Lady Lions Host Youngstown State On SundayLady Lions Host Youngstown State On Sunday
Mark Selders

Lady Lions Host Youngstown State On Sunday


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team resumes non-conference play as it hosts Youngstown State on Sunday afternoon in the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. with a broadcast on B1G+.

The Lady Lions, led by head coach Carolyn Kieger, are 5-5 this season and coming off a 52-48 win over Rutgers for their first Big Ten victory of the season.

FOLLOW ALONG

PARKING
All Penn State Athletics non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Complimentary parking will no longer be issued for season ticket holders.
 
Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
 
Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Season packages will be available for general parking for most sports, and information on VIP parking options available for select events will be released later.
 
Please visit the 2021-22 Women's Basketball Parking page for additional information.
 
Non-football event parking is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information on parking for this event, please email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436. 

OPENING TIP

  • Penn State continues non-conference play on Sunday as it hosts Youngstown State.
  • The Lady Lions are 3-0 all-time against the Penguins.
  • Penn State is 4-0 at home this season.
  • The Lady Lions earned their first Big Ten win of the season on Thursday with a 52-48 victory over Rutgers.
  • Penn State scored 29 points off the bench, including 13 by Ali Brigham and 10 by Tova Sabel.
  • Makenna Marisa tallied a team-high 16 points and has scored at least 11 points in all 10 games this season.
  • The Lady Lions held a Big Ten opponent under 50 points for the first time since January 12, 2019 vs. Illinois (48).
  • Marisa ranks 12th in the country averaging 20.8 points per game and fifth in the Big Ten              averaging 5.0 assists per game.
  • Marisa is one of four Division I players avaerging 20+ points and 5+ assists this season.
  • The Lady Lions are 15th in the nation with 163 assists and have four games with 20+ assists.
  • Penn State ranks second in the Big Ten with 10.3 steals per contest.

 
SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE

  • Youngstown State is led by John Barnes in his ninth season.
  • Barnes has a 135-112 record, leading the Penguins to two WNIT appearances and two WBI appearances.
  • The Penguins are 8-0 this season, including a 4-0 mark in the Horizon League.
  • Youngstown State is averaging 66.8 points per game.
  • The Penguins ranks 26th in the country in three-pointers made per game (8.9) and 31st in three-point percentage (36.8).
  • Youngstown State has four players averaging double-figures including Lilly Ritz (18.4), Chelsea Olson (12.8), Malia Magestro (10.2) and Paige Shy (10.0).

 
AGAINST THE PENGUINS

  • Penn State will meet Youngstown State for the fourth time in the series.
  • The Lady Lions lead the series, 3-0.
  • In the last matchup, on December 8, 2015, Penn State won 68-51.
  • Kaliyah Mitchell led four in double-figures with a double-double, posting 16 points and 12 rebounds.

 
MARISA'S STRONG JUNIOR CAMPAIGN

  • Junior Makenna Marisa scored at least 11 points in all 10 games this season and has 20+ points in six games.
  • She had 20 points vs. Rider (11/11), 30 vs. Delaware State (11/16), 29 at Clemson (11/21), 25 vs. St. John's (11/26), 23 vs. Kent State (11/28) and 21 at Indiana (12/6).
  • Makenna Marisa ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (20.8 ppg), good for 12th in the country. Her 21.3 points per game rank third among Power Five guards and fifth among Power Five players.
  • She also sits second in the conference and sixth in the nation in total points (208). Marisa's fourth in the country in field goals made (80).
  • Marisa also holds fifth in the Big Ten in assists per game (5.0), ranking 42nd in the nation, and holds third in total assists (50), good for 17th in the country. She's also eighth in the conference averaging 2.20 three-pointers per game.
  • She's one of four DI players averaging 20+ points and 5+ assists this season.
  • Marisa was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on November 22. It was Marisa's first career Big Ten weekly honor.
  • She recorded a triple-double in Penn State's 120-51 win over Delaware State on November 16, notching 30 points, on 12-of-16 shooting, 11 assists and 10 steals against the Hornets. Her points, assists and steals totals were all career highs.
  • Marisa's triple-double was Penn State's first since Suzie McConnell on January 3, 1988 (22 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists in a 74-63 win vs. Western Kentucky).
  • Marisa's triple-double is the 25th Points-Assists-Steals triple-double and 20th 30-point triple-double in NCAA Division I history.
  • It's also the third 30-point triple-double and second Points-Assists-Steals triple-double in Big Ten history.
  • Marisa had Penn State's 79th 30-point game and became the first Lady Lion with double-digit assists in a game since Dara Taylor (10 vs. Minnesota, 2014).

 
LADY LIONS RANK AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS

  • Penn State ranks 48th in the nation and fourth in the conference averaging 16.3 assists per game and 15th in the country in total assists (163). The Lady Lions have at least 20 assists in four games this season.
  • Penn State is fifth in the Big Ten in three-point field goals made (71).
  • PSU sits second in the Big Ten in steals per game (10.4) and total steals (103).

 
BRIGHAM DOMINATING THE PAINT

  • Sophomore forward Ali Brigham made a big impact in her first game as a Lady Lion, vs. LIU, after transferring from George Washington, scoring 20 points and tallying nine rebounds and three blocks. She followed that with a 23-point performance against Rider, shooting 11-of-13 from the floor.
  • Brigham became the first Lady Lion to score 20+ points in the first two games of a season since Brianna Banks in 2015.
  • She collected her first career double-double against St. John's with 19 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, and 10 rebounds.
  • She had 10 points against No. 13 Iowa State and a team-high 18 points at Boston College.
  • Brigham tallied 13 points off the bench against Rutgers.
  • Through 10 games, Brigham ranks sixth in field-goal percentage (56.4), eighth in field goals made (57) and 13th in blocks per game (1.0) in the Big Ten.

 
KAPINUS DOING IT ALL

  • Freshman Leilani Kapinus is consistently filling up the box score this season.
  • She has 16 steals, with three in each contest against Rider, Kent State and Boston College, sitting third among Power Five freshmen.
  • She's averaging 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest and led the team in rebounds in three games.
  • She scored 10 points in the fourth quarter in Penn State's 80-75 win over St. John's.
  • The freshman has 15 assists on the year, including three in each game vs. Rider, Boston College and Indiana.
  • The Wisconsin native has eight blocks with at least one in seven different games and two blocks at Boston College.

 
MULTIPLE CONTRIBUTORS

  • Penn State has five players averaging at least 5.9 points this season, led by Marisa's 20.8 average.
  • Ali Brigham is averaging 12.5 points per contest and reached the 20-point mark vs. LIU (20) and Rider (23), while Niya Beverley is scoring 7.9 points per game, including a 20-point effort vs. Rider.
  • Anna Camden and Shay Hagans are averaging 5.9 points per contest.
  • Penn State has also balanced out its minutes with 10 players averaging at least 10.7 minutes per game.

 
STRENGTH OF THE BIG TEN

  • The December 6th AP Poll features five Big Ten teams: No. 8 Maryland, No. 10 Indiana, No. 12 Iowa, No. 13 Michigan and No. 20 Ohio State. Purdue is among teams receiving votes.
  • Penn State opened Big Ten play at Indiana on December 6.
  • The Lady Lions played 10 ranked opponents in 2020-21, the most among Big Ten schools, and earned a 69-67 win over No. 15 Ohio State on February 24, 2021.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State continues non-conference play on Saturday, December 18 when it travels to Duquesne. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. with a broadcast on ESPN+.