University Park, Pa. -- Michigan State came to Happy Valley as the higher ranked team, but Penn State is a Big Ten conference giant killer.
Tanisha Wright and Jess Strom combined for 48 points and lifted the Lady Lions to a 73-56 win over No. 8 Michigan State in front of 9,530 at the Bryce Jordan Center, the largest home crowd to see the Lady Lions play this season. It was the Lady Lions' fifth win over a ranked opponent this year, and their third victory over a top-10 foe. Penn State also kept its perfect Big Ten record intact at 7-0, while improving to 12-6 overall. The loss was the Spartans' third of the season, as they fell to 16-3, 5-2 in the Big Ten.
Strom and Wright each scored 24 points in the contest, including a combined 29 in the second half, which eclipsed the entire Spartan total of 26 after the break.
Still, the key to victory today was on the boards; the Spartans are the conference's top rebounding team but the Lady Lions held Michigan State to 31 rebounds, 13 under its average, while pulling down 40 themselves.
Penn State was up by just a single point at the break, 31-30, and the game was tied at 46 with 10:32 left to play in the contest. Penn State then ran away with the game, going on a 14-5 run to go up, 60-51, and forcing Michigan State to call a timeout with 4:47 left. Wright sparked the run by scoring seven of the 14, while Jennifer Brenden (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) hit a key 3-pointer after the Spartans had closed the gap to 54-49 with 6:36 left in the game. After Michigan State's timeout, Wright blocked a Lindsay Bowen shot attempt, and scored a layup at the other end off a Strom pass to continue the rally. Strom just missed her third double-double of the season with nine rebounds, but it was her near-perfect free throw shooting that kept the Spartans out of the game. She made nine of 10 for the game, including five of six over the last 3:36 to seal the victory.
The afternoon started on an emotional note, as Penn State honored head coach Rene Portland for her 25 years as head coach of the Lady Lions. Legendary football coach Joe Paterno, who hired Portland in 1980 when he was the athletic director, addressed the crowd, and Portland's family was also on-hand for the ceremony. Portland was presented with a framed collection of photos throughout the years, and a giant card signed by Lady Lion fans. Portland spoke to the crowd at the end of the ceremony, thanking, among many, her family and the loyal Penn State fans.
Since coming to Penn State, Portland has seen her program grow into a national powerhouse - she's directed seven conference champions, won eight conference tournament titles and taken 20 trips to the NCAA tournament including one Final Four. With today's win, she has 563 wins at Penn State and 650 for her career.
After the game, Portland praised her squad for their effort. "I'm really pleased with my team," Portland said. "We're 7-0 in conference play and at the top of the Big Ten. They worked extremely hard. They rose to the challenge and I'm very happy with them."
Jess Strom iced the game with near-perfect free throw shooting down the stretch, and finished with 24 points in the contest.
Just like last time out, against Purdue, the Lady Lions started slowly and had to overcome an early deficit to record a win. Michigan State scored the game's first seven points over the opening two minutes before Penn State got started. Then, the Lady Lions put together a 9-0 run midway through the first half and tied the game at 19-19 on a Tanisha Wright three point play at the nine minute mark, taking a 31-30 lead into the break.
Michigan State recaptured the lead five minutes into the second half, but Penn State outscored the Spartans 25-10 over the game's final nine minutes to earn the 17-point victory. Over the last four games the Lady Lions have outscored their opponents 170 -92 in the second half and haven't allowed more than 26 second-half points in that span.
Penn State has lost just four conference games since 2002-03. Of those four losses, none have come at home. The Lady Lions have remained unbeaten in Big Ten play at the Jordan Center since 2002 and have won 12 straight Big Ten games dating to last season. The Lady Lions have made Happy Valley an unpleasant stop for opponents. Penn State is 71-7 at the Bryce Jordan Center since1999-00.
The Lady Lions stay head to Northwestern for their next matchup on Thursday at 8 p.m. EST before returning home on Sunday Jan. 30 to take on No. 12/13 Minnesota at 1 p.m. EST. Both games can be heard over the radio on the Penn State Sports Network and http://www.GoPSUsports.com, where the GameTracker feature will also be available. Sunday's game vs. the Golden Gophers will also air live on FSN Chicago and at 2 p.m. EST on FSN Pittsburgh.
Single game tickets for Lady Lion games are still available. Visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket windows weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to purchase tickets. Fans also can call 800-863-3336 or 814-865-5555 locally or order tickets online at http://www.GoPSUsports.com, the official Web site of Penn State athletics.
Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament all-session tickets are also now on sale for $55 at the Penn State ticket office, all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster charge-by-phone numbers (317-239-5151 in central Indiana) and www.ticketmaster.com. Fans can also buy their Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament tickets on the Concourse level of women's basketball home games.