RECORDS LADY LION BASKETBALL: THROUGH THE YEARS 1965 The Lady Lions and head coach Marie Lintner play their first game on Feb. 4, 1965 and post a 39-33 win over Bloomsburg. Penn State would win its first three games before dropping the season finale to Gettysburg to finish 3-1 in its inaugural season. 1968 Penn State expanded its schedule to six games and started the season off in style with a 72-17 win over the Polyclinic School of Nursing. 1971 Under new head coach Mary Ann Domitrovitz, the Lady Lions started strong winning their first five games. Domitrovitz’s team picked up a 38-36 win over Wilson in the season opener on Jan. 28 for her first victory. 1974 The 1974 season was a keynote season in Lady Lion Basketball history as it was the first of 28 consecutive non-losing seasons. Penn State opened the season with a 77-47 victory over Gettysburg. 1974-75 Pat Meiser became the third head coach in Lady Lion history. After losing the first two games, PSU went on to win eight of the next 10 games en route to its first postseason appearance. 1975-76 Penn State opened the season in style with a 65-46 victory over Slippery Rock. The Lady Lions played their first game at Rec Hall on March 24 when they hosted the AIAW Tournament for the first time in school history. 1977-78 Penn State recorded its first 20-win season with a 21-5 mark. The Lady Lions earned 12 consecutive wins between Jan. 24 and Feb. 28, which is tied for the thirdlongest undefeated string in school history. PSU finished No. 17 in the AP Poll.
1978-79 The Lady Lions began the season with a 6-0 record, including key wins against No. 12 Queens, No. 17 Mississippi and No. 19 Montclair. A 68-56 victory over Pittsburgh on Jan. 27 marked the 100th win in Lady Lion Basketball history. Penn State finished the season ranked 13th in the AP Poll. Lady Lion head coach Pat Meiser was a nominee for National Coach of the Year. 1979-80 With 10 games against ranked opponents, the Lady Lions posted their third-straight 20-win campaign. 1980-81 The Rene Portland Era began in 1980 as she became the fourth coach in Lady Lion history. Her first victory came in the season opener against Howard, 82-44, on Dec. 2. The Lady Lions won 10 in a row in the middle of the season, including a key victory over No. 8 Cheyney, 80-77, in February. 1981-82 Penn State earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in school history. The Lady Lions hosted and won a first round game against Clemson at Rec Hall on March 12. Penn State finished the season 10th in the AP Poll. 1982-83 Penn State won the inaugural Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament with a 77-74 decision over Rutgers. The Lady Lions would go on to make their first NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Head coach Rene Portland was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. The Lady Lions finished the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll. 1983-84 The Lady Lions defeated Montana, 73-65, in the first game of the season to record the 200th win in school history. After going 6-2 against Atlantic 10 opponents, Penn State defeated Rhode Island to win its secondconsecutive Atlantic 10 Tournament title.
1984-85 Penn State continued to dominate the Atlantic 10 Tournament, defeating Temple, 96-59, for its thirdstraight A-10 tourney crown. The Lady Lions recorded their first undefeated season at home with a 12-0 mark. Kahadeejah Herbert was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Suzie McConnell was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. A dominant year gave the Lady Lions the ninth spot in the final AP Poll. 1985-86 Penn State remained the only team to hold up the Atlantic 10 Tournament champions trophy, winning its fourth title in a row. Rene Portland’s squad topped three ranked opponents during the season, including a stunning 72-68 win over No. 3 Louisiana Tech on Feb. 12 in Happy Valley. 1986-87 Penn State won nine of its first 10 games, including back-to-back wins over ranking opponents, toppling No. 14 Iowa and No. 15 NC State. The Lady Lions recorded their second undefeated season at home (12-0). Suzie McConnell broke Annie Troyan’s single-game assists record of 19, dealing out 21 helpers against West Virginia on March 4. The Lady Lions finished No. 15 in the AP Poll. 1987-88 Penn State earned its 300th victory on Jan. 7 defeating Massachusetts, 75-67. The Lady Lions toppled No. 2 and eventual National Champion Louisiana Tech during the regular-season. Suzie McConnell became the first Lady Lion to earn first-team Kodak/WBCA All-America accolades and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. 1988-89 Rene Portland earned her 200th Penn State victory on Feb. 25, 1989 in a 66-44 win over George Washington. Susan Robinson was named the Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year.
Pat Meiser @PENNSTATEWBB
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