Area fans of Penn State's Nittany Lion and Lady Lion basketball teams will get a chance to meet the teams when the Penn State Alumni Association and Intercollegiate Athletics co-sponsor "Tip-Off Tuesday" on November 18.

The event will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the State College Ramada Inn, located on South Atherton Street. The event is free and refreshments will be served.

New Nittany Lion head coach Ed DeChellis and veteran Lady Lion mentor Rene Portland will be in attendance as will their coaching staffs. All the Nittany Lion and Lady Lion players will be at the event as well, giving fans the chance to mingle with and talk to everyone involved with both programs.

"Tip-Off Tuesday" takes place during the week leading up to the regular season openers for both teams. The Lady Lions, who are likely to be ranked in the pre-season top 10, will open the 2003-04 season against LSU on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions will open their season on Sunday, Nov. 23 vs. Georgetown. Game time for the Lion-Hoya match-up is set for 3 p.m. in the Jordan Center.

"We're urging Penn State alumni to turn out in force for this event and give a big boost to Ed and Rene's programs as the season gets underway," said Roger Williams, executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association. "We're working closely with Intercollegiate Athletics to make Penn State men's and women's basketball as popular as football, and the first step on that road is to encourage the support of the more than 30,000 Penn State alumni living in Centre County and surrounding counties."