May 24, 2013
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Lucas espnW Blog | LadyLions.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - A pair of former Penn State Lady Lions, Tanisha Wright and Alex Bentley, are on opening day WNBA rosters as the season opens tonight. Wright will continue as a member of the Seattle Storm, while Bentley will begin her WNBA career with the Atlanta Dream, who drafted her with the 13th overall pick in this year's WNBA Draft.
Penn State's two players on WNBA opening day rosters are tied for second among Big Ten teams. Bentley and the Dream take the court first as they open their season tomorrow at home against Tulsa at 7 p.m., while Wright and the Storm will travel to Los Angeles on Sunday to face the Sparks at 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV.
Wright is in her ninth season with the Seattle Storm. In her only preseason appearance, Wright accounted for three points, three rebounds and a pair of steals against the Tulsa Shock. Last season, Wright accounted for 7.9 points, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game for the Storm. Her 4.4. assists per game mark ranked ninth in the league a year ago, while her .859 mark from the free throw line was 10th in the WNBA. Wright was solid in the WNBA Playoffs, averaging 11.3 points, 6.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds in three games. In her first eight WNBA seasons, Wright is averaging 7.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists with a 42.9% field goal percentage and a 84.9% free throw percentage. Wright is closing in on 2,000 points for her WNBA career, needing 45 tallies to reach the milestone. She also needs 33 assists for 800 in her career.
Alex Bentley |
After a stellar collegiate career, Bentley was the first pick in the second round in the 2013 WNBA Draft. Bentley's 13th overall selection was the highest draft pick for the Lady Lions since Wright was the 12th overall pick by the Seattle Storm. In a pair of preseason games, Bentley averaged 8.0 points, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals. Bentley capped off a fantastic career with honorable mention All-America accolades from the WBCA and Associated Press and the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award winner for the nation's outstanding female collegian 5-8 and under. The three-time All-Big Ten first team selection accounted for 14.1 points, 3.5 assists, 3.4 steals and 3.4 rebounds per game as a senior. Additionally, she finished in the top 15 in the Big Ten in scoring (11th - 14.1), assists (9th - 3.5), free throw percentage (9th - .815) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd - 1.8). Bentley is just the fourth player in Big Ten history to accumulate 1,500 points, 500 assists and 300 steals. She finished her career in the Top 10 in school history in steals (2nd - 325), assists (T-6th - 567) and scoring (8th - 1,786).
The Lady Lions won their second-straight Big Ten regular season title with a 26-6 overall record and 14-2 mark in conference play last season. Guided by two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Coquese Washington, Penn State will return the 2013 Big Ten Player of the Year in Maggie Lucas and Big Ten All-Defensive team choice Dara Taylor. The Lady Lions will also add an eight-player recruiting class that ranks in the Top 10 in the country.
The Lady Lions hold several camps throughout the summer. There is a Lady Lion Basketball Camp available for girls of all ages, ranging from shooting camp to elite camp. The 2013 Lady Lion Basketball Camp schedule is as follows: Experience Camp (June 9-11), Elite Camp (June 22-23), Total Package Team Camp (June 20-22) and Games Galore Team Camp (August 2-4). For more information on Lady Lion Basketball Camps, please visit GoPSUsports.com/camps and click on Girls Basketball Camp under Summer Camps.
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.