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Mark Selders

Penn State Welcomes Rider For Home Opener Sunday



UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team opens up the 2019-20 home slate Sunday afternoon when the Lady Lions welcome Rider to the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. on Military Appreciation Day.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • Penn State kicks off a five-game homestand when the Lady Lions welcome Rider to the Bryce Jordan Center on Military Appreciation Day.
  • Penn State is coming off a 73-67 come-from-behind win at Towson in Tuesday's season opener. Head Coach Carolyn Kieger collected her first win at Penn State and her 100th career head coaching victory with the result over Towson.
  • The Lady Lions return three of their top five scorers from a season ago, led by senior Siyeh Frazier who averaged 9.9 points per game in 2018-19.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS RIDER

  • Penn State would earn the program's 950th all-time victory. The Lady Lions enter the game with an all-time record of 949-482.
  • The Lady Lions would improve to 2-0 for the third time in the last five years.
  • Penn State would remain undefeated against the Broncs, moving to 3-0 all-time vs. Rider.

 
SCOUTING RIDER

  • Rider is 0-1 on the young season after a tough 80-47 road loss at defending Ivy League champion Princeton in its season opener Tuesday night.
  • Stella Johnson paced Rider offensively with a game-high 22 points. Amari Johnson was the other Bronc in double figures with 14 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks.
  • Rider is coming off a 2018-19 campaign that saw the Broncs finish 19-13 overall and earn the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Tournament thanks to registering a 14-4 mark in conference play. The Broncs return four starters from last year's squad that saw three players earn All-MAAC honors.
  • The Broncs were picked to finish third in the MAAC this season. Stella Johnson was selected as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, while Amari Johnson and Lea Favre also earned Preseason All-MAAC recognition.

 
AGAINST THE BRONCS

  • Penn State and Rider will be meeting for the third time in program history, with all three of those meetings coming in the friendly confines of the BJC. The Lady Lions are 2-0 all-time against Rider.
  • Penn State and Rider last met in 2014, with the Lady Lions earning an 85-51 win.
  • The first meeting between the two teams came on Nov. 14, 2010 when the Lady Lions defeated the Broncs 95-21. The 74-point margin of victory is the second-largest winning margin in program history and the program's largest while playing in the BJC.

 
950 ON THE HORIZON

  • Penn State's next win will be the Lady Lions' 950th all-time victory.
  • The Lady Lions enter Sunday's game with an all-time record of 949-482. This is the 56th season of Penn State Women's Basketball.
  • Penn State will be one of only 20 Division I women's basketball teams to have reached the 950-win mark.
  • The Lady Lions will join Tennessee, UConn, Louisiana Tech, James Madison, Stanford, Texas, Stephen F. Austin, Old Dominion, Ohio State, Green Bay, Western Kentucky, Maryland, Notre Dame, South Dakota State, Georgia, North Carolina, Belmont, Baylor and Kansas State in the 950-win club.

 
WIN #1 IN THE BOOKS

  • Penn State earned its first win in the Carolyn Kieger era Tuesday night with a 73-67 come-from-behind victory at 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.
  • Penn State scored 55 points in the second half, marking the first time Penn State scored 55 points in a half in nearly three years. The last time the Lady Lions racked up at least 55 points in a half was when Penn State tallied 64 in the first half against Saint Peter's on Nov. 13, 2016.
  • Kieger earned her 100th career head coaching victory with the win. She came to Penn State with a 99-64 record in five seasons as the head coach at Marquette.
  • Four Lady Lions finished in double figures, led by 15 points from senior Siyeh Frazier and freshman Makenna Marisa. Twenty-eight of their combined 30 points came in the second half. Junior Kamaria McDaniel followed with 14 points, while classmate Alisia Smith recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State remains home to host defending Atlantic 10 champ Fordham Wednesday night.
  • Tipoff from the Bryce Jordan Center is set for 7 p.m.