March 27, 2012
Like us on Facebook | LadyLions.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State sophomore guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) capped of an outstanding sophomore campaign by taking home Associated Press (AP) All-America honorable mention accolades. She is the first Lady Lion to garner AP honors since Tyra Grant was also an honorable mention selection in 2010.
This is the 15th time that a Lady Lion has earned AP All-America honors since the award began in 1995. Lucas is the fourth Penn State sophomore to claim AP accolades, joining Angie Potthoff (1995 - honorable mention), Kelly Mazzante (2002 - 2nd team) and Tanisha Wright (2003 - honorable mention).
Lucas garnered first team All-Big Ten honors after finishing third in the conference in scoring at a 19.5 per game clip. She is just the fourth different Lady Lion to score more than 600 points in a season with 642 tallies on the year. It is the sixth time in program history a player has surpassed the 600-point mark in a season (Mazzante; three times, Suzie McConnell; 1987-88, Susan Robinson; 1989-90). Her 642 tallies are the fifth-most in a season in Penn State history and are the second-most by a sophomore. She is also Top 10 in the league in free throw percentage (.886 - 3rd), three-point field goal percentage (.410 - 3rd) and three-pointers made (2.5 - 2nd).
The Narberth, Pa. native has become more than just a three-point threat for the Lady Lions. Lucas has found her way to the free throw line nearly twice as many times as she did last season and has relied less on the three-ball. The sophomore set personal marks for points (642), free throws made (156), assists (91) and rebounds (154). Her 88.6% mark from the free throw line is tied for the third-best mark in single-season school history.
The Feb. 21 Big Ten Player of the Week became the third sophomore in school history (Mazzante and Robinson) and 34th player overall to reach 1,000 points with a three-pointer in the second half at Minnesota on Feb. 5. Lucas reached the milestone in just 58 games, which is 11th-fastest in Big Ten history. She resides 25th on Penn State's career scoring list (1194), third in three-point field goals made (194) and first in free throw percentage (.881).
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.