Feb. 17, 2008
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery | Postgame Podcast
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Lady Lions (13-13, 4-10) shook up their starting line-up, putting freshman Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) and sophomore walk-on Nicole Arcidiacono (Langhorne, Pa.) in the starting five, against Michigan State (16-11, 8-7) on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Unfortunately, it did not change the result as the Lady Lions dropped a 66-50 decision to the Spartans on Senior Day in front of 5,910 fans to extend its losing streak to seven games.
Senior guard Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.), who was honored before the game as the squad's lone senior, accounted for nine points, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Sophomore guard Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio), who spent the first 11 minutes of the game on the bench, was 4-for-7 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the line en route to a game-high 18 points.
Trogele made the most of her first career start, grabbing a game-high and career-best 10 rebounds to go along with four points and a career-high tying three blocked shots. She has six rejections in her last two games. Brianne O'Rouke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) accounted for six points, six assists and two steals, but was saddled with seven turnovers in the loss.
The Spartans got out of the gate early, establishing a 15-point lead (25-10) in the first 12 and a half minutes of the opening period. Five different players scored for the Lady Lions in the early going. Penn State went on 7-0 run to close the gap to eight points at 25-17 with just under five minutes to play in the period thanks to five-straight points from Grant and a jumper by Trogele. However, Michigan State scored the next eight points of the game to extend the lead to 16 points (33-17) with 2:30 left in the period. The Lady Lions scored four of the final six points of the frame to send the teams into the locker room with Michigan State leading, 35-21.
Trogele had a solid effort in the first half as she equaled her career mark in rebounds (7) and blocked shots (3). Grant connected on both of her shots from the field and had a team-high five points in the opening frame, while Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) added five rebounds and two points. The Spartans shot 57.7% from the field in the first half and were led by Brittney Thomas' 10 points.
Michigan State extended it to a game-high 18-point lead after scoring the first four points of the second frame, before Grant sparked a 10-0 Lady Lion run over the next two minutes and 20 seconds to slice the Spartan lead to just eight points (39-31) with 15:44 on the clock. Grant accounted for six of Penn State's 10 points during the run, while Trogele added a driving lay-up and O'Rourke chipped in a steal and lay-up.
The squads exchanged baskets over the next few minutes until an 8-0 spurt by the Spartans made it a 51-35 game with 9:22 left in the contest. A Gissendanner three-pointer cut it to a 13-point deficit with nine minutes to play before Lauren Aitch made the back-end of a two-shot foul to put it at 52-38 with eight minutes remaining in the game.
The Lady Lions went cold from the field, suffering from a six and a half-minute field goal drought, but Penn State's defense held its ground and the Lady Lions converted on free throw attempts to keep the Michigan State in the low teens over the next several minutes. Grant connected on a three-pointer with 3:29 left to cut the deficit to 11 (59-48), but the Lady Lions could not pull any closer down the stretch as the Spartans outscored the Lady Lions 7-2 in the final two minutes.
The Lady Lions hit the road for a two-game swing in the state of Illinois, taking on the Illini on Thursday, Feb. 21 before meeting Northwestern on Sunday, Feb. 24. The Lady Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center for their final home game of the regular-season on Thursday, Feb. 28 against nationally-ranked Ohio State at 7 p.m.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets by visiting the Bryce Jordan Center box office, calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336 or by clicking on the ticket link on www.GoPSUsports.com.
GAME NOTES: Freshman Julia Trogele and sophomore walk-on Nicole Arcidiacono earned their first career starts on Sunday...Trogele grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and tied her career high with three blocks...Tyra Grant knocked down two three-pointers, passing Suzie McConnell for 15th place in Lady Lion history...Michigan State recorded its first ever victory at Penn State, posting a 1-13 all time record in Happy Valley
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