Lucas’ Career, BJC High Leads Lady Lions to Win Over Hoyas
Maggie Lucas set a new Bryce Jordan Center scoring record with a career-high 39 points in the Penn State Lady Lions (7-2) 97-74 victory Sunday afternoon over the Georgetown Hoyas (7-3). Lucas scored 17 of the team’s first 24 points on her way to career afternoon.
With the Lady Lions trailing 9-8 just before the first media time-out, Lucas knocked down a three-pointer and proceeded to go on a personal 9-0 run to give Penn State a lead that they would never relinquish.
“She’s always been a good shooter,” Georgetown head coach Keith Brown noted after the game. Brown had watched Lucas grow up playing in the AAU circuit, so he knew ahead of time what his team was going to be dealing with. “When she’s open, she’s in the shot and I think that’s what makes her so special.”
Not to be overshadowed by Lucas’s lights out shooting effort, senior guard Alex Bentley contributed 23 points of her own. Arguably one of the best backcourts in women’s basketball, Bentley and Lucas rely on their defensive intensity to spark the Lady Lions offense. The two combined for nine steals and Bentley noted after the game how much easier things are when Maggie is knocking down shots.
“I am always looking for her,” Bentley said. “Especially when she’s hot. That girl can shoot.
With the Hoyas determined to sit in a two-three match-up zone for the majority of the game, the Lady Lions knew that Lucas was going to get her looks.
“We knew the corners were going to be open,” Lucas noted.
Head coach Coquese Washington had similar thoughts. “When we move the ball, we make the zone shift,” Washington said. “Maggie was on the backside a lot of the time and she got wide open.
Lucas finished the game 11-21 from the field, including 7-13 from behind the arc. It was her third career 30 point performance and her 39 points was the most by a Lady Lion since Kelly Mazante in 2003. Mazante holds the Bryce Jordan Center scoring record with 49.
The Lady Lions now take to the road as they travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies Wednesday night. They will return home Dec. 16 to take on South Dakota State. That game can be heard live on ComRadio beginning at 2:00 pm.
Matt Lawrence is sophomore majoring broadcast journalism. To contact him, e-mail mdl5249@psu.edu.
