Two Former Lady Lions Begin WNBA Playoffs

By rscaife
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Updated: August 26, 2014

Courtesy of PSU Athletics

Lucas and the Fever face Washington beginning Thursday; Greene and the Sparks meet Phoenix on Friday

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; August 20, 2014 – Former Penn State Lady Lions Maggie Lucas and Nikki Greene open up action in the WNBA Playoffs with first round play this week. Lucas and the Indiana Fever earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference and face the third-seeded Washington Mystics, while Greene and the No. 4 seed Los Angeles meet the top-seeded Phoenix Mercury.

Lucas and the Fever will host the Mystics to open the best-of-three series Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, before going to Washington on Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2. Game three, if necessary, will be in Indianapolis on Monday, Aug. 25. The winner of the series will go on to face the winner of the Chicago-Atlanta series.

In her first season in the WNBA, Lucas saw time in 30 games and collected 110 points, 26 rebounds and 20 assists. She was 22-for-23 from the free throw line for a .957 free throw percentage. She ranked 10^th in the WNBA in three-point field goals per 40 minutes with a 2.6 mark. Lucas closed the regular season with her best performance of the season with 17 points and four assists at New York.

Greene and the Sparks open in Phoenix on Friday at 10 p.m. on NBA TV, before heading back to LA for game 2 on Sunday at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. Game three, if necessary, will be back in Phoenix on Tuesday, Aug. 26. The winner of the Los Angeles-Phoenix series will face the winner of the Minnesota-San Antonio series.

Greene has appeared in 11 games for the Sparks. She has 11 rebounds, five points, one steal and one blocked shot on the season.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Game 1: Washington at Indianapolis, Thurs., Aug. 21, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Game 2: Indianapolis at Washington, Sat., Aug. 21, 5 p.m., ESPN2

Game 3: Washington at Indianapolis, Mon., Aug. 23, TBA (if necessary)

Western Conference Semifinals

Game 1: Los Angeles at Phoenix, Fri., Aug. 22, 10 p.m., NBA TV

Game 2: Phoenix at Los Angeles, Sun., Aug. 24, 9 p.m., ESPN2

Game 3: Los Angeles at Phoenix, Tues., Aug. 26, TBA (if necessary)

A pair of Lady Lions came up just short in their quest for the WNBA Playoffs. Alex Bentley finished her second season and first with the Connecticut Sun by averaging 12.0 points, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She ranked 15^th in the league in assists and steals. She was also 17^th in the WNBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8). Tanisha Wright completed her 10^th season with the Seattle Storm where she averaged 8.0 points, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. She finished 19^th in the league in assists per game. For her career, Wright has 2,585 points and 1,004 assists.