Maggie Lucas Named 2011 Freshman All-American

Maggie Lucas (Photo: PSU)

In the world of so-not-a-shock-it's-almost-not-news news, Penn State Lady Lions freshman Maggie Lucas earned freshman all-America honors for here inaugural campaign in Happy Valley:

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) capped a stellar freshman campaign by being named to the Full Court Press Freshman All-American second team. She is one of 15 players selected to the Freshman All-American squad and one of only two Big Ten players to earn the honor (Purdue's Courtney Moses - third team). This is the second-straight season that the Lady Lions have had a representative on the Full Court Press Freshman All-American team, joining Alex Bentley who was a third team selection a year ago.

The record-breaking freshman is just one of several on this team--all but one of whom return for 2012--that sparked the best season in six years for the Lady Lions. Lucas earned every part of this honor, which will surely not be the last she receives while playing for Penn State.

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Lady Lions vs DePaul in Round of 32 tonight at the Bryce Jordan Center

TIME/VENUE: 7 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center, so there's no excuse to not attend.
TV: The game will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN2, based on a coverage map, or on ESPN3.com.
LAST MTG: Regular Season: Dec. 30, 1992 - PSU W, 85-78; NCAA Tournament: 1992 - PSU W, 77-54.

It was a slow start for Penn State, but the Lady Lions fought off a 16-8 deficit against Dayton to win the first round NCAA tournament game Saturday at home, 75-66 over the Flyers. But as in any tournament play, it sure doesn't get any easier. Tonight at 7 p.m., the Lady Lions take on the 3-seed DePaul Blue Demons (28-6, 13-3 Big East) in the Bryce Jordan Center.

On To The Next One...Lady Lions Win 75-66

Sprinting out of the locker room, the Lady Lions and Dayton Flyers continued the pace the rest of the way to tip off the 2011 Women’s NCAA Tournament in the 75-66 victory over the Dayton Flyers.

Pacing the offense for the Lady Lions was not “Machine Gun Maggie Lucas” as we’ve come to expect from the freshman phenom, but rather sophomore Alex Bentley.

The first team All Big Ten guard has shown inconsistency this season, but really came to play in this first round game. Bentley shot 7 of 15 from the field for 14 points and four assists in the first half, including a Talor Battle-esque shot to close out the half just before the buzzer sounded.

In the second half, it was the same story. Bentley finished with TWENTY EIGHT shots in the contest, connecting on twelve shots and accumulating 25 points.

Lady Lions take on Dayton in NCAA 1st Round

TIME/VENUE: 11 a.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center, so there's no excuse to not attend.
TV: The game will air on ESPN2 with Justin Kutcher and Brenda VanLengen calling the action.
RADIO: Our boy Ryan will be calling the game today on ComRadio, and online at PSUComRadio.com.
LAST MTG: Nov. 12, 2010 / Recap

Unlike the Nittany Lions, the Lady Lions head into their opening NCAA tournament game having a long layoff, not unlike the layoff in between football's regular season and most bowl games. And just as with those football teams who are sitting around at home getting fat and lazy, Coquese Washington had to answer questions about the 13-day break between the Big Ten title game and today's game.

Lady Lions earn a 6-Seed in NCAA Tournament, will host Dayton in the BJC

Penn State (24-9, 11-5 Big Ten) will return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in six seasons, as the Lady Lions earned a No. 6 seed from the selection committee, announced tonight on ESPN.

Penn State will host 11-seed Dayton at the Bryce Jordan Center, in the Philadelphia Region of the bracket. Tip off is 11 a.m. Saturday. The Flyers lost to the Lady Lions in double overtime in the season opener.

The Jordan Center will host the first two rounds of the tournament, meaning if the Lady Lions beat Dayton, they will stay in the friendly confines of Happy Valley to host the winner of the Navy-DePaul 1st round game.

The four No. 1 seeds are Connecticut, Baylor, Tennessee and Stanford.

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Lady Lions fall to Ohio State, await NCAA fate

Ohio State center Jantel Lavender, right,
dominated the second half against Penn State.
(Photo: AP/Michael Conroy)

Ohio State kept Penn State at arms length most of the game, eventually sinking the Lady Lions 84-70 to capture the Big Ten tournament championship and the conference's automatic NCAA bid. Not that the Buckeyes needed the automatic bid. Ohio State has been on fire the past few weeks, finishing today on a nine-game winning streak that featured wins over four ranked opponents, including two wins over top-11 ranked Michigan State and two over Penn State.

For the Lady Lions, Sophomore Alex Bentley and freshman Maggie Lucas were both named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team following the title game. Sophomore Mia Nickson scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half to lead the Lady Lions. Bentley added 16 points, three assists and three steals, while Zhaque Gray chipped in 13 points and a pair of assists. Lucas scored only eight points in the loss, but broke Kelly Mazzante's Penn State freshman scoring record with 533 points.

Penn State is likely to earn a No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Philadelphia region. The Bryce Jordan Center will host the first and second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 19 and Monday, March 21.

Stay tuned for more news about Penn State's NCAA seeding and opponent.

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Lady Lions headed to the Big Ten championship, rout Illinois 79-64

The Lady Lions are on their way to the Big Ten final against whichever team wins tonight's Michigan State/Ohio State, following their up-and-down 79-64 demolition of a red-hot Illinois squad today in Indy. Big Ten freshman of the year Maggie Lucas finished with 23 points, including five 3-pointers to break the Big Ten single-season record, and five rebounds. The team's lone senior, Julia Trogele, was equally dynamic with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Lady Lions roll Purdue 73-61, likely lock up NCAA berth

There wasn't a whole lot going for Penn State coming into today's game against Purdue. The Boilermakers swept the Lady Lions in the regular season, both wins coming in convincing fashion. Taking into account the previous editions of this matchup so far this season, one would expect Purdue to hold the "2" in front of their name, with Penn State the "7".

But the No. 2 seed Lady Lions finally found a way to beat No. 7 seed Purdue, and it couldn't have come at a better time than this afternoon in Indianapolis, as Penn State downed the Boilermakers 73-61 to advance to the semifinal round of the Big Ten tournament. The Lady Lions will face the winner of the Michigan-Illinois game, which will tip off this afternoon.

Lady Lions to face Purdue in Big Ten 2nd Round

Purdue was expected to beat Indiana tonight in the opening round of the Big Ten women's tournament. But what wasn't expected was a close 66-62 final score. The Boilermakers had two players scoring in double digits--Drey Mingo (21) and Brittany Rayburn (23, 12 via free throws)--but were out-rebounded 40-30, while Indiana couldn't overcome sloppy turnovers and lower shooting percentage.

This is arguably the toughest bottom-half seed any 2nd round team will face tomorrow. Penn State was swept this season by Purdue, a series which featured one 10-point loss for the Lady Lions, and another 3-point loss that was much worse than it looked (PSU was down big most of the game). But Purdue showed some weakness against Indiana, which could, could be exploited by Penn State.

Lady Lions earn a No. 2 seed and 1st round bye for Big Ten Tournament

Penn State just wrapped up a very nice 22-8 regular season--with a team which returns nearly intact for next season--but the work is far from over. And in fact, the toughest part of the season, or at least the most high-pressure stage, is still on deck.

The Lady Lions took advantage of a down year in the Big Ten to grab the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament, which starts this Thursday.

In any other year, probably a No. 2 seed would be a relief. But if you take a look at which team Penn State is likely to face in its first game, there is no rest for the weary Lady Lions. Purdue swept Penn State this season, the only team to do that in a two-game series (Michigan State and Penn State only played once) in 2011. Indiana is very unlikely to pull the upset, so Penn State should count on having one final try to dispatch the Boilermakers, a game which also happens to be in their home state of Indiana.

Beyond that, Wisconsin will likely advance over Illinois, setting up what should be one of the most intriguing games in the second round against Michigan. The Wolverines haven't been impressive, but beat all the right teams to get that first round bye. Wisconsin has used a very strong middle portion of the season to scare almost any team it faces. Ideally here, Penn State would like Michigan to advance past the Badgers.

There is no point in projecting the final, but I will say I like the Spartans to take the title over either Penn State or Purdue. I'm probably wrong. The bracket:

Maggie Lucas named Big Ten Freshman of the Year; Alex Bentley on First Team

(Photo: GoPSUSports.com)

If you have followed any part of the Lady Lions' 2010-11 season, this probably isn't much of a surprise. But today Maggie Lucas was named the Big Ten Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year:

"Lucas led all Big Ten freshmen with 16.3 points per game en route to the Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year awards. The Lady Lion newcomer made 102 three-point field goals, the most in the Big Ten this season and tied for the second-most in a single season all-time in the conference. Lucas is the second player in Penn State history, and the first since 2001, to receive top freshman honors. She is also the first Lady Lion to receive Sixth Player of the Year accolades."

Alex Bentley garnered first team All-Big Ten honors for the first time in her career.

Lady Lions avoid meltdown against Indiana, hopefully sparking some urgency

Julia Trogele (Photo: PSU)

Penn State nearly face-planted into the hardwood of Assembly Hall, as the Lady Lions trailed the Hoosiers by as many as 16 points. Penn State (21-6,10-3) trailed for 39 minutes and 20 seconds. But taking a one-point lead--their first of the night--with 40 seconds left was all the Lady Lions needed to avoid a huge upset and what could have been an even bigger let-down after failing to rise to the occasion Thursday night in a loss to Michigan State.

With just three regular season games left on the schedule, Penn State is in a position to win or tie for a Big Ten title, or at least hold on for a second-place finish heading into the conference tournament. Of course, the Michigan State game was supposed to be the moment when this team put everything together and prove it's ready for prime-time.

Lady Lions bury Iowa, 82-75, storm into the Top 25

Alex Bentley (Photo: Live.PSU.edu)

Penn State is now ranked in the AP top 25, coming in at No. 23 in the poll released today. It is the first time since the Jan. 25, 2010 AP rankings that the Lady Lions are in the top 25. But unlike last season, in which Penn State collapsed late going 2-9 down the regular season stretch, the Lady Lions (20-5) are on the verge of their strongest season since the 2004 run to the Elite Eight.

Penn State 82, Iowa 75

Alex Bentley shot 11-for-17 from the field for a game-high 25 points, adding five assists and three rebounds. Maggie Lucas connected on four three-pointers and finished with 18 points and three rebounds. Lucas passes Corinne Gulas (411) and Suzie McConnell (415) to move into fourth place on Penn State's freshman season scoring list. Mia Nickson earned her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points, including six free throws in the final 45 seconds, and 15 rebounds with seven coming on the offensive glass. Julia Trogele accounted for seven points and nine rebounds for another all-around performance.

This was a must-win for the Lady Lions before Thursday night's home game against No. 11 Michigan State. Penn State was on fire from the field, a fact not unrecognized by the Hawkeyes' coach:

Lady Lions blast Michigan, now face do-or-die stretch against Sparty and the Hawks

Michigan guard Veronica Hicks dribbles
around Penn State guard Zhaque Gray.

(Photo: Angela J. Cesere/AnnArbor.com)

Penn State (19-5, 8-2) absolutely dominated a once-hot Michigan team, 81-63 in the Crisler Arena last night. Maggie Lucas led five Lady Lions in double figures with 23 points, four rebounds and a steal. Alex Bentley tallied 11 points, with three rebounds and four assists, while Zhaque Gray chipped in 11 points and four assists. The 19 wins are the most by a Penn State squad since the 2004-05 team had 19 wins. The Lady Lions also picked up their eighth Big Ten win of the year, which equals their total from last season.

The win puts Penn State, for the time being, in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standings. After last night's round of Big Ten games--No. 11 Michigan State beat Wisconsin in overtime, and Purdue crushed No. 20 Iowa--the Lady Lions are a half-game ahead of the Spartans (19-3, 7-2), and a full game ahead of Wisconsin (12-10, 7-3). The Badgers had been tied with Penn State atop the standings coming into last night.

Lady Lions knock off No. 24 Ohio State

It's been the question for the last month: Should Penn State be ranked, or at the minimum, receive some votes in the polls?

Well the Lady Lions definitely took a big step this week towards getting some of that recognition from the voters, by taking care of business against Illinois on Thursday, then this afternoon defeating No. 24 Ohio State by a comfortable 9-point margin in the BJC.

Lady Lions' split of the Hoosier State won't help break into the polls

Nikki Greene (Photo: PSU)

It was an up-down end of the week for Penn State, but it's always better to finish strong. That's just what the Lady Lions did against Indiana in the BJC on Sunday, pulling away from the Hoosiers for an 82-69 win. The W came after a rather deflating performance in West Lafayette on Thursday, as the Boilermakers downed PSU 79-69.

Before this weekend, I started hearing grumbles--fully justified, I might add--about Penn State's lack of recognition in the major polls. Coming into the Purdue game, Penn State had a nice 31 spot in the RPI, with the 65th toughest schedule in women's hoops. That included a victory over a Texas Tech team that started the season 16-1 before dropping the past two to No. 13 Oklahoma and No. 2 Baylor.

Of course, losing to a mediocre Purdue team by 10 doesn't exactly do much to get you into the polls. The Boilermakers are a traditional power in the Big Ten, but now sitting at 13-7 with a loss Sunday to Michigan, there was really no excuse for Penn State to drop the game to Purdue. It's that kind of loss that prevents a team like Penn State from breaking away from the conference pack--something that was totally doable this week.

Penn State is now eligible for the Tournament, but with another bad loss like the one at Purdue, the Lady Lions can kiss goodbye what should be a locked up spot in the NCAAs.

Can both Penn State hoops teams hold onto the positive momentum?

Maggie Lucas (Photo: PSU)

Penn State basketball is having quite a nice week.

The men's team fell to No. 2 Ohio State Saturday night, but the 69-66 margin against the now-No. 1 Buckeyes (18-0, 5-0) proves that the Nittany Lions' (10-7, 3-3) back-to-back upsets of ranked MSU and Illinois were no flukes.

On the women's side, coming off 83-62 dismantling of Illinois, the Lady Lions (15-4, 4-1) are now tied with Michigan State (16-2, 4-1) atop the Big Ten standings, with 11 games left in the regular season. But you know the scariest part of this Lady Lions team? There are only three upperclassmen--just one senior, Julia Trogele--on the entire roster.

Lady Lions rebound nicely at Northwestern, 80-68

Maggie Lucas ripped off 20 points,
hitting 5 of 6 three-pointers.
(Photo: Tom Ruane/Collegian)

Penn State is looking more and more like a real contender to make noise in the Big Ten women's basketball race this season. Sitting now at 13-4(2-1 Big Ten), the Lady Lions are now a half-game out of first place behind Michigan State (14-1, 2-0 Big Ten), a team that Penn State will only face once this season, Feb. 10 in the Bryce Jordan Center.

But before we get ahead of ourselves looking towards a huge one-game playoff for a high seed in the Big Ten tournament (oh, wouldn't that be sweet!), let's recap last night's game, an 80-63 win at Northwestern (12-4, 1-2 Big Ten).

Lady Lions storm back to beat ranked Iowa, 68-59

With last night's win over the Hawkeyes, Penn State is now tied for first in the Big Ten, and is one of only three teams with 12 wins at this stage of the season.

(Photo: CDT)

Junior guard Zhaque Gray drained a three-pointer to complete a late run in the second half as the Penn State Lady Lions (12-3, 1-0) rallied from a seven-point deficit with 6:33 remaining to upset No. 14/13 Iowa (12-2, 0-1), 68-59, in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Penn State outscored the Hawkeyes, 20-4, in the final 6:30 to post their first win over a ranked team since defeating No. 20 Michigan State, 68-60, on Jan. 17, 2010. The Lady Lions claimed their first win in a Big Ten opener since the 2004-05 season.

Sophomore guard Alex Bentley led the Lady Lions' offensive charge with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including three three-pointers. She also dished out three assists and pulled in two rebounds. Gray was 6-for-12 from the field en route to 14 points to go along with five rebounds and a career high-tying five assists.

Lady Lions beat Delaware 64-55 for their best start since 2002

Last basketball season, the Lady Lions started off with a fantastic 16-4 record. But down the stretch, things began to come apart. Penn State went 1-8 in the last nine regular season games. And while the Lady Lions were able to salvage a WNIT berth, it was definitely a disappointment to see such a promising season go down so quickly and so hard.

Maggie Lucas led Penn State with 16 points
in the win over Delaware.
(Photo: PSU/Mark Selders)

But can this season, as the Lady Lions are 10-2 with two games left in the non-conference slate, secure a different fate?

Penn State has been torching opponents with 85 points per game, with an average margin--win or lose--of 18.4 points in PSU's favor. The only losses have come in double overtime at Boston College, and at a Green Bay team that's been in and out of the top 25. Penn State has scored 90 or more points in regulation on four different occasions this year. In two of three overtime games, the Lady Lions have eclipsed 100 points.

But the high-flying offense hasn't been the only show in town. This past weekend in the BJC, Penn State faced Delaware. No big deal, right? Never heard of Delaware being all that great before. But hold on...