« Women’s Basketball 2013-14

Maggie Lucas

School
Penn State
Position
Guard
Major
Recreation, park and tourism management
PPG
21
RPG
4.2
APG
2.2

Classroom

Lucas is a Recreation, Park and Tourism Management major and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2012. She will be interning in the events/public relations office at the Bryce Jordan Center in the spring semester.

Character

Lucas is serving as team captain for this season, after being a leader for the Lady Lions on and off the court. She has clearly distinguished herself as an energetic and driven competitor.  She has a tremendous work ethic and is the quintessential gym rat; always in the gym working on her game so that she can elevate her play on game day.  In addition to her strong work ethic, Maggie has an amazing impact on team chemistry both on and off the court.  She is highly respected by her teammates for her competitive fire and tireless effort on the court.  She is a leader for this team, and her drive and focus have been key components to our team success this year.  She is a passionate competitor who plays with unbridled joy.  She has become a fan favorite not only for her ability to knock down big shots; she is tireless in her efforts to show the fans how much she appreciates their support.  Whether it is visiting hospital patients, signing autographs after games or shooting baskets with some of our youngest fans, Maggie Lucas loves this game and wants to share that love with everyone she meets.

Community

Lucas has been involved in several community service projects in her time at Penn State. Among her community service experiences, Lucas has painted houses as part of the United Way Day of Caring, volunteered at local elementary schools and the YMCA, worked our annual Special Olympics Basketball Clinic, helped at several local organizations, including Pets Come First and the State College Area Food Bank. Lucas and the Lady Lions are also very active in the Pink Zone (Play 4 Kay) initiative to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research. In six Pink Zone events, the Lady Lions have donated more than $825,000 to breast cancer causes and Lucas has been played a roll in helping to raise funds by attending various fundraising events (Hoop Shoot, Little Black Dress Goes Pink, etc.).

Competition

Lucas continued to build on her stellar career, becoming the fifth player in school history and 18th player in Big Ten Conference history to score 2,000 points. She is third in school history in scoring and in the Top 10 in Big Ten history at the mid-way point of the season. Additionally, she is second in school and Big Ten history in three-point field goals made and ranks in the Top 15 in Penn State history in steals. Selected as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, Lucas is also among the players on the Wade Trophy and Naismith Trophy preseason watch lists and is on the Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 chart. She is a two-time member of the Big Ten’s weekly honor roll this season. Lucas has led the country in free throw percentage for much of this season and currently holds the best career free throw percentage in Big Ten history. In the season-opener, Lucas tied the school record for free throw percentage (min. 15 att.) in a game with a 16-for-16 night at the charity stripe against St. Francis (Pa.) (11/8), equaling the mark set by Jess Strom (15-15; Minnesota, 1/30/05) and Brianne O’Rourke (15-15; Duke, 12/2/07). It is the most attempts in school history by someone with a perfect percentage from the free throw line. Lucas also became the first player in school history to have three games with a perfect free throw percentage with 10 or more attempts. Lucas was also named Junkanoo Jam MVP after averaging 21.0 points, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in two wins. As a junior, she added several honors to her trophy case during an outstanding junior campaign, including Big Ten Player of the Year, Wade Trophy Finalist, Wooden Award Finalist, USBWA All-America, Associated Press All-America second team, Full Court Press All-America second team, WBCA All-America honorable mention and Big Ten All-Tournament team.