Lady Lions’ Kelly Mazzante Selected to Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Penn State women’s basketball all-time great Kelly Mazzante (2000-04) is one of 11 new inductees to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the organization announced Tuesday. Mazzante will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 30, at a banquet in Reading.
Her No. 13 jersey retired by the Lady Lions, Mazzante is the Big Ten’s No. 3 all-time leading scorer (male or female) with 2,919 points. A three-time Kodak/WBCA and USBWA First-Team All-American, she was the fourth player in Big Ten history to repeat as Player of the Year, earning the award as both a junior and senior.
The shooting guard still holds school records for points in a season (872 in 2001-02), points in a game (49 vs. Minnesota in 2001), career field goals made (1,051) and career 3-point field goals made (357). She led the nation in scoring in 2002 (24.9 points per game) as a sophomore and was the national freshman player of the year the season before.
During her senior campaign, Mazzante led the team to their second consecutive Big Ten Championship and a number one seed in the NCAA tournament with an eventual trip to the Elite Eight. Overall, the Lady Lions won two conference championships along with two other Sweet 16 appearances during Mazzante’s time at University Park.
Mazzante excelled off the court as a three-time Academic All-American. She was selected the 2004 Big Ten Female Student-Athlete of the Year and earned the NCAA Top VIII Award after her senior campaign.
A second round pick (18th overall) by the Charlotte Sting in 2004, Mazzante won WNBA Championships with the Phoenix Mercury (2007 and 2009). She also played for the Atlanta Dream and several top teams in the EuroLeague before retiring in 2014.
A graduate at Mazzante was the finished her high school career at Montoursville as the then third leading scorer in Pennsylvania girls’ basketball history with 3,215 points.
Promoted Wednesday to associate head coach, Mazzante has been with the Bucknell women’s basketball program for the last three seasons with a 57-17 overall record, including 36-8 in Patriot League play. Starting her coaching career at IUP, Mazzante helped the Crimson Hawks to five-straight 20-win seasons and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Final Four (2018 and 2019).
