UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team opens up Big Ten play Friday night inside the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center when the Lady Lions host preseason Big Ten favorite and fourth-ranked Maryland. Tipoff of the conference opener is slated for 7 p.m.
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PROMOTIONS
- Flashback Friday
- Giveaways at the gates
OPENING TIPS
- The Lady Lions open Big Ten play and wrap up their five-game homestand when Penn State hosts No. 4/4 Maryland.
- The Lady Lions will be looking to secure their third-straight win after wrapping up non-conference play with back-to-back victories over St. Bonaventure and American.
- Five Lady Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by Teniya Page's 19.8 ppg.
IF PENN STATE BEATS MARYLAND
- Penn State would defeat a top-five opponent for the first time since Dec. 5, 2004 when the Lady Lions beat No. 2 North Carolina 77-71 at the BJC.
- The Lady Lions would earn their first victory over the Terrapins since 2003 and first win since Maryland joined the Big Ten.
- Penn State would win its Big Ten opener for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
- The Lady Lions would move to 7-3 in the Bryce Jordan Center this season and 34-9 in the BJC dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season.
SCOUTING #4/4 MARYLAND
- Maryland enters Big Ten play undefeated this season with an 11-0 record and a No. 4 ranking in both major polls.
- The Terrapins have outscored their opponents by an average of 26.3 points per game. Maryland's closest win was a seven-point (58-51) victory over Georgia on Nov. 24.
- The Terrapins defeated Delaware 77-53 in their most recent action on Dec. 20.
- Four Terrapins are averaging double-digit points, led by Kaila Charles' 15.7 ppg. Taylor Mikesell (14.7 ppg) and Stephanie Jones (13.4 ppg) follow, while freshman Shakira Austin has chipped in 10.6 ppg and a team-best 11.9 rebounds per contest.
AGAINST THE TERRAPINS
- Penn State holds a slim 14-13 lead in the all-time series between the Lady Lions and Terrapins, but Maryland has won every meeting since joining the Big Ten.
- The Terrapins have won the last five matchups, including a 69-65 decision in last season's meeting on Dec. 31, 2017 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The Lady Lions held a two-point lead with 3:09 to play, but No. 15/14 Maryland closed the game on a 6-0 run en route to the 69-65 victory.
- Jaida Travascio-Green led the Lady Lions with 21 points, while Teniya Page followed with 15.
THIS IS B1G
- Penn State is in its 27th season as a member of the Big Ten Conference and has enjoyed immense success since becoming a member of the storied conference in 1992-93.
- The Lady Lions own a winning record against 10 of the 13 other Big Ten programs.
- The Lady Lions own an all-time mark of 268-162 in Big Ten play, with marks of 160-56 at home and 108-106 on the road.
- Penn State's eight regular-season championships since 1993-94 are tied for the most won by any Big Ten team during that span. Ohio State has also won eight regular-season titles during that span. The Lady Lions also own a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles, winning in 1995 and 1996.
NON-CONFERENCE WRAP UP
- The Lady Lions wrapped up non-conference action with a 7-4 record. Penn State enters Big Ten play having won two-straight games and three of its last four contests.
- Four of those seven wins came in comeback fashion as Penn State erased at least a nine-point deficit to come back and win in its first four wins of the season.
- The most dominant win of the season came in Penn State's most recent game. The Lady Lions took down defending Patriot League Champion and 2018 NCAA Tournament competitor American 80-59 on Dec. 16 in the non-conference finale.
- Teniya Page has scored in double-digits in every game this season, and leads the team with an average of 19.8 ppg.
- Five Lady Lions wrapped up non-conference play averaging double-digit points. Page is followed by Siyeh Frazier (11.4 ppg), Kamaria McDaniel (11.4 ppg), Alisia Smith (10.9 ppg) and Amari Carter (10.6 ppg).
70-POINT PLATEAU
- The Lady Lions are 7-1 when scoring 70 or more points this season, while PSU is 0-3 when being held to 69 points or less.
- Penn State's lone loss when scoring 70 or more points was an 81-70 decision to Stony Brook on Nov. 25.
TRACKING TENIYA
- Senior standout Teniya Page has totaled 1,807 career points, putting her just 193 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 18 regular-season games left and at least one postseason contest guaranteed (Big Ten Tournament), Page will need to average 10.2 points per game for the rest of the 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 1,807 career points rank eighth all-time on the Penn State career scoring charts and is 16th 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 hit the road for the first time since November when Penn State travels to Indiana for a New Years Eve tilt.
- Tipoff from Bloomington, Ind. is slated for 7 p.m. on Dec. 31.