady Lions will return a host of players with on-court experience, as nine letterwinners from the 2015-16 season are back, along with the return of Sierra Moore, who missed last season due to injury.
Among the group are five players with 30 or more starts and two more with starting experience. Kaliyah Mitchell (53 starts), Lindsey Spann (43), Peyton Whitted (38), Teniya Page (31) and Sierra Moore (30) all have 30 or more starts. Ashanti Thomas (5) has also garnered starting time in her career.
Letterwinners returning include sophomores Leah Knizner, Sarah McMurtry and Jaylen Williams. Redshirt-freshman Amari Carter played one game last season before suffering a season-ending injury and will be ready to contribute at the start of the 2016-17 campaign.
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NEW FACES
The 2016-17 season will bring a trio of new faces to the court for Penn State, with the addition of true freshmen Siyeh Frazier and Jaida Travascio-Green, and transfer student-athlete De'Janae Boykin.
Frazier, a native of Detroit, Michigan, was a finalist for Michigan Miss Basketball and two-time first team All-State selection. A 1,000-point scorer in her career, she averaged over 20 points during her junior and senior seasons.
A Lisle, Illinois, native, Travascio-Green ended her prep career with 1,597 points and was the 2016 Illinois High School high jump champion in track and field. She earned first team All-State honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as a senior after averaging 18 points and seven rebounds per game.
Boykin was the No. 23 ranked prospect in the class of 2015 according to ESPN/Hoopgurlz and was a McDonald's High School All-America selection. She ended her career with 1,225 points and 659 rebounds, missing most of her senior season due to injury. A mid-year transfer from the University of Connecticut, Boykin will be eligible to play following the fall semester.
YOUNG & READY
Head coach Coquese Washington will see nine student-athletes return for the 2016-17 season, with four newcomers added to the mix. This group will b e a young - five sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen - yet posses the talent to have an impact on the floor.
Three of the five underclassmen logged at least 29 games worth of court time last season. Sophomore Teniya Page is the most experienced of the group, with 31 starts already under her belt, while Ashanti Thomas and Jaylen Williams saw time in 31 and 29 games, respectively, during their rookie seasons in 2015-16. Even walk-ons Leah Knizner and Sarah McMurtry saw time on the floor in their first seasons with the Lady Lions, as Knizner played in 19 games and McMurtry saw action in eight.
Added to the mix are redshirt-freshmen De'Janae Boykin and Amari Carter. Boykin transferred prior to the spring semester from the University of Connecticut after a highly decorated prep career that included a host of international experience and three gold medals in international competition. Lady Lions fans got a glimpse of Carter's abilities last season, as she played five minutes vs. Holy Cross in the season opener before suffering a season-ending injury at the end of the first quarter. She hit a 3-pointer and had one rebound before leaving the contest.
STRONG IN THE SCORING COLUMN
For just the seventh time in 51 seasons of women's basketball at Penn State, five players average 9.0 points per game or better for a season in 2015-16. The Lady Lions will return four of those five players, along with Sierra Moore's 12.1 points-per-game from 2014-15.
The quartet of Teniya Page (15.3 ppg), Lindsey Spann (13.0), Kaliyah Mitchell (9.5) and Peyton Whitted (9.0) all return, with only the graduated Brianna Banks (13.4) leaving the fold.
As a team, Penn State averaged 70.1 points per game last season and shot 41.6 percent from the field.
NEXT TO 900
With one more victory, Penn State will become the 16th NCAA Division I program to reach the 900-win plateau. The Lady Lions are one of four Big Ten teams ranked among the top-20 on the all-time wins list, the most by any conference in the NCAA.
FREEBIES FALLING
It can make or break a game, yet can be one of the most mentally tough things for a player, but senior Kaliyah Mitchell and junior Lindsey Spann each sit among the top-20 in career free throw percentage entering the 2016-17 season.
Mitchell sat No. 4 in the Big Ten last season with a 85.4 free throw clip, making 19 straight free throws early in the season, including a 6-of-6 effort vs. BYU.
For her career, Mitchell is a 76.8 percent shooter from the charity stripe, making 208-of-271 free throws to rank No. 20 on the all-time list at Penn State.
In two seasons, sophomore Lindsey Spann has moved her named into the discussion as one of the top free throw shooters in school history. Her 78.4 clip (116-of-148) ranks No. 16 on the career list.
In 2015-16, her 87.7 free throw percentage (57-of-65) in 2015-16 is tied for No. 8 on the single season charts with Jess Strom's 71-of-81 effort in 2002-03.
LONG RANGE LINDSEY
In just her two seasons on the hardwood, Lindsey Spann ascended into the upper echelon of the single season and career charts for 3-point shooting at Penn State.
Her 102 career makes from 3-point range make her just the 14th player in Penn State history to hit the century mark from distance. She is currently 12 shy of passing Lynn Dougherty (113, 1989-92) for 13th on the career list.
Spann's 65 makes from long range last season tied with Kelly Mazzante (2000-01) for the No. 11 on the single season charts. She connected on at least two 3-pointers in six straight games from Jan. 10 - Jan. 27, before going 0-for-3 against Purdue (1/30).
Spann also wrote her name onto the single game chart, hitting seven 3-pointers at Minnesota. That total sits tied for No. 4 on the Lady Lion single game charts.
SAVING POSSESSIONS
In 2015-16, Penn State averaged just 14.5 turnovers per contest, becoming just the fifth Lady Lion squad to ever averaged less than 15.0 turnovers per game.
The 2003-04 squad averaged a school-record 13.1 turnovers per game, while the 2004-05 (13.8), 2002-03 (13.9) and 2011-12 (14.4) squads the only other teams to average less than 15.0 turnovers per game.
Penn State had eight games with 10 or fewer turnovers in 2015-16, its most since the 2003-04 team accomplished that nine times.
On the single game list, Penn State's six turnovers at Nebraska (2/2/16) are tied for the lowest single game total since at least 1990-91 and fewest in a game since March 20, 2005 (vs. Liberty).
WALK-ONS WORKING
Freshmen Leah Knizner and Sarah McMurtry each joined the Lady Lion program in October as walk-ons and both saw their fair share of action in 2015-16.
Due to injuries, Knizner became a main part of the bench for Penn State, seeing action in 19 games, including 15 Big Ten contests. McMurtry appeared in eight games - five in B1G play - and connected on her lone points of the season with a 3-pointer vs. No. 5/5 Maryland.
PAINTING IT PINK
Penn State was the first team in the NCAA to don pink uniforms ââ'¬" debuting their pink threads on Feb. 4, 2007 against Wisconsin at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Since starting the trend that has spread nation-wide, from high school to the professional ranks, Penn State has held 10 Pink Zone games and raised $1.6 million to benefit Pennsylvania Pink Zone and its beneficiaries.
The event began in 2007 with $20,490 raised and 31 cancer survivors in attendance and has grown into an event that annually raises $200,000 and welcomes more than 600 cancer survivors.
The Lady Lion program has been honored as the Play 4 Kay Division I initiative winner twice in program history, winning the award in back-to-back seasons (2013, 2014).
FINDING 500
The rebounding charts will see some reshuffling in 2016-17, as seniors Kaliyah Mitchell and Peyton Whitted are set to move up or into the top-30 in school history.
Mitchell became the 32nd member of the 500-rebound club with her five caroms vs. Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament last season. She ended the year ranked No. 31 on the all-time charts with 509.
Whitted is primed to become the 33rd member of the 500-rebound club, needing just 34 boards to reach the mark. Whitted's 256 rebounds from last season rank No. 21 on the single season Penn State charts and her 8.3 rebounds per game ranked No. 7 in the Big Ten.
With average seasons on the boards, both Mitchell and Whitted have the chance to move into the top-20 in school history, needing to reach the 645 rebounds by Maren Walseth (1998-01), who currently ranks No. 19 on the rebound charts.
TWO WITH 30
Last season, Lindsey Spann and Teniya Page did something that has only happened once in the storied history of Penn State women's basketball. The duo each recorded a 30-point game during the season.
While the Lady Lions have seen a fair share of 30-point games - 64 in all - only Maren Walseth and Lisa Shepard (1999-2000) recorded 30-point games in the same season before Page and Spann.
Spann netted her 30-point effort hitting 30 points on the head at Minnesota on Jan. 3, while Page poured in 31 points in an impressive effort against Michigan on Jan. 17.
For Page, she joined an exclusive group, becoming just the fifth Penn State freshman with a 30-point game in program history. She joined Jen Bednarek (1976-77), Tyra Grant (2006-07), Kelly Mazzante (2000-01) and Susan Robinson (1988-89) in the club.
DEEP THREAT
The old-fashioned 3-point play is still a great way to maximize your scoring, but knocking down a shot from beyond the arch is another way to get the crowd energized and Penn State did that in 2015-16.
The 152 Lady Lion 3-pointers in 2015-16 more than doubled its total from the 2014-15 campaign (74) and finished No. 12 on the school's single season charts.
As a team, Penn State shot .336 from long distance in 2015-16 and saw three players with 20-plus 3-pointers made.
ALL-B1G DUO RETURNS
When an opposing coach picks you out as one of the best in the conference it is an honor that holds water as the next season approaches, and Penn State returns two guards that earned All-Big Ten honors from the conference's coaches last season.
Sophomore Teniya Page and junior Lindsey Spann both garnered the accolades, with Page earning a second team nod and Spann bringing home honorable mention laurels. Page also earned a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
Of the 19 returning All-Big Ten performers from last season, Penn State is one of just two teams that return two all-conference guards (Michigan State) and one of six teams returning multiple All-B1G performers.
150 FOR WASHINGTON
Head coach Coquese Washington won her 150th career game on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015 vs. Fordham with a 75-59 victory at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Washington needed just two victories to reach the mark entering last season and claimed victories over Holy Cross and Fordham to reach the milestone.
She has started each of her nine seasons at the helm of the Lady Lions with a victory, including eight of nine seasons with two wins. Her season-opening win over Holy Cross helped her remain unbeaten in home openers, as well.
B1G HIGHLIGHTS
Penn State enters its 25th season as a member of the Big Ten Conference in 2016-17 and has enjoyed immense success since becoming a member of the storied conference in 1992-93.
The Lady Lions own an all-time mark of 253-145 in Big Ten play, with marks of 148-52 at home and 105-93 on the road.
Penn State's eight regular season championships since 1992-93 are the most won by any Big Ten team during that span. 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 and 1996.
THREE IN THE LEAGUE
The success of Penn State's student-athletes don't end at the collegiate level, as three Lady Lion alums spent the 2016 season on WNBA rosters. Alex Bentley, Maggie Lucas and Tanisha Wright were each among the professional ranks throughout the season.
Bentley continued to put her name atop of most productive players in the association, averaging 12.9 points and 2.5 assists per game for the Connecticut Sun in 34 games.
Lucas missed all but four games in 2016 due to an injury (knee), but was averaging a career-best 7.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in her four appearances for the Indiana Fever.
Wright helped lead the New York Liberty to the third-best record in the WNBA as she completed her 12th season in the association. She ranks No. 13 all-time in assists with 1,231 helpers, to go along with 3,036 points.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions will travel to Drexel to open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 11. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m..