UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State junior guard Makenna Marisa reached elite scoring company by recording her 1,000th career point, but the Lady Lions fell 107-79 loss to No. 23 Iowa on Tuesday evening at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State is now 9-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play, while Iowa improved to 13-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play.
Marisa paced the Lady Lions once again with 32 points, including a 12-of-14 mark from the free-throw line. Marisa earned her third 30-point game of the season.
She became the 40th Lady Lion to score 1,000 career points and the 21st to reach 1,000 before the end of her junior season. She has 1,001 career points in 72 career games.
Tova Sabel and Leilani Kapinus both scored in double-digits for the Lady Lions. Sabel had 12 points off the bench with three triples and added two steals. Kapinus poured in 10 with a team-high five rebounds, two steals and a block.
The Hawkeyes shot 58.9 percent as a team and tallied 37 assists on 43 made field goals. They were led by McKenna Warnock in the scoring column with 25 points on 10-of-12 from the floor. Caitlin Clark added 20 points, including four three-pointers, and had a Big Ten regular season game-record 17 assists. Monika Czinano registered 24 points and nine rebounds.
Iowa held the initial edge 25-17 after the first quarter thanks to four three-pointers that helped them create the eight-point edge. While the Lady Lions didn't make a basket from beyond the arc, Marisa started the game with nine points on 4-7 from the floor to keep the Nittany Lions close.
The Hawkeyes built a 10-4 lead to start the game, including threes by Warnock and Gabbie Marshall. Back-to-back jumpers by Marisa and a layup by Hagans helped Penn State to get back within two, 12-10, at the 4:16 mark. The Hawkeyes responded with a 13-3 run, concluding with threes by Marshall and Kylie Feuerbach. A jumper by Kayla Thomas and a layup by Marisa closed out the quarter with Penn State trailing 25-17.
Penn State outscored Iowa, 30-27, in the second quarter. The Lady Lions cut the deficit to three, 30-27, with 7:01 remaining in the half after threes by Marisa and Sabel. A three-point play by Czinano was answered by a Marisa three and Kapinus' own three-point play. Penn State trailed 34-33 at the 4:48 mark. Iowa responded with an 11-2 run, including five points by Clark and threes by Warnock and Marshall. Penn State scored 12 of the final 19 points of the quarter, highlighted by threes by Camden and Kelly Jekot. The Lady Lions trailed 52-47 at the break.
A 16-3 run to start the third quarter helped the Hawkeyes to pull away. Warnock had eight points during that stretch to give Iowa a 68-50 lead with 6:11 to go in the period. Jekot hit a three and Anna Camden and Marisa both had layups to close out the quarter. The Hawkeyes led 79-59 going into the fourth quarter.
Iowa had a 13-3 run to begin the fourth, highlighted by eight points by Czinano, to hold a 92-62 advantage at the 6:20 mark. Marisa scored eight of Penn State's final 17 points, including six free throws. On a layup with 1:31 remaining, Marisa eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark.
The Lady Lions host Michigan State on Thursday for an 8 p.m. matchup on B1G+ and No. 17 Maryland on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tipoff, also on B1G+.
