ALTOONA, Pa. - The Penn State Altoona women’s basketball team will participate in its first-ever Pink Zone, a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.  The event is scheduled for Saturday, February 14, when the Lions host Medaille College at 1:00 PM.

Penn State Altoona will wear pink uniforms during the game that will be auctioned off afterward.  A pink basketball will be used and individual pink ribbons can be purchased for $1 leading up to the game.  All monies raised, including game proceeds, go to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.  Yow, the head women’s basketball coach at North Carolina State, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and is still battling the disease.

“Participating in the Pink Zone initiative is such a worthwhile endeavor that at times it almost seems like the game becomes secondary,” said Lion head coach Donna Kling.  “Breast cancer is a debilitating disease in many ways, and anything that Penn State Altoona and the women’s basketball team can do to help find a cure is more important than any game.  Hopefully, through our participation, we can alleviate some of the hardships associated with breast cancer.”

The WBCA began the WBCA Pink Zone™, formerly known as "Think Pink", in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year a success. In 2008, over 1,200 teams and organizations participated, reaching over 830,000 fans and raising over $930,000 for breast cancer awareness and research.

The Lion men’s basketball team joined the fight against cancer on November 15, 2008, for its first-ever Coaches vs. Cancer game against Juniata College.  The men’s basketball program lost three-year assistant coach and Altoona native Jim Ellis to cancer in July 2008.  More than $2,400 was raised for the American Cancer Society leading up to and during the event.

To donate or purchase a ribbon, please call Penn State Altoona Assistant Athletics Director Brent Baird at 949-5556.