UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Junior guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) picked up her second Big Ten Player of the Week award of the season after averaging 27.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 3.5 steals in a pair of games for the Lady Lions last week. Lucas shares the award this week with Minnesota's Rachel Banham. Lucas is the first Lady Lion to garner multiple Player of the Week awards in a season since Amanda Brown won two weekly honors in the 2006-07 campaign.
Lucas opened the week by connecting on three of her six three-point attempts en route to 15 points in the tough road loss to No. 2 Connecticut in Storrs on Dec. 6. She also pulled in four rebounds and tallied an assist and a steal against the Huskies. In Sunday's dominating win over Georgetown, Lucas turned in a record breaking performance as she scored 26 of her career-high 39 points in the first half to give the No. 10/10 Penn State Lady Lions the 97-74 victory. The 39 points for Lucas is a single-game record in the Bryce Jordan Center for a men's or women's game and is tied for the third-most points in a game by a Lady Lion player overall (Angie Potthoff vs. Indiana, 1/10/97). Additionally, Lucas' 39 tallies are the most for Lady Lion since Kelly Mazzante scored 49 at Minnesota on Dec. 28, 2001.
On Sunday, Lucas was 11-for-21 on the day from the field and converted on 7-of-13 three-point attempts en route to her third career game with 30 or more points. Her seven three-pointers and 13 three-point attempts match her career highs. Lucas, who made seven threes in a game for the third time in her career, equaled the BJC record for three-pointers made in a game, tying the mark that she owned with Adrienne Squire and Kelly Mazzante. Additionally, the junior also tallied a career-best six steals, with five of them coming in the first half. Lucas also hauled in five rebounds and dished out a pair of assists.
The Lady Lions defeated Virginia Tech Wednesday (Dec. 12) in their final non-conference road game. Penn State returns home to face South Dakota State Sunday at 2 p.m. Sunday is Social Media Dollar Day, as well as the Lady Lions' annual Book Drive and Library Day. Go to www.GoPSUsports.com/promotions/wbb.html for complete promotions information.
Single game tickets for the Lady Lions are on sale now. Tickets are $15 and $12 for adults and seniors and $9 and $7 for youth (12 and younger). The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game and the Lady Lions' Pink Zone game.
The 2013 Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24 as the Lady Lions take on Michigan in the Bryce Jordan Center. Last year, the Lady Lions donated a record $203,000 to breast cancer causes. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital and Lewistown Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.pennsylvaniapinkzone.org.
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.