Nov. 10, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A new season has arrived and the Penn State women's basketball program will travel to Philadelphia for a Friday, Nov. 11 tilt with Drexel. The Lady Lions and Dragons will tipoff at 7 p.m. inside the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with the game on Twitter (@PennStateWBB), or via live stats, live video or livie audio with the links to the right.
SERIES NOTES
- Penn State and Drexel will meet for the fifth time in program history, with PSU owning a 3-1 edge in the series.
- The Lady Lions are 1-1 in games played at home and 2-0 on the road vs. the Dragons.
- In the last meeting, Drexel captured its lone victory in the series with an 84-73 win on Dec. 12, 2010 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The last meeting in Philadelphia came on Nov. 13, 2009, a 71-61 victory for Penn State.
THE LAST MEETING
- The Lady Lions dropped an 84-73 decision to Drexel on Dec. 21, 2010 inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
- With the loss, Penn State leads the all-time series, 3-1, over Drexel.
- Senior Julia Trogele surpassed the 600-point plateau for her career with nine tallies, ending the game with 602 points in her career.
- Trogele also had seven rebounds.
- Freshman guard Maggie Lucas continued posted her sixth 20-point game of the year. The rookie guard led four Lady Lions in double figures with 20 tallies.
- Lucas added two rebounds and two steals.
- Sophomore guard Alex Bentley scored 12 of her 14 points after halftime.
- With four assists, Bentley reached the 200-assist mark for her career, ending the contest with 201 career helpers.
- Bentley also blocked two shots.
- Junior Zhaque Gray and sophomore center Nikki Greene added 10 points each.
SCOUTING DREXEL
- Three of Drexel's top-4 scorers return, including leading scorer and rebounder in senior Sarah Curran. Curran averaged 15.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2015-16.
- The Dragons scored 60.1 points per game in 2015-16 and allowed only 55.8 points for a plus-4.2 points per game average.
- As a team, Drexel made 8.0 3-pointers per game last season and shot .352 from long range during the season. Jessica Pellechio is the leading returner from 3-point range with 1.9 makes per game.
- Meghan Creighton led the team with 5.6 assists per game and added 6.8 points in 2015-16, while also owning a team-best 34 steals.
- Like Penn State, Drexel took care of the basketball in 2015-16, averaging just 10.8 turnovers per game. That total ranked No. 3 nationally and the Dragons were one of just three schools to average less than 11 turnovers per game.
STARTING ANEW
- Penn State will begin its 53rd season playing women's basketball and owns an 899-437 record.
- The Lady Lions are 40-12 all-time in season openers, including 9-0 under head coach Coquese Washington.
- Washington is 2-0 in true road game season openers; defeating Dayton, 112-107, in double overtime on Nov. 12, 2010 and toppling Drexel, 71-61, on Nov. 13, 2009.
- Penn State has a 29-23 ledger in its first true road game of a season since its first season in 1965.
OPENING ON THE ROAD
- Penn State will open on the road for the first time since the 2010-11 season when it started the year with a double overtime victory at Dayton, 112-107, on Nov. 12, 2010.
- Over the 10 previous seasons, Penn State has opened on the road just three times; at Dayton (2010-11) and at Drexel (2009-10 and 2006-07).
- Entering its 53rd season, Penn State has now opened the season with a true road game on 18 occasions. The Lady Lions are 11-6 in the previous 17 games, winning three straight season openers on the road entering 2016-17.
BOOKS & BASKETBALL
- Senior guard Sierra Moore walked across the stage at the Bryce Jordan Center last April as a member of The Pennsylvania State University's graduating class of 2016.
- The Hanover, Pa., native accepted her diploma, a B.A. in broadcast & journalism, and is now working on a mater's degree in human resources & employment relations.
- Moore missed the 2015-16 season due to injury (knee), after averaging 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 2014-15.
- The trio of Kaliyah Mitchell, Lindsey Spann and Peyton Whitted all excelled on the court and in the classroom during the 2015-16 campaign, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors.
- Along with her academic honor, Spann was an honorable mention All-Big Ten performer, as well.
500 CLUB
- More exclusive than Penn State's 1,000-point club, the 500-rebound group currently has just 32 members. However, one of those is senior Kaliyah Mitchell and fellow fourth-year player Peyton Whitted is knocking on the door.
- Mitchell secured her 500th rebound in the opening game of the 2016 Big Ten Tournament vs. Illinois and ended her junior season with 509 career boards.
- With just 55 rebounds, Mitchell can move into the No. 25 slot, currently held by Kelly Mazzante (2001-04), who nabbed 563 career rebounds
- For Whitted, she is just 34 rebounds shy of becoming the 33rd member of the club, thanks for a 256-rebound season in 2015-16.
PAGE AMONG PENN STATE ROOKIE ELITE
- After one of the most productive freshman campaigns in program history, Teniya Page became just the second Penn State rookie to be unanimously selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman team, joining Alex Bentley (2010).
- She also earned Second Team All-Big Ten accolades from the Big Ten coaches and honorable mention all-conference from the media.
- Her second team selection makes her just the third Penn State rookie to earn either first or second team honors at season's end, joining Maggie Lucas (2nd Team, 2011) and Kelly Mazzante (1st Team, 2001).
- The rookie was the first freshman in the country to eclipse 400-points and 100-assists this season, sitting as the only rookie to average at least 15.0 points and 4.0 assists per game in the NCAA.
- Page finished ranked among the PSU freshman leaders in points (4th, 473), scoring average (5th, 15.3), field goals made (5th, 164), three-pointers made (7th, 36), three-point percentage (T-4th, .409), free throws made (3rd, 109), assists (5th, 131), minutes per game (1st, 37.6) and games started (T-5th, 31)
PAGE PUTTING IN WORK
- Teniya Page produced eight games of at least 40 minutes in 2015-16, including playing all 50 minutes in a double overtime contest vs. Purdue on Jan. 30.
- Page played every minute over a four-game stretch from Jan. 30 - Feb. 11 for Penn State.
- She played 50 minutes vs. Purdue, and 40 minutes at Nebraska, vs. Rutgers and at Michigan State.
- In 2015-16, Page played at least 38 minutes in 18 of the 31 games.
- Page also did not fouled out of a game in 2015-16, reaching four fouls in only eight games. She averaged 2.1 fouls per game.
- Perspective: Page's 18 games of at least 38 minutes were more than the rest of the team combined. Only four other players (12 times) played at least 38 minutes in a game.
SPANN SOLID ON THE STRIPE
- In two seasons, Lindsey Spann has moved her named into the discussion as one of the top free throw shooters in school history.
- Spann has made 116-of-148 shots from charity stripe in her career to rank No. 14 on the career free throw percentage list at .784.
- Her .877 free throw percentage (57-of-65) in 2015-16 ranks 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 second season on the hardwood, Lindsey Spann has ascended into the upper echelon of the single season and career charts for three-point shooting at Penn State.
- Her 102 makes from three-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.
- Her 65 makes from long range in 2015-16 sit tied with Kelly Mazzante (2000-01) for No. 11 on the single season charts.
- Spann's seven three-pointers at Minnesota were the most in a single game in 2015-16 for Penn State and sit tied for No. 4 on the Lady Lion single game charts.
- She connected on at least two three-pointers in six straight games from Jan. 10 - Jan. 27, before going 0-for-3 against Purdue (1/30).
PEYTON'S CAREER YEAR
- Peyton Whitted entered her junior season averaging just 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. However, a summer at home working on her game paid dividends and led to a career year for the Suwanee, Ga., native.
- Whitted more than doubled her scoring and rebounding averages, averaging 9.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in 2015-16.
- Her 256 rebounds in 2015-16 rank No. 21 on the single season charts and move her career total to 466, which sit among the top-40 in program history.
- In 2015-16, Whitted surpassed her career totals in the following categories; Points, Rebounds, Field Goals Made, Field Goal %, Free Throws Made, Free Throw %, Assists, Blocks, Steals, and Minutes Played.
LIMITING TURNOVERS
- Penn State limited its turnovers in 2015-16, averaging just 14.5 per contest.
- Only five Penn State teams have ever averaged less than 15.0 turnovers per game, with the top-10 season averages below;
1. ââ'¬" 13.1 ââ'¬" 34 games ââ'¬" 2003-04
2. ââ'¬" 13.8 ââ'¬" 30 games ââ'¬" 2004-05
3. ââ'¬" 13.9 ââ'¬" 35 games ââ'¬" 2002-03
4. ââ'¬" 14.4 ââ'¬" 33 games ââ'¬" 2011-12
5. ââ'¬" 14.5 ââ'¬" 31 games ââ'¬" 2015-16
6. ââ'¬" 15.2 ââ'¬" 32 games ââ'¬" 2012-13
7. ââ'¬" 15.3 ââ'¬" 29 games ââ'¬" 2001-02
8. ââ'¬" 15.4 ââ'¬" 31 games ââ'¬" 2007-08
9. ââ'¬" 15.6 ââ'¬" 31 games ââ'¬" 1993-94 & 1992-93
- Penn State had eight games with 10 or fewer turnovers in 2015-16, their most since the 2003-04 team accomplished that nine times.
- Penn State's six turnovers at Nebraska are tied for the lowest single game total since at least 1990-91. The other six-turnover games include; vs. Liberty (3/20/2005), vs. Kansas State (11/29/03), at Michigan State (2/9/2003), at Northwestern (2/12/1995)
- Under head coach Coquese Washington, the Lady Lions now have three seasons with five games of 10 or fewer turnovers (2015-16, 2007-08 and 2011-12).
BALANCED SCORING
- For just the seventh time in 52 seasons, Penn State had five players average 9.0 points per game or better for a season.
- It was just the third time in 24 seasons of Penn State's Big Ten tenure (1992-93 to present) that five players averaged 9.0 points per game or better.
- The quintet of Teniya Page (15.3), Brianna Banks (13.4), Lindsey Spann (13.0), Kaliyah Mitchell (9.5) and Peyton Whitted (9.0) all finished with a scoring average of 9.0 or better.
- Among the group was the teams leader in assists (Page, 4.2), rebounds (Whitted, 8.3) and steals (Banks, 1.7).
#WEPLAYON
- Penn State ended the WNBA season with three players on active rosters, including Tanisha Wright, who helped the New York Liberty to the third-best record in the league.
- Wright ended her 12th season in the league with 6.7 points and 3.6 assists per game.
- Her assists-per-game average ranked 16th in the WNBA and she moved into No. 13 in league history with 1,231 helpers in 393 career regular season games.
- Alex Bentley finished her third season in Connecticut and ranked among the top-30 in the WNBA in scoring average (22nd, 12.9), minutes played per game (25, 28.8), 3-pointers made (8th, 48) and assists (29th, 85).
- Bentley was an All-Star in 2015, scoring a team-best 23 points off the bench for the East to go along with five assists.
- Maggie Lucas missed the 2016 season due to injury (knee), after seeing action in 30 games during the 2015 season.
- Lucas scored a career-best 5.7 points per game in 2015 and helped the Fever to an Eastern Conference title and a WNBA Finals series with the Minnesota Lynx.
NAMING CAPTAINS
- After a summer of growth and improvements on and off the court, the Penn State women's basketball team named seniors Kaliyah Mitchell and Peyton Whitted, and sophomore Sarah McMurtry as tri-captains for the 2016-17 season.
- Mitchell won't be the first to raise her voice, but her actions on the court and in the classroom speak loud enough. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten performer, she also ranks among the school's career leaders in rebounds and free throw percentage.
- Whitted's leadership role continued to expand following her breakout junior campaign. A nominee for COSIDA Academic All-District, Whitted is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten performer that spent the summer interning with WPSU Penn State as a member of their video production unit and leading workouts with younger players.
- Every team needs someone that continually places team before self, and McMurtry embodies what it is to be a great teammate. After joining the team as a walk-on in October 2015, she quickly stood out as one of the hardest working and most respected players in the program. She is also one of the top performers in the classroom.
MCDONALS's ALL-AMERICANS
- The Lady Lions have a pair of McDonald's High School All-Americans suiting up this season in redshirt-freshman De'Janae Boykin and graduate student Sierra Moore.
- Boykin was a part of the 2015 game, while Moore was among a pair of current or former Lady Lions to suit up in the 2012 contest, joining Candice Agee.
- Prior to Coquese Washington taking the reins, the Lady Lions only had one McDonald's High School All-American in program history, but now boast seven total.
- Since arriving in Happy Valley, Washington has attracted six McDonald's All-Americans; Dara Taylor - 2009 Game, Maggie Lucas - 2010 Game, Brianna Banks - 2011 Game, Candice Agee - 2012 Game, Sierra Moore - 2012 Game and De'Janae Boykin - 2015 Game.
NEXT UP
The Lady Lions will travel open the home portion of their schedule on Sunday, Nov. 13 vs. St. Peter's. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.