Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/78639
LADY LIONS FROM PREVIOUS PAGE The game had all the makings of a thriller, with two longtime rivals doing battle for the league title. But Penn State, which finished the regular sea- son at 23-5 and 12-3 after thrashing Minnesota, 74-51, six days later, built a 15-point lead by halftime, and the ex- citing finish that ESPN schedule-mak- ers probably envisioned when they chose to air the game nationally on ESPN2 never materialized. The Lady Li- ons maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. Greene and Nickson never eased up. Between the two of them, they near- ly outrebounded Ohio State's entire team. The Buckeyes finished with 32 rebounds to Penn State's 60 and did- n't have a single second-chance point, while Penn State had 29. The duo "just really dominated in- side," Penn State coach Coquese Washington said. "That's one thing that I'm really pleased about. We were smart and took what was avail- able, and our posts really stepped up." Ohio State, which fell to 23-4 and 10- 4 in the conference, "didn't compete on the wood. Didn't compete at all," coach Jim Foster said. As for Greene? "She competed," Foster said. "When you let a player do what she wants, it's a pretty easy way to play the game. We didn't compete with her, and she's a big, strong, athletic kid." The Lady Lions never trailed in the game, to the delight of the 5,209 fans who turned out, including football coach Bill O'Brien, university president Rodney Erickson and a rowdy, white- T-shirt-clad student section. Before its victory over Ohio State, Penn State hadn't claimed a conference championship since 2004. Following the game, Washington reflected on the program's rise and her players' willing- ness to buy into her championship goals when she was recruiting them, back when she had no proven track record and little experience as a head coach. "For them to have that kind of faith, it really means a lot to me," she said. "And for Penn State to have this expe- rience this year, after all that our uni- versity community has gone through… There's a lot of good here at Penn State. There are a lot of things that are [be- ing done] right, and I'm glad that our community is here to share in that." 22 M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 2 PENN STATE 74, MINNESOTA 51 F E B . 2 6 @ T H E B R Y C E J O R D A N C E N T E R PLAYER OF THE GAMEMaggie Lucas scored a game-high 24 points and added eight assists, five rebounds and three steals in the Lady Lions' tri- umph. STAT OF THE GAME The victory extended Penn State's season-long winning streak to seven games. TURNING POINTMia Nickson's layup a minute and a half into the game gave Penn State a lead that it never relinquished. By the time Minnesota reached double digits, only 5:15 re- mained in the first half, and Penn State led 31-11. QUOTABLECoquese Washington: "I thought the effort was pretty good. However, I thought we played too emotional. ... It's hard to sustain that kind of emotional energy." TOT-FG 3-PT NAME Banham Kellogg Riche Buford Mastey Cotton Noga Voigt Dvorak TEAM Totals 4-9 4-11 4-13 2-2 0-1 2-4 0-2 0-4 21-59 MINNESOTA REBOUNDS FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 5-13 0-2 0-0 0-0 0-3 0-0 0-0 1-2 0-0 0-0 0-4 1 3 4 3 10 3 3 0 0 32 0-0 1 5 6 5 8 1 1 0 1 26 2-2 1 6 7 1 10 0 4 0 1 32 3-3 2 2 4 0 11 0 3 1 1 32 0-0 4 5 9 1 4 1 2 0 2 30 2-2 1 1 2 1 2 0 1 0 1 8 0-0 1 1 2 1 5 0 1 0 1 18 0-0 0 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 14 1-2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 8 3 1 4 1 1-7 8-13 14 26 40 16 51 5 17 2 7 200 TOTAL FG PCT 1st Half: 7-30 23.3% 2nd Half: 14-29 48.3% Game: 35.6% 3-PT FG PCT 1st Half: 0-4 0.0% 2nd Half: 1-3 33.3% Game: 14.3% FT PCT 1st Half: 3-5 60.0% 2nd Half: 5-8 62.5% Game: 61.5% NAME Gray Bentley Nickson Lucas Greene East Studevent Waldner TEAM Totals FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 7-12 TOT-FG 3-PT 4-7 2-10 3-5 8-18 6-7 0-5 1-3 1-2 28-62 PENN STATE REBOUNDS 0-2 0-0 2-8 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 3 18 1 0 0 0 28 3-4 0 2 2 2 7 5 1 0 3 30 1-3 5 3 8 3 7 0 0 0 0 24 6-6 1 4 5 0 24 8 3 0 2 38 0-0 1 3 4 2 12 0 0 1 1 21 0-0 2 3 5 0 0 2 0 2 1 19 2-2 0 3 3 2 4 0 2 0 0 25 0-1 0 4 4 3 2 1 1 0 1 15 1 2 3 1 6-18 12-16 11 26 37 15 74 17 8 3 8 200 TOTAL FG PCT 1st Half: 16-34 47.1% 2nd Half: 12-28 42.9% Game: 45.2% 3-PT FG PCT 1st Half: 2-10 20.0% 2nd Half: 4-8 50.0% Game: 33.3% FT PCT 1st Half: 5-7 71.4% 2nd Half: 7-9 77.8% Game: 75.0% OFFICIALS Brian Hall, Michael McConnell, Bruce Morris TECHNICAL FOULS Minnesota-None. Penn State-Nickson, Mia. ATTENDANCE 13,849 SCORE BY PERIODS Minnesota Penn State 1ST 2ND TOTAL 17 39 34 35 51 74 Points in the paint-MINN 30,PSU 32. Points off turnovers-MINN 4,PSU 17. 2nd chance points-MINN 12,PSU 7. Fast break points-MINN 4,PSU 14. Bench points-MINN 8,PSU 6. Score tied-1 time. Lead changed-0 times. Last FG- MINN 2nd-00:06, PSU 2nd-00:18. Largest lead-MINN None, PSU by 33 2nd- 06:28. NAME Gray Bentley Nickson Lucas Greene East Studevent Waldner TEAM Totals PENN STATE 84, OHIO STATE 66 F E B . 2 0 @ B R Y C E J O R D A N C E N T E R PLAYER OF THE GAMENikki Greene scored a career-high 25 points, 16 in the first half, and pulled down 15 re- bounds for the Lady Lions. STAT OF THE GAME Penn State had a 60-32 rebounding advantage and had 29 second-chance points to Ohio State's none. TURNING POINT Penn State never trailed. It closed out the first half with a 15- 6 run to take a 45-30 lead and nev- er trailed by fewer than 13 points after the break. QUOTABLECoquese Washington: "I think we're a pretty talented offensive team. Across the board, I think we have a lot of players who can put up points. ... Whatever's available, we're going to take it." NAME Beach Stokes Hill Prahalis Adams Kynard Dobranic Moore Ellerbe Ferguson Harmon TEAM Totals FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 6-10 TOT-FG 3-PT 0-0 1-4 5-12 7-15 2-7 0-1 0-0 1-2 0-1 1-4 2-6 25-62 0-1 2-6 0-4 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-1 1-2 0-0 OHIO STATE REBOUNDS 0-0 1 3 4 4 12 0 0 1 2 17 0-0 0 0 0 4 2 1 2 0 0 12 4-7 0 3 3 1 16 2 1 0 2 40 2-3 1 2 3 3 16 8 5 0 2 40 2-2 0 5 5 3 6 1 2 5 0 33 0-0 1 3 4 1 0 1 0 0 1 16 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4-4 0 3 3 5 6 1 1 1 2 12 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 11 1-2 4 2 6 1 5 0 2 0 0 11 1 2 3 3-15 13-18 8 24 32 23 66 14 14 7 9 200 TOTAL FG PCT 1st Half: 13-35 37.1% 2nd Half: 12-27 44.4% Game: 40.3% 3-PT FG PCT 1st Half: 2-8 25.0% 2nd Half: 1-7 14.3% Game: 20.0% FT PCT 1st Half: 2-4 50.0% 2nd Half: 11-14 78.6% Game: 72.2% FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 5-13 TOT-FG 3-PT 1-2 5-11 6-15 2-15 8-17 2-3 1-2 0-0 29-76 0-1 0-0 1-2 PENN STATE REBOUNDS 1-2 1 4 5 3 12 5 1 0 1 37 0-0 0 0 0 4 10 4 2 0 1 33 6-9 9 6 15 2 18 0 2 0 2 30 7-8 5 5 10 2 12 1 4 0 3 37 0-0 9-14 8 7 15 3 25 0 4 2 1 26 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-2 3 3 6 3 5 0 0 0 0 20 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 13 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 3 3 6 2-5 24-35 29 31 60 18 84 10 14 2 8 200 TOTAL FG PCT 1st Half: 16-39 41.0% 2nd Half: 13-37 35.1% Game: 38.2% 3-PT FG PCT 1st Half: 50.0% 2nd Half: 1-3 33.3% Game: 40.0% FT PCT 1st Half: 12-16 75.0% 2nd Half: 12-19 63.2% Game: 68.6% OFFICIALS Laura Morris, Sue Blauch, Jesse Dickerson TECHNICAL FOULS Ohio State-None. Penn State-None. ATTENDANCE 5,209 SCORE BY PERIODS Ohio State Penn State 1ST 2ND TOTAL 30 45 36 39 66 84 Points in the paint-OSU 28,PSU 34. Points off turnovers-OSU 14,PSU 14. 2nd chance points-OSU 0,PSU 29. Fast break points-OSU 4,PSU 6. Bench points-OSU 14,PSU 7. Score tied-3 times. Lead changed-0 times. Last FG- OSU 2nd-01:16, PSU 2nd-01:35. Largest lead-OSU None, PSU by 21 2nd- 08:06. NAME Nickson Greene Gray Bentley Lucas East Edwards Studevent Waldner TEAM Totals PENN STATE 74, PURDUE 63 F E B . 1 6 @ W E S T L A F A Y E T T E , I N D . PLAYER OF THE GAMEMaggie Lucas connect- ed on 10 of her 18 attempts from the floor, including 5 of 7 3-pointers, finishing with a game-high 28. STAT OF THE GAME The victory was Penn State's first at Purdue since Jan. 2, 2004. The Lady Lions had lost six in a row at Mackey Arena. TURNING POINTMia Nickson hit a 16-foot jumper as the shot clock expired to give Penn State a seven-point lead, 70-63, with 1:46 remaining. The shot all but clinched a game that had featured 12 lead changes. QUOTABLECoquese Washington: "We can't be all in the clouds, because we have two games left. This is a great win, but we haven't done anything yet. We're not Big Ten champs." FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 5-12 TOT-FG 3-PT 0-0 1-7 2-6 4-13 10-18 2-5 1-4 0-0 1-1 26-66 0-0 0-1 0-2 5-7 0-0 1-2 0-0 0-0 PENN STATE REBOUNDS 2-4 2 7 9 1 12 1 0 2 0 38 1-2 3 5 8 4 3 0 1 1 1 15 6-7 1 2 3 2 10 3 2 0 2 34 2-4 1 3 4 1 10 2 3 0 4 35 3-4 1 1 2 1 28 1 1 0 0 37 1-3 1 2 3 1 5 1 2 1 0 16 0-0 2 1 3 1 3 1 0 0 0 14 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+ 1-2 0 1 1 1 3 1 0 1 1 11 5 2 7 6-12 16-26 16 24 40 12 74 10 9 5 8 200 TOTAL FG PCT 1st Half: 16-33 48.5% 2nd Half: 16-24 66.7% Game: 56.1% 3-PT FG PCT 1st Half: 0-3 0.0% 2nd Half: 4-7 57.1% Game: 40.0% FT PCT 1st Half: 3-3 100 % 2nd Half: 6-9 66.7% Game: 75.0% PURDUE NAME Ostarello Jones Rayburn Moses Williams Howard Houser Clemons Guyton Poston TEAM Totals FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 2-7 TOT-FG 3-PT 0-1 2-2 4-13 4-11 0-1 1-7 3-7 0-0 6-11 4-5 26-64 0-0 0-4 1-2 0-0 0-1 0-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 REBOUNDS 4-4 3 6 9 3 8 4 1 1 0 32 0-2 0 2 2 1 4 0 0 4 0 20 3-5 2 3 5 5 11 1 3 0 0 25 1-1 1 1 2 1 10 0 3 0 1 19 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 20 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 2 10 2-2 2 1 3 1 8 3 5 0 1 29 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0-0 1 1 2 4 12 0 1 0 0 20 0-0 4 8 12 5 8 3 0 0 0 22 1 4 5 1-10 10-14 14 27 41 21 63 13 16 5 4 200 TOTAL FG PCT 1st Half: 14-34 41.2% 2nd Half: 12-30 40.0% Game: 40.6% 3-PT FG PCT 1st Half: 1-5 20.0% 2nd Half: 0-5 0.0% Game: 10.0% FT PCT 1st Half: 4-5 80.0% 2nd Half: 6-9 66.7% Game: 71.4% OFFICIALS Barb Smith, Maj Forsberg, Dawn Marsh TECHNICAL FOULS Penn State-None. Purdue-None. ATTENDANCE 8,681 SCORE BY PERIODS Penn State Purdue 1ST 2ND TOTAL 35 33 39 30 74 63 Points in the paint-PSU 20,PUR 42. Points off turnovers-PSU 20,PUR 4. 2nd chance points-PSU 13,PUR 18. Fast break points-PSU 58,PUR 53. Bench points-PSU 11,PUR 30. Score tied-7 times. Lead changed-12 times. Last FG- PSU 2nd-01:46, PUR 2nd-02:15. Largest lead-PSU by 11 2nd-00:32, PUR by 3 1st-12:20. W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M