Penn State Lady Lions basketball
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The Penn State Lady Lions basketball team represents
Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
and plays its home games in the
Bryce Jordan Center The Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. The arena opened in 1996 and is the largest such venue between ...
. In 2013, the Lady Lions became just the 12th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 850 wins. Penn State has won 8 regular season
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
titles and the first 2
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
tournament titles in 1995 and 1996. Prior to joining the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
, the Lady Lions competed in the
Atlantic 10 The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...
conference. The
Lady Lions The Penn State Lady Lions basketball team represents Pennsylvania State University and plays its home games in the Bryce Jordan Center. In 2013, the Lady Lions became just the 12th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 850 wins. Penn Stat ...
have 25
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
tournament appearances as of 2014, the most in the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
. The team's best post-season finish came in 2000 when the
Lady Lions The Penn State Lady Lions basketball team represents Pennsylvania State University and plays its home games in the Bryce Jordan Center. In 2013, the Lady Lions became just the 12th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 850 wins. Penn Stat ...
reached the Final Four before losing to eventual champion UConn. The Lady Lions captured the WNIT title in 1998 defeating Baylor 59–56 in
Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
. Notable alumni include WBCA First Team All-Americans Suzie McConnell, Susan Robinson,
Helen Darling Helen Marie Darling (born August 29, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player, who played most recently for the San Antonio Silver Stars of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In her WNBA career, Darling has mo ...
, and
Kelly Mazzante Kelly Anne Mazzante (born February 2, 1982) is an American retired professional women's basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. At the conclusion of her collegiate career, she was the all-time leading scorer in Big T ...
.
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
correspondent
Lisa Salters Lisa Salters is an American journalist and former college basketball player. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Previously, she covered the O. J. Simpson murder case for ABC and worked as a reporter at WBAL-TV in Balt ...
is the shortest player in Lady Lions history at 5'-2".


Current coaching staff


Pink Zone at Penn State

Annually, the Lady Lions don pink jerseys in support of several organizations that fight
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
in what is now known as the "Pink Zone at Penn State" game. The Lady Lions were the first Division I team in the nation to wear pink jerseys, a growing trend in athletics. Then-head coach Rene Portland developed the idea in 2006 with money from the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
, and the first game (termed the "Think Pink" game) occurred in February 2007 against
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. In 2012, the Pink Zone at Penn State raised a record $203,000 to distribute to its beneficiaries.


All-time season results

, - style="background:#ffd;" , colspan="8" style="text-align:center;",
Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...
, - style="background:#ffd;" , colspan="8" style="text-align:center;", Independent , - style="background:#ffd;" , colspan="8" style="text-align:center;",
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
* The Lady Lions finished 19–11 in 2004–05, but three wins were credited to assistant head coach Annie Troyan. Source:


Postseason results


NCAA Division I


AIAW Division I

The Nittany Lions made one appearance in the
AIAW National Division I basketball tournament The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
, with a combined record of 0–2.


Awards and honors


Atlantic 10 awards


Big Ten awards


National and regional awards


Wade Trophy The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coac ...

* 1992, Susan Robinson


Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award was an annual college basketball award in the United States intended to honor shorter-than-average players who excelled on the court despite their size. The award, named in honor of James Naismith's daughter-in-la ...

* 1988, Suzie McConnell * 2000,
Helen Darling Helen Marie Darling (born August 29, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player, who played most recently for the San Antonio Silver Stars of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In her WNBA career, Darling has mo ...
* 2013,
Alex Bentley Alexandria Marie Bentley (born October 27, 1990) is an American professional basketball player. She played college basketball at Pennsylvania State University. She represents the Belarus national team internationally. Early life She was born a ...


CoSIDA College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) is an organization that focuses on professional development and support for sports information directors at all levels. It offers awards, scholarships, and grants in support of SIDs and pros ...
Academic All-American of the Year

* 2004,
Kelly Mazzante Kelly Anne Mazzante (born February 2, 1982) is an American retired professional women's basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. At the conclusion of her collegiate career, she was the all-time leading scorer in Big T ...


Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year

* 1991, Susan Robinson


WBCA Coach of the Year

* 1991, Rene Portland * 2004, Rene Portland


USBWA Coach of the Year

* 1991, Rene Portland * 1992, Rene Portland


Black Coaches & Administrators Female Coach of the Year

* 2011, Coquese Washington * 2013, Coquese Washington


References


External links

* {{Authority control