Women's basketball earns No. 4 seed in NCAA Tournament; tickets available

All-Big Ten guard Tanisha Wright leads the Lady Lions into the NCAA Tournament.

First round game to be played Sunday, March 20 at College Park, Md.

University Park, Pa. -- The No. 22/25 Penn State women's basketball team (19-10) has received a No. 4 seed in the Chattanooga region for the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The Lady Lions will face No. 13 Liberty on Sunday, March 20 in College Park, Md. Should the Lady Lions win, they will face either No. 5 DePaul or No. 12 Virginia Tech on Tuesday, March 22. If the Lady Lions win their first and second round games, they will play their regional games in Chattanooga on March 26 and 28.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Penn State and Liberty (24-6).

Versus the DePaul Blue Demons, Penn State is 4-0 all-time, while the Lady Lions lead Virginia Tech, one game to none in that all-time series. Last season the Lady Lions defeated the Hokies, 61-48, in Blacksburg in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Lions, who are tied for fifth in all-time tournament appearances with 21, have advanced to three straight Sweet Sixteens, including an Elite Eight finish last year. Penn State is 26-20 all-time in NCAA Tournament Games. At the helm is legendary coach Rene Portland. Portland is aiming for her 23rd 20-win season, and her 20th at Penn State. Portland, who is in her 25th year as head coach of the Lady Lions, has led her teams to 11 NCAA regional semifinals, four regional finals, and one Final Four.

This season senior All-American candidate Tanisha Wright (West Mifflin, Pa.) leads the team on the court, averaging 19.3 ppg. Wright finished the regular season as the Big Ten's leading scorer, and currently has 1,976 career points to her credit. A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, Wright also won her unprecedented third straight Big Ten Player of the Year Award this season.

Wright is just one part of the Lady Lions' outstanding backcourt. All-American candidate Jess Strom (Munhall, Pa.) is a four-year starter at point guard. Strom was among Big Ten leaders in scoring, assists, steals, free throw percentage and 3-point shooting this year. She led the league for much of the season in assists, and became just the fourth player ever in the Big Ten to reach 700 career assists.

First round tickets go on sale to the general public at 1 p.m. on Monday, March 14. Fans can visit the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Center or call at 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Fans can also buy tickets at Penn State Tickets Downtown and the Eisenhower Auditorium.

Student tickets go on sale on Tuesday, March 15. They will be available at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Center, the HUB (from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Penn State Tickets Downtown and Eisenhower Auditorium. All-session tickets will cost $25, and there is a limit of one ticket per student ID.

Free bus transportation will be provided to all students purchasing tickets, courtesy of Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Students wishing to take a bus need to sign up at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office. The buses will depart Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on Curtin Road outside the ticket office.