UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team hits the road Monday night to square off against #16/15 Ohio State in the Lady Lions' first road battle of Big Ten play. Tipoff from Columbus, Ohio is slated for 6 PM and the game will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TV: Big Ten Network – Lisa Byington (pxp) and Megan McKeown (analyst)
- Listen: Penn State Sports Network with Justin Antweil and Joe Putnam – 93.3 FM, 1390 AM and online
- Live Stats: Live Stats
- Game Notes: Penn State Notes | Ohio State Notes
- Digital Program: Digital Program
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State travels to Columbus, Ohio for the Lady Lions' first conference road test of the season Monday night when PSU faces #16/15 Ohio State.
- Penn State is 3-3 on the season and coming off a tough 96-82 loss to #14 Maryland Thursday. The Lady Lions are in the midst of a stretch of three-straight games against top-20 opponents.
- Penn State's balanced offense has shined this season as the Lady Lions are averaging 80.3 points per game. Graduate transfer Kelly Jekot leads the team with 16.0 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Makenna Marisa (13.2 ppg) and Johnasia Cash (120 ppg) are also averaging double-digit points.
IF PENN STATE BEATS OHIO STATE
- Penn State would beat a team ranked in the top 20 of the AP poll for the first time since Nov. 20, 2016 when unranked PSU defeated #13 Tennessee 70-56 inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The Lady Lions would snap their 10-game losing streak to the Buckeyes and earn their first victory over Ohio State since Feb. 9, 2014 when Penn State beat the Buckeyes 74-54 in Columbus.
- Penn State would earn its first road win and first conference victory of the season.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
- The No. 16/15 Buckeyes return to action for the first time since Dec. 10 when Penn State travels to Columbus Monday night.
- The Buckeyes paused team activities for the last few weeks due to COVID-19 and will be playing in their first Big Ten game of the season.
- OSU is 4-0 on the season after picking up wins over Duquesne (82-47), Kent State (103-47), Northern Kentucky (96-63) and Miami (Ohio) (104-65).
- Dorka Juhasz leads the team with 17.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
- A total of five Buckeyes are averaging double-digit points, led by Juhasz. Jacy Sheldon (17.3 ppg), Madison Greene (11.8 ppg), Braxtin Miller (11.7 ppg) and Aaliyah Patty (10.8 ppg) follow.
AGAINST THE BUCKEYES
- Penn State leads the all-time series 36-31, but the Buckeyes have won the last 10 matchups.
- Penn State will be looking for its first win over Ohio State since 2014.
- The two teams met just one time last season, with OSU claiming an 80-70 victory in Columbus.
- Kamaria McDaniel and Siyeh Frazier tallied 22 points each to lead Penn State in last season's meeting, while Makenna Marisa and Shay Hagans both added nine points.
HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE
- Head Coach Carolyn Kieger's high-octane offense has been on full display through the first six games of the season as the Lady Lions are averaging 80.3 points per game, a mark that ranks in 41st in Division I as of Jan. 1.
- Penn State scored 87 points in its Big Ten opener against Purdue on Dec. 20. It marked the most points the Lady Lions have scored in a Big Ten game since Jan. 17, 2016 when PSU put up 87 against Michigan.
- Penn State has scored 70-plus points in all six games this season, including four games of at least 80 points. Last season, the Lady Lions scored 70-plus points 10 times in 30 games and eclipsed 80 points just four times.
STEADY IMPROVEMENT
- Penn State has seen significant improvement in a number of statistical categories from the 2019-20 season to thus far this season.
| Category | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | Difference |
| Points per game | 66.6 | 80.3 | +13.7 |
| 3-pt. FG pct. defense | 34.5% | 25.2% | +9.3% |
| Field goal percentage | 39.2% | 45.2% | +6.0% |
| Assists per game | 10.7 | 14.5 | +3.8 |
INTO THE FIRE
- The strength of the Big Ten is on full display as Penn State is in the midst of facing top-20 opponents in three-straight games and four of five contests.
- The Lady Lions took on #14 Maryland Thursday, and are now traveling to #16 Ohio State Monday before returning home to host #19 Indiana on Jan. 7. Penn State will then face #22 Northwestern at home on Jan. 17 after a road trip to Minnesota.
- The Big Ten currently has six teams in the AP Top 25, the most of any conference. Two other Big Ten teams are receiving votes in the poll.
SHOOTERS!
- Freshmen Maddie Burke and Tova Sabel have provided a key three-point threat for Kieger's squad through the first six games. The two have combined for 21 of Penn State's 44 three-pointers thus far this season, equating to 47.7 percent of PSU's production from outside the arc. The duo is shooting a combined 46.7 percent (21-for-45) from three-point range, while the rest of the team is shooting a combined 28.0 percent (23-for-82) from deep.
- Burke is coming off a breakout game against #14 Maryland Thursday in which she drained seven three-pointers en route to a career-best 24 points. She finished 7-for-14 from deep and was the first Penn State player to hit seven triples in a game since Jaida Travascio-Green made seven against Drexel on Nov. 12, 2017. Burke's seven threes are the second-most in a game by a Big Ten player this season.
- Sabel's best three-point shooting performance came at #22 Syracuse on Dec. 6 when she went off for 15 points behind a 5-for-7 showing from downtown.
TRANSFERS MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT
- Graduate transfer Kelly Jekot (previously Villanova) and senior Johnasia Cash (previously SMU) have made an immediate impact for Penn State.
- Jekot leads the team with 16.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and has recorded double-doubles in three of Penn State's six games thus far this season. Jekot tallied just one double-double in her three years at Villanova and has flourished under Kieger's system.
- Jekot scored the 1,000th point of her career with her 11th point of the game against Coppin State. Jekot scored 990 points during her three years at Villanova from 2016-2019. She transferred to Penn State in January 2020 and sat out the entirety of the 2019-2020 season with an injury.
- Cash currently ranks third on the team with 12.0 points and second with 6.0 rebounds per contest. The SMU transfer came to Penn State over the offseason and was granted immediate eligibility for 2020-21. Cash, a McKeesport, Pa. native, provides key post presence for Kieger's squad and recorded her first double-double in a Penn State uniform (13 points, 10 rebounds) at #22 Syracuse on Dec. 6.
UP NEXT
- Penn State returns home for another game against a nationally-ranked squad when the Lady Lions host the #19/18 Indiana Hoosiers Thursday night at 6 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center.