Lady Lions Welcome Illinois to the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday

Mazzante, Wright and Strom to participate in a pregame autograph session prior to the 12 p.m. tip-off UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; December 27, 2008 — The Penn State Lady Lions (5-6, 0-1) return to the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center after a brief Christmas break to face Illinois (4-8, 0-1) in a Big Ten Conference matchup. The game is slated for a noon tip-off and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. PROMOTIONS: Sunday is another SUBWAY FULL COURT FOUR PACK day where fans can purchase four tickets, four soft drinks at the game and a voucher redeemable for four six inch subs at any State College Subway location for just $40. Sunday is also "Operation Warm" for the Lady Lions where fans that donate a new piece of winter clothing (coat, sweater, socks, gloves, or hat) will receive a $5 adult ticket or free youth ticket. For more information on Penn State Basketball ticket promotions, visit gopsusports.cstv.com/tickets/bbpackages.html. LADY LION LEGEND AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Lady Lion legends Kelly Mazzante, Tanisha Wright and Jess Strom will participate in a pregame autograph session to benefit the WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State fundraising efforts. There will be a $5 donation asked for autographs from the three Lady Lion greats with ALL proceeds going towards the Pink Zone at Penn State fund. The trio that led the Lady Lions to a pair of Big Ten Championships in 2003 and 2004.   TV/RADIO/WEB: The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network with Dean Linke (play-by-play) and Theresa Grentz (analyst) calling the action. The contest can also be heard on the Penn State Sports Radio Network with Jerry Fisher (play-by-play) and Kellie Goodman (color) describing play. The game will air locally WMAJ. The audio feed and a link to GameTracker are available at www.GoPSUSports.com.   LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions led by as many as six points with 7:33 remaining in the game, but two late Michigan State spelled doom for the Lady Lions as the Spartans posted a 67-60 win over Penn State Dec. 21. Junior guard Tyra Grant posted her third consecutive game with 20 or more points as she chipped in 22 tallies on 10-of-20 shooting. She also grabbed four rebounds and blocked two shots. Senior guard Brianne O'Rourke added 18 points and five assists, while fellow senior Mashea Williams contributed nine points, five rebounds and three steals to continue her solid play since returning to the lineup.   SCOUTING ILLINOIS: The Fighting Illini are 4-8 on the season and are coming off of a 53-42 loss to Purdue to open their Big Ten slate. Junior Jenna Smith, a Preseason All-Big Ten selection, is averaging 18.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, both of which rank among the conference leaders. Lacey Simpson is also averaging double figures at a 12.7 clip.   ALL-TIME VS. THE ILLINI: The Lady Lions lead the all-time series with Illinois by a 21-12 margin, including a 12-2 mark at home. The Illini have a 3-2 edge in the last five regular season meetings as the home team has been victorious each time. Last season, the Lady Lions earned a 49-48 victory over the Illini in Happy Valley thanks to a last second charge by Mashea Williams, while Illinois picked up a 20-point (69-49) win in Champaign.   LAST TIME VS. ILLINOIS: The last time these squads squared off, Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Jenna Smith ran wild for Illinois (15-11, 7-8) as the Illini handed the Lady Lions (13-14, 4-11) a 69-49 loss at Assembly Hall. Smith finished with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. The Illini turned the ball over just five times in the game and shot 46.3% from the field in the win. Kam Gissendanner paced the Lady Lions with 15 points and five rebounds, while Janessa Wolff, Tyra Grant and Rashida Mark added six points apiece in the loss. COMRADES IN ORANGE: Senior guard Mashea Williams and freshman guard Zhaque Gray will square off against former high school teammates today when Penn State faces Illinois. Williams and Illini senior Chelsea Gordon joined forces to lead Mercyhurst Prep to back-to-back PIAA State Championships in 2004 and 2005. Gray and Illinois walk-on Melissa Thompson guided Prep John Hope to the Chicago Public League Championship and a 29-2 record last season.   "D" GENERATES THEFTS: The Lady Lions have spent much of the season working on their defense and to work has paid off. With 15 steals in the Big Ten opener against Michigan State, the Lady Lions now have earned 10-plus steals in six of the last seven games. It was also the second game this season that Penn State registered 15 or more steals (15 vs. Texas A&M).   BRI MOVES INTO TOP 10 FOR THREES: Senior guard Brianne O'Rourke moved into Penn State's career Top 10 list for three-pointers with a pair of trios against Michigan State on Dec. 21. She now has 98 three-pointers in her career. O'Rourke also reached the 900-point mark for her career against the Spartans with 18 tallies, giving her 915 markers in her four years with the Blue & White.   Following the Illinois game, the Lady Lions travel to Minnesota for a New Year's Day contest before returning to the BJC to meet Michigan (Sun., Jan. 4) and Indiana (Sun., Jan. 11). For information on Lady Lion Basketball tickets, call the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.   The 2009 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith (formerly known as THINK PINK Day) will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m., as the Lady Lions take on Iowa in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game can be seen on www.bigtennetwork.com. The first two Pink Zone events have raised more than $50,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Penn State Hershey Breast Cancer Institute, the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. —LADY LIONS—