Dec. 14, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State Lady Lion freshman Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) capped an outstanding week by being selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She averaged 12.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in a pair of wins for the Lady Lions, including the upset victory over No. 15/15 Pittsburgh Saturday. Greene is the first Lady Lion to earn Big Ten freshman weekly honors in school history.
Greene had 12 points, seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, and a blocked in the victory over the nationally-ranked Panthers. It was Penn State's first win over a ranked opponent since topping No. 11/10 Duke on Dec. 2, 2007. Greene, who entered the game as a 43% free throw shooter, secured the win for the Lady Lions by knocking down 5-of-6 free throw attempts in the final 1:04. In Wednesday's win over Monmouth, Greene earned her first collegiate double-double with career highs of 12 points and 14 rebounds. She also blocked a pair of shots against the Hawks.
Greene is third on the team in scoring this year at a 7.2 per game clip and is second in rebounding (6.0 rpg). She also moved into a tie for 10th place on Penn State's freshman season blocks list with her 18 rejection of the season against the Panthers. She is 16th in the conference in rebounding and sixth in blocked shots (1.8 bpg).
After taking a break for finals, the Lady Lions continue their four-game homestand against Oakland on Mon., Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m., as part of a men's and women's doubleheader. General admission tickets for both games are $10 for adults and $5 for students/youth. Penn State completes it's homestand with its Big Ten home opener against Iowa on Mon., Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. Single-game tickets can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.
The 2010 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m., as the Lady Lions take on Illinois in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game can be seen on www.bigtennetwork.com. The first three Pink Zone events have raised more than $80,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, 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.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow head coach Coquese Washington (@psucoachquese), sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and assistant coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook. Search Lady Lion Basketball and become a fan.