Lady Lions Comeback Effort Falls Short at Purdue

Grant posts ninth 20-point game of the season to lead the Lady Lions WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.; January 15, 2009 —Penn State Lady Lions (7-9, 2-4) rallied from an eight-point deficit in the second half to tie the game with seven minutes left, but could not complete the comeback as they dropped a 59-48 decision to Purdue (12-5, 5-1) Thursday night at Mackey Arena. Junior guard Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) posted her ninth 20-point game of the season and the 20th of her career with 20 tallies.   Grant, who moved into 23rd place on Penn State's career scoring list, also chipped in two rebounds and three steals. Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) was the only other Lady Lion in double figures with 10 points to go along with five rebounds and a steal, while Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) accounted for nine points, six rebounds and three steals.   The Boilers jumped out to the early lead with a 12-2 run in the first eight minutes of the game. The Lady Lions connected on just one of their first eight shots and turned the ball over six times during the Purdue run. However, the Lady Lions climbed back into the game with a layup by Meredith Monroe (Olney, Md.) followed by a three-pointer by Grant and a rebound and putback by Monroe to cut the lead three points (12-9) with 10 minutes to play.   A hook shot by Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton stopped the Penn State run and Purdue added a free throw by Brittany Rayburn to extend the lead to 15-9, but Grant brought the Lions back as she knocked down three out of four free throws in consecutive offensive possessions to make it a 15-12 game with four minutes remaining. Two Purdue free throws extended the lead to five points, but Grant snapped Penn State's seven-plus minute field goal drought with a three-pointer at the 2:46 mark to pull the Lions within two (17-15).   Alex Guyton made one of two free throws and then snapped Purdue's seven-minute field goal drought on the Boilers' ensuing offensive possession with a layup, but the Lady Lions responded immediately with back-to-back baskets by Williams to cut the deficit to a single points at 20-19 with 1:38 on the clock. Jodi Howell knocked down a three-pointer with 55 seconds remaining to cap the scoring in the half and send the teams into the locker room with Purdue holding a 23-19 lead.   Grant had a game-high nine points in the opening frame, while Williams and Monroe added four points apiece. Wolff and Williams paced the Lady Lions on the boards in the first half with five rebounds each.   The Boilers started the second half much the same way they started the first half as they scored four straight points to extend their lead to 27-19 just a minute and a half into the second frame. The Lady Lions cut into the lead with two free throws by Wolff and a driving bucket by Williams to make it a four-point game (27-23) with 16:42 on the clock. A three-pointer by Howell pushed the Purdue lead to seven points before Williams drained a floater in the lane and Wolff hit a pair of freebies to put Penn State within three points (30-27) with less than 15 minutes left in the game.   Howell sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around a Grant bucket to extend the Boilermaker lead to 36-29 with 13 minutes remaining. However, the Lady Lions went on an 8-0 run that included four points from Grant and two points each from Wolff and Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to take their first lead of the game at 37-26 with 10:25 remaining.   A pair of free throws from Lakeisha Freeman returned Purdue to the lead and the Boilermakers made it a three-point game (40-37) on a basket from Guyton with eight and a half minutes to play. Wolff drew the blocking foul on Danielle Campbell, but was only able to connect on one of the two free throws to make it a 40-38 game. The Lady Lions would tie the game at 40-40 on a basket by Williams with just over seven minutes to play. However, Penn State went cold from the field and the Boilermakers went on a 10-0 run to pull ahead 50-40 with three minutes left in the game.   The Lions continued to fight with a three-pointer by O'Rourke to make it a seven-point game (50-43). Penn State forced the turnover on the ensuing Purdue possession, but immediately turned it back over to the Boilers and that turnover led to a basket by Freeman. The Boilers scored the game's next four points before a driving layup by Grant made it a 56-45 game with 35 seconds left. Grant also added a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to give her 20 points for the game. Grant three-ball was sandwiched by two free throws by Freeman and a freebie by Rayburn for the final margin.   GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions used their fifth different starting lineup of the season…Junior Meggan Quinn missed the game after suffering a slight concussion during warm-ups…With three three-pointers tonight, Tyra Grant became the 11th player in school history to record 100 career three-pointers (101)…Grant moved into 23rd place, passing Bethany Collins, on Penn State's career scoring list with 1,188 points…The 20-point effort by Grant was her ninth of the season and the 20th of her career.   The Lady Lions continue their road trip and at Michigan State on Sunday, Jan. 18 before returning home to face Wisconsin on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. The Wisconsin game will be $1 dog night for those fans in attendance. 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—