UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team wraps up the non-conference portion of its 2018-19 schedule Sunday afternoon when the Lady Lions host defending Patriot League champion American at 2 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
FOLLOW ALONG
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Game Notes: Penn State Notes
PROMOTIONS
- Leah Knizner Senior Day
- Pre-game Kids Zone
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State (6-4) wraps up non-conference play Sunday when the Lady Lions welcome American (4-4) to the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The Lady Lions will be looking to secure their second-straight win and head into conference action with strong momentum.
- Penn State has six wins on the young season and the Lady Lions have erased at least a nine-point deficit in four of those six wins.
- Four Lady Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by Teniya Page's 20.1 ppg.
IF PENN STATE BEATS AMERICAN
- Penn State would end non-conference play with a 7-4 record.
- Penn State would move to 5-1 all-time against the Eagles.
- The Lady Lions would move to 6-3 in the Bryce Jordan Center this season and 33-9 in the BJC dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season.
SCOUTING AMERICAN
- American, the defending Patriot League Champions and 2018 NCAA Tournament competitor, is 4-4 on the season.
- The Eagles have captured wins over UMBC (64-42, Nov. 28), Hawaii (69-57, Nov. 23), George Mason (86-71, Nov. 14) and Tulsa (68-52, Nov. 9) this season.
- American is coming off a close 57-54 loss at Virginia in their most recent action last Wednesday, Dec. 5.
- Four Eagles are averaging double-digit points, led by Kaitlyn Marenyi's 13.8 points per game. Elina Koskimies (13.4 ppg), Cecily Carl (13.1 ppg) and Kaitlyn Lewis (10.5 ppg) are also key contributors.
AGAINST THE EAGLES
- Penn State and American will be meeting for the third-straight year and sixth time overall.
- The Lady Lions hold a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series, with that lone loss coming last year in overtime.
- The Eagles used an 11-0 run over the final four minutes of the fourth quarter of last year's contest in Washington, D.C. to knot the score at 55-55. American then outscored the Lady Lions, 20-11, in the extra period.
- Teniya Page led Penn State with 19 points, 13 rebounds and three assists. Alisia Smith pulled down 10 boards and added 10 points, including a 6-of-8 effort at the free throw line.
SENIORS' SHINING MOMENTS
- The Lady Lions will be celebrating their five-member senior class in a unique way this season. Each senior will get their own "Senior Day" in addition to the cumulative Senior Day that will celebrate the class as a whole during the regular-season finale.
- The senior being celebrated on each Senior Day will get to pick that game's honorary coach(es) in addition to having their family and friends in attendance.
- The second Senior Day of the 2018-19 season comes Sunday against American when the Lady Lions will honor Leah Knizner.
- Knizner has proven to be one of the hardest working student-athletes throughout her time as a Lady Lion. She joined the program as a walk-on in 2015, but her drive, determination, and team-first attitude helped her earn a scholarship spot the following season. Knizner has played 36 games throughout her career, always providing a strong spark and filling whatever role is best for the team.
- Knizner's father, Matt, played football at Penn State from 1985-87 and was part of the 1986 National Championship team that defeated Miami (Fla.), 14-10, in the Fiesta Bowl to cap a perfect 12-0 season.
FIRST 10
- The Lady Lions are 6-4 through their first 10 games of the season.
- Four of those six wins came in comeback fashion as Penn State erased at least a nine-point deficit in all four.
- The most dominant win of the season came on Dec. 2 against Jacksonville as the Lady Lions captured a 19-point victory, 80-61, over the visiting Dolphins.
- Teniya Page has scored in double-digits in every game this season, and leads the team with an average of 20.1 ppg.
FOCUS ON THE FREE THROW LINE
- The Lady Lions rank seventh in all of Division I (as of Dec. 13) with 160 made free throws on the season.
- Penn State ranks 27th nationally with a 76.2 (160-for-210) free throw shooting percentage.
- Sophomore Alisia Smith leads the Lady Lions with an 88.6 (31-for-35) free throw percentage, a mark that ranks 35th amongst all Division I players.
- The Lady Lions are 5-1 in games that they've made 15 or more free throws in this season. Penn State is 1-3 when making 14 or less free throws.
TRACKING TENIYA
- Teniya Page has totaled 1,790 career points, putting her just 210 points away from hitting the 2,000-point mark. She would become the sixth Lady Lion to reach the milestone if she hits the 2,000-point mark. With 29 regular-season games scheduled and at least one postseason contest guaranteed (Big Ten Tournament), Page will need to average 13.7 points per game this season to reach the milestone. She averaged 15.3 points per game as a freshman, 19.9 as a sophomore and 18.4 as a junior.
- Her 1,790 career points rank eighth all-time on the Penn State career scoring charts and is 14th amongst all active Division I players.
- With 34 points against Stony Brook on Nov. 25, Page now stands alone in second place for the most career 30-plus point games (8) in Lady Lion history. She was previously tied with Maggie Lucas (2011-14) at 7.
- The standout has already etched her names into several of Penn State's record books. Her 18.1 points per game career scoring average ranks No. 4 all-time. She is one of five Penn Staters with 1,500 career points and 300 career assists. She's averaged 35.5 minutes per game throughout her career, a mark that ranks second in the Lady Lion history books.
UP NEXT
- The Lady Lions open Big Ten play on Friday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. when Penn State hosts #6 Maryland.