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Penn State Heads To California For Two-Game Cal Classic

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team heads to California for the two-game Cal Classic Friday and Saturday. The Lady Lions kick off the tournament against Long Beach State Friday at 6:15 p.m. ET, and will then face either host Cal or North Carolina Central Saturday at either 4 p.m. or 7:15 p.m. ET.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • Penn State takes flight to California for the two-game Cal Classic Friday and Saturday.
  • The Lady Lions open action against Long Beach State, and then will play either host Cal or North Carolina Central Saturday in the tournament consolation or championship game.
  • Penn State is 3-3 on the young season. All three of the Lady Lions' wins have come over 2019 NCAA Tournament teams (Towson, Fordham, Clemson).
  • Three Lady Lions are averaging double-digit points, with Kamaria McDaniel leading the way with 16.7 points per game. Siyeh Frazier (13.2 ppg) and Lauren Ebo (10.0 ppg) round out the double-digit scorers.

 
THREE WINS OVER 2019 NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS

  • Penn State's three wins this season have all come against 2019 NCAA Tournament teams.
  • The Lady Lions kicked off the season with a 73-67 victory at defending CAA Tournament champ Towson. A tough offensive first half had the Lady Lions trailing by eight early in the second half, but Penn State rallied to outscore the Tigers 25-13 in the third quarter to gain the separation it would need for the 73-67 win. It marked the first win in the Carolyn Kieger era.
  • Penn State then picked up a 72-59 win against defending Atlantic 10 champion Fordham on Nov. 13. Penn State shot a season-best 53.2 percent (25-for-47) from the field against the Rams, highlighted by a blistering 65.2 percent (15-for-23) clip in the second half. It marked the 950th win in program history.
  • Penn State fought for a gritty 68-55 win over Clemson on Nov. 21. The Lady Lions held a 14-point halftime lead that was trimmed down to one midway through the third quarter thanks to a 13-0 Clemson run. The Lady Lions responded with a 10-0 streak that would help Penn State out-score the Tigers 28-16 in the final 15 minutes to secure the 68-55 victory.

 
AGAINST THE TOURNAMENT FIELD

  • Penn State has only faced one of the three teams in the Cal Classic Field. The Lady Lions have squared off against Cal twice in program history, and will be facing Long Beach State and possibly North Carolina Central for the first time.
  • Penn State holds a 1-1 all-time record against Cal, with the most recent meeting coming last season.
  • A strong final 13 minutes led #24/RV California to a 75-58 win over Penn State on Nov. 11, 2018 in Happy Valley. Penn State hung tough with the nationally-ranked Golden Bears for three quarters of the game as the Lady Lions held a 43-39 lead at the 3:14 mark of the third quarter. Cal closed the game on a 36-15 run, however, en route to the 75-58 win.
  • Siyeh Frazier led Penn State with 17 points, while Alisia Smith recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

 
SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE

  • Long Beach State, Penn State's first opponent in The Cal Classic, enters the tournament with a 1-4 overall record.
  • The Beach is coming off three-straight losses, and their lone win of the season came on Nov. 9 when Long Beach State took down Westcliff 94-47.
  • Justina King leads the team with 14.0 points per game and a team-best 19 assists, while Shanaijah Davison follows with 13.5 points per contest. Cydnee Kinslow is the team's leading rebounder with 8.8 boards per contest.
  • Long Beach State is averaging 64.0 points per game. The Beach has struggled from three-point range, shooting just 25.5 percent.
  • Long Beach State finished the 2018-19 season 9-22 overall and 5-11 in the Big West.

 
SCOUTING CAL

  • Cal has the best overall record amongst the tournament field, owning a 3-2 record.
  • The Bears ride a three-game win streak into the tournament, including an upset of then 20th-ranked Arkansas on Sunday.
  • Cal's other two wins have come against UC Riverside and San Diego State.
  • Four Bears are averaging double-digit points, led by Jaelyn Brown with 14.4 points per contest. Evelien Lutje Schipholt has averaged 11.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.
  • The Bears are shooting 40.9 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range, and 77.0 percent from the free throw line.
  • Cal is coming off an impressive 2018-19 campaign that saw the Bears go 20-13 overall and 9-9 in the PAC-12 en route to a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

 
SCOUTING N.C. CENTRAL

  • North Carolina Central enters this weekend's Cal Classic with a 1-3 overall mark.
  • N.C. Central's lone win came on Nov. 19 with a 67-64 victory over Campbell.
  • Kieche White leads the Eagles with 15.0 points per game. Paulina Afriyie follows with 12.3 points per contest, while Anissa Rivera is averaging 11.3 points and a team-best 11.3 rebounds per contest.
  • The Eagles have struggled to perform consistently on offense this season as the team is shooting 37.0 percent from the field, 27.1 percent from three-point range, and just 54.5 percent from the free throw line.
  • N.C. Central finished 9-22 overall and 5-11 in the MEAC a season ago.

 
FINDING THE FREE THROW LINE

  • Penn State leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally in free throws made (102) and ninth in free throws attempted (146) as of Nov. 25.
  • Penn State has scored 24.4 percent (102-of-418) of its points from the charity stripe through the first six games.
  • Kamaria McDaniel has found her way to the free throw line the most, attempting a team-best 34 freebies. Freshman Makenna Marisa is shooting a team-best 83.3 percent (20-for-24) from the charity stripe.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State returns home next Thursday to host in-state rival Pittsburgh in the 2019 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
  • Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 from the Bryce Jordan Center.