|
No. 12/14 Penn State Rallies to Win Lady Lion Classic
Lady Lions close game on a 30-6 run to topple Middle Tennessee, 65-49
UNIVERSITY
PARK, PA.; November 13, 2011 — For the second consecutive game, the
#12/14 Penn State Lady Lions (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) needed a late rally to
earn the win. The Lady Lions used a 30-6 run, including a 19-0 spurt in
the final seven minutes, to post a 65-49 come-from-behind win over
Middle Tennessee (1-1) to win the Lady Lion Classic Sunday.
Sophomore
guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) was selected as the Lady Lion
Classic Tournament MVP after averaging 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and
3.5 assists in two games. Additionally senior guard Zhaque Gray
(Chicago, Ill.) and junior guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) were
named to the Lady Lion Classic All-Tournament team.
Gray
scored 10 of her game-high 15 points after the break, including eight
in the game-clinching run. Gray also tied her career high with six
rebounds to go along with a pair of assists. Lucas added 14 points, 11
of which came after the break, a career-best five assists and two
steals.
Sophomore guard/forward Ariel Edwards (Elmont,
N.Y.) also reached double figures with 10 points and two steals, while
junior center Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) narrowly missed a
double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Blue
Raiders came out strong in front of the pro-Penn State crowd,
establishing a 12-2 lead just three minutes into the game. Penn State
bounced back with a 6-0 run that featured three points each from Lucas
and Gray to make it a four-point lead (12-8) with 13:18 remaining.
Middle
Tennessee pushed the lead back to nine points before the Lady Lions
went on an 11-2 run to even the game at 21-21 with 6:27 left in the
half. Bentley and Greene led the Penn State run with four points each,
while Edwards added an old-fashioned three-point play. After the squads
swapped buckets, the Blue Raiders closed the half with a 9-3 run to
take a 32-26 lead at the break.
The Lady Lions struggled
from the field in the opening half, shooting just 27.3% with an
0-for-10 effort from three-point range. Greene had a team-high seven
points and six rebounds in the opening frame, while Bentley added six
tallies.
Lucas sparked the Lady Lions to start the half
with a three-pointer 11 seconds into the frame and then found Gray for
a 15-footer two possessions later to close to a single point (32-31)
with 18:28 on the clock. Following a 9-0 MTSU run, Edwards banked in
six-footer to jump-start a 15-4 run over the next six minutes. Lucas
capped the run with a three-pointer to give the Lady Lions their first
lead of the game at 46-45 with 8:50 left. Edwards accounted for five of
the 15 points during the run, while GizelleStudevent (La Jolla, Calif.)
added a pair of jumpers.
After four consecutive tallies by
the Blue Raiders, the Lady Lions surged ahead for good with a 19-0 run
in the final seven minutes to secure the win. The run started as Gray
tied the game at 49-49 on a three-pointer with 6:45 remaining and Mia
Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) put the Lions ahead for good with a rebound and
layup to make it 51-49. A three-pointer by Lucas and five consecutive
tallies by Gray sealed the BlueRaiders’ fate.
GAME NOTES:
The Lady Lion Classic All-Tournament team consists of Penn State’s
Maggie Lucas (MVP), Alex Bentley and Zhaque Gray, Middle Tennessee’s
Kortni Jones and Ebony Rowe and Washington State’s Carly Noyes … The
Lady Lions win their 27th regular-season tournament title and are now
125-49 in regular-season tournament play … The tournament title marks
the third title acquired under Coquese Washington (WBCA Classic, Dead
River Company Classic and Lady Lion Classic) … This game marks the
second meeting of Penn State and Middle Tennessee. The series is now
tied at 1-1. (12/18/05 MT, 79-65, 11/13/11 PSU, 65-49 … Bentley
surpasses the 900-point mark for her career with eight points … Mia
Nickson grabbed 10 rebounds to mark a season high and exceed a career
total of 300 (308) and a PSU total of 250 (251) … Gray tied her career
high in rebounds, pulling in six … Lucas captured a career high in
assists with five … Lucas climbs into a tie for eight place on the Lady
Lion career three-point field goals made list with Tanya Garner
(1988-91) with 118 triples.
The Lady Lions begin a
four-game road swing at Delaware on Thursday, before visiting South
Carolina (Nov. 20). Penn State topped the Blue Hens last season, 64-55
in the Bryce Jordan Center, led by 16 points from Maggie Lucas off of
the bench. Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are available by calling
814-867-2557. Season tickets are $117 for adults, $52 for youth and $91
for seniors. Single game tickets go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 11. PNC Flex
Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans
12 vouchers, including one for the Coaches vs. Cancer game and one for
the Pink Zone game, that can be redeemed for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion
Basketball tickets in any combination.
The 2012 WBCA Pink
Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 as theLady Lions
take on Minnesota in the Bryce Jordan Center. Last year, the Lady Lions
donated nearly $200,000 for breast cancer causes. This year’s
fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn
State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition,
the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital and Lewistown
Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit
the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. The
WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State is also on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/pinkzoneatpennstate.
|
