UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team hosts its 15th-annual Play4Kay Game Benefiting Pink Zone Saturday when the Lady Lions welcome Michigan State to the Bryce Jordan Center for a noon tipoff on the Big Ten Network.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TV: Big Ten Network – Mike Hall (play-by-play) and Christy Winters Scott (analyst)
- Listen: Penn State Sports Network with Justin Antweil and Joe Putnam – 93.3 FM, 1390 AM and online
- Live Stats: Live Stats
- Game Notes: Penn State Notes
- #IgniteThePRIDE Pregame Show at 9 AM: Watch on Twitter | Watch on Facebook
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State seeks its fifth win in the last six games when the Lady Lions host Michigan State in Penn State's 15th-annual Play4Kay Game Benefiting Pink Zone Saturday inside the BJC.
- Penn State saw its four-game win streak come to an end in a tough midweek battle at #15 Indiana Wednesday.
- Johnasia Cash is the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week as she averaged 22.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg while shooting 63 percent from the field in Penn State's wins over Wisconsin and Nebraska last week. Niya Beverley leads the Big Ten with a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- The Lady Lions are the youngest team in the Big Ten with an average age of 19.56 and eight true freshmen on the roster.
IF PENN STATE BEATS MICHIGAN STATE
- The Lady Lions would earn their fifth win in the last six games.
- Penn State would earn its third-straight home win inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
- PSU would improve to 18-7 all-time when playing Michigan State in Happy Valley.
- The Lady Lions would move to 9-8 on the season and 6-7 in Big Ten play.
PLAY4KAY BENEFITING PINK ZONE
- Pink Zone and Penn State Women's Basketball are a unified force in the fight against breast cancer on the court, across campus and within communities. Pink Zone promotes cancer awareness and empowers survivors through year-long efforts to raise funds critical in supporting vital breast cancer organizations, charities and facilities that focus on breast cancer education, research, diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
- The Lady Lions own a 7-7 record in the Play4Kay game benefiting Pink Zone, including a five-game winning streak from 2010-14.
- Pink Zone at Penn State has raised more than $3.2 million in funds over its 14 years, including a record $310,000 in 2014.
- The event began in 2007 with $20,490 raised and 31 cancer survivors in attendance, and has grown into an event that has raised over $200,000 in seven of the last eight years and welcomed upwards of 400 cancer survivors annually.
- Pink Zone's six beneficiaries include: Mount Nittany Health Foundation, Penn State Cancer Institute, Kay Yow Foundation, PA Breast Cancer Coalition, JC Blair Memorial Hospital and Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital.
AN EVENT LIKE NO OTHER
- Penn State was the first team in the NCAA to don pink uniforms, debuting the threads on Feb. 4, 2007 against Wisconsin at the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The Lady Lion program has been honored as the Play4Kay Division I initiative winner twice in program history, winning the award in 2013 and 2014.
- This year will look quite different due to Covid-19, as only team families are permitted in attendance at this time. Penn State has planned a number of virtual initiatives to connect the fan base and survivors to the annual Play4Kay game, including the #IgniteThePRIDE Pre-game Show that will air live on the women's basketball Twitter and Facebook pages at 9 a.m. Saturday morning.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
- The Spartans come into Saturday's game with a 10-5 overall record and 5-5 mark in conference play. Michigan State has lost five of its last seven games after starting the season 8-0.
- The Spartans dropped a tight 63-60 contest to #22 Northwestern in their most recent game last Sunday.
- Nia Clouden leads the team with 19.2 points and 4.3 assists per game. Alyza Winston is averaging 10.3 points per game, while former Penn State player Alisia Smith follows with 9.6 points per contest.
AGAINST THE SPARTANS
- Penn State and Michigan State have split the last 12 meetings in a tightly-contested last few years, but the Lady Lions lead the all-time series 30-19.
- Penn State is 17-7 all-time when playing the Spartans in Happy Valley.
- The teams split last season's series, with the home team winning each contest. Penn State earned an 86-73 win over the Spartans on Jan. 9, 2020 inside the Bryce Jordan Center, and MSU claimed a 99-80 win on March 1 in East Lansing, Mich.
FOUR OF THE LAST FIVE
- Penn State has won four of its last five games. The Lady Lions saw their four-game win streak come to an end against a veteran squad in #15 Indiana Wednesday afternoon.
- The Lady Lions scored 80 or more points in each of the four wins.
- Johnasia Cash averaged 21.8 ppg and 11.3 rpg in the four-game stretch to lead the way, while four other Lady Lions also averaged double-digit points: Makenna Marisa (17.3), Shay Hagans (11.5), Maddie Burke (11.5), Anna Camden (10.3).
BEVERLEY BLOSSOMING
- Senior transfer Niya Beverley's (previously Wisconsin) steady presence on the court has been a key factor in Penn State's success as of late.
- Over the last six games, Beverley has dished 26 assists compared to just three turnovers in 212 minutes of action.
- Beverley currently leads the Big Ten with a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Beverley was granted immediate eligibility for the start of Big Ten play due to the NCAA's blanket transfer waiver.
CASH IS MONEY
- Senior transfer Johnasia Cash (previously SMU) has been on a tear as of late, recording double-doubles in six of Penn State's last nine games.
- She earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Monday after shooting 63.0 percent (17-for-27) from the field while averaging 22.5 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per contest to lead Penn State in its 2-0 week as the Lady Lions ran their win streak to four-straight.
- The McKeesport, Pa. native became the first Penn State player to record double-doubles in four-consecutive games since 1997 when she notched her fourth-straight against Nebraska last Thursday. Angie Potthoff was the last PSU player to accomplish the feat 24 years ago. She went for 27 points and a career-best 19 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action against the Huskers. Her 19 rebounds were the second-most boards ever by a Lady Lion in a single conference game as a member of the Big Ten (since 1992-93). She added 18 points in just 16 minutes of action Sunday against Wisconsin.
- Cash's efficiency has improved greatly in her first year under Head Coach Carolyn Kieger. She's shooting 48.7 percent (95-for-195) from the field this season and was a 36.0 percent (266-for-738) shooter in her three seasons at SMU.
UP NEXT
- Penn State hits the road for a two-game road trip, beginning with a Thursday battle at Iowa. Tipoff time is still to be determined.