Maryland Battles Lions In Women's Basketball

Dec. 7, 2001

Maryland (5-2, 1-0 ACC) vs. No. 21 Penn State (4-3, 0-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, December 8, 2001 * 2:00 p.m.
Allfirst Court at Cole Field House (14,500), College Park, MD

After battling ACC foe Clemson on Wednesday, Maryland welcomes Big Ten rival Penn State (4-3) to Allfirst Court at Cole Field House on Saturday, Dec. 8. Penn State is currently ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll. The Lady Lions are 4-3 after losing to 84-80 to No. 17 Old Dominion in overtime on Thursday.

No. 21 Penn State is the first ranked team the Terrapins face this season. Ironically enough, this is the first time this season that the Terps have not been in either the Associated Press or the ESPN/USA Today poll. Maryland was ranked the previous four weeks, peaking at No. 23 in the AP poll.

The Lady Lions rivalry with Maryland goes all the way back to the first game in 1976-77, a game the Terps lost 64-82. Penn State owns the 11-8 advantage all-time vs. Maryland, with Terps' head coach Chris Weller 6-9 against Lady Lion bench boss Rene Portland all-time.

Last season, Penn State got the 95-86 win over the Terps in State College. Ranked 13th in the country, the Lady Lions were led by 26 points from Lisa Shepherd and 21 from Kelly Mazzante. The Terps gave the Lions a scare, though, going ahead one with only 3:42 remaining. Deedee Warley (Fort Washington, Md.) paced the Terps with 16 points, and Jamecca Harrell (Oxon Hill, Md.) added 15 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, which was the Terps' first of the season.

A Quick Look at Penn State

Averaging 25.7 points per game, it's no surprise why Kelly Mazzante was the Big Ten preseason player of the year. Mazzante is the only regular in the Lions' lineup averaging double figures. In her first game back since sitting out the first six with an injury, senior Katrena Carr posted 11 points and two rebounds for the Lady Lions.

A big team with solid rebounding skills, Maryland could be in trouble if they don't box out and hit the boards hard. Penn State averages 41.6 rebounds per game to the Terps' 34.4 rebounds per game, an almost seven-rebound advantage for the visiting Lions on paper. A key to the game, Maryland will need to outrebound the Lions and cut down on their second-chance scoring to be successful Saturday.

Next Up: Morgan State
Morgan State visits the Terps on Monday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. for what will be Maryland's third game in six days. After completing the grueling stretch, Maryland wil take some time off to concentrate on its academics and will not return to action until they travel to Cancun for the Cancun Tournament on Dec. 21 and 22.

Terps Out of Rankings For First Time This Season
Maryland is out of the rankings for the first time this season, but looking to make a return if they can take two this week from national powers Clemson and Penn State.

The Terps appearance in the polls was their first stint in the rankings since 1994, starting the season off at the No. 23 spot in the Associated Press poll. The Terrapins were ranked as high as 22nd in the AP poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll before falling out this week.

The Inside Tip on UM....
With Maryland shooting an outstanding 73.2 percent as a team from the free throw line, should the game be close the Lady Lions will have a tough time deciding who to foul. Terps' guard Marche Strickland is shooting 16-of-17 (.941), while forward Deedee Warley has converted 28-of-38 (.737) attempts.

In addition to Maryland's potent shooting from the charity stripe, the Terps are also packing a deadly punch from beyond the arc. Terri Daniels is shooting .500 (9-18) from three-point range and Strickland is .353 (12-34). Daniels shoots almost 50 percent of the shots she takes from beyond the arc and is perhaps the ACC's best-kept secret as a shooter.

The Inside Tip on PSU....
It's no wonder Penn State's Kelly Mazzante is the Big Ten preseason player of the year. Averaging 25.7 points per game, she leads the Lady Lions in almost every category. The sophomore guard grabs 5.4 rebounds per game, paces the Nits' defensive efforts with 2.9 steals per game, and adds 2.4 assists per game, as well.

A team with three seniors, only Rashana Barnes has seen action this season for the women's basketball team. Katrina Carr, a guard in head coach Rene Portland's regular rotation, has been out all season so far with an injury. Katie Schumacher has been playing with the women's volleyball team and has not seen time with the basketball season yet.

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