Women’s Basketball Meets Rutgers To Open Big Ten TournamentWomen’s Basketball Meets Rutgers To Open Big Ten Tournament
Mark Selders

Women’s Basketball Meets Rutgers To Open Big Ten Tournament

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team opens Big Ten Tournament play against Rutgers on Wednesday. The No. 12 seed Lady Lions and No. 13 seed Scarlet Knights are set for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Big Ten Network.
 
The Lady Lions, led by head coach Carolyn Kieger, finished the regular season 11-17 overall and 5-13 in Big Ten action. On Sunday against Minnesota, Makenna Marisa tallied 28 points, including 20 in the second half, while Tova Sabel had 19 off the bench.
 
FOLLOW ALONG


BIG TEN TOURNAMENT

  • The winner of Wednesday's Penn State-Rutgers matchup will advance to take on No. 5 seed Indiana on Thursday in the second round. That game will begin at approximately 2 p.m.
  • Thursday's matchup will determine who faces No. 4 seed Maryland on Friday in the quarterfinals.
  • The semifinals will be played on Saturday and the championship game on Sunday.
  • Penn State has a 27-25 all-time record in the Big Ten Tournament, including two tournament titles.
  • The Lady Lions will meet Rutgers for the first time as a Big Ten Tournament foe.
  • The teams last met in a conference tournament in the Atlantic-10 Semifinals in 1990.

 
OPENING TIP

  • Penn State begins postseason play against Rutgers in the First Round of the Big Ten Tournament.
  • The Lady Lions enter the tournament as the No. 12 seed, while Rutgers is the No. 13 seed.
  • The winner of Wednesday's matchup will meet No. 5 seed Indiana on Thursday.
  • Penn State has a 27-25 all-time record in the Big Ten Tournament, but meets Rutgers for the first time as a Big Ten tournament foe.
  • The Lady Lions look to bounce back after dropping a 94-83 decision vs. Minnesota on Sunday.
  • Makenna Marisa tallied 28 points, including 20 in the second half.
  • Tova Sabel scored a career-best 19 points.
  • Marisa was named All-Big Ten First Team on Tuesday by the coaches and media.
  • Marisa ranks eighth in the country averaging 22.5 points per game.
  • Leilani Kapinus earned All-Freshman Team honors after leading conference rookies with 56 steals and holding second with 32 blocks. She is one of eight DI players with 30+ blocks and 55+ steals this season.
  • Kelly Jekot was Penn State's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
  • Jekot has played in 27 games and started 20 this season, averaging 18.8 minutes per game.

 
SCOUTING RUTGERS

  • Rutgers is led by C. Vivian Stringer, in her 27th season at the helm. Stringer is 539-291 in her time at Rutgers.
  • She has led Rutgers to 17 NCAA Tournaments and two Final Fours.
  • However, Stringer announced in early November that she would not coach this season due to COVID-19 concerns.
  • Associate head coach Timothy Eastman has served as the head coach on game days.
  • The Scarlet Knights are 10-19 this season and 3-14 in Big Ten play.
  • Last Sunday, Rutgers earned a 66-56 win over Illinois.
  • The Scarlet Knights are averaging 58.0 points per game, paced by Osh Brown's 10.6 ppg. Shug Dickson is contributing 8.6 ppg.
  • Brown ranks fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 9.0 per game. She's also fourth in the league with 10 double-doubles.
  • Tyia Singleton sits ninth in the conference, averaging 1.03 blocks per game.
  • Rutgers is allowing 60.1 points per contest, leading the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights hold opponents to a 39.1 field-goal percentage.

 
AGAINST THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

  • Penn State will meet Rutgers for the 53rd time in the series and first time in the Big Ten Tournament.
  • The Scarlet Knights lead the series, 32-20.
  • The teams split the season series this year with Penn State winning 52-48 in Happy Valley and Rutgers winning 71-62 in Piscataway.
  • In the last matchup, on February 13, Leilani Kapinus recorded a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

 
MARISA NAMED ALL-BIG TEN FIRST TEAM

  • Junior Makenna Marisa was tabbed All-Big Ten First Team on Tuesday.
  • She is the 34th All-Big Ten First Team selection and 66th All-Big Ten selection in program history.
  • Marisa was named to the Dawn Staley Award Watch List.
  • She was also tabbed as a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.
  • Marisa has scored at least 10 points in all 28 games this season and has 20+ points in 18 games, 13 25-point games and five 30-point games. Her five 30-point games are the most by a Penn State player since Kelly Mazzante in 2001-02 (12) and 2002-03 (9).
  • She had 30 vs. Delaware State (11/16), 29 at Clemson (11/21), 25 vs. St. John's (11/26), a career-high 33 at Duquesne (12/18), 29 at Maryland (1/6), 25 vs. Illinois (1/16), 26 at Wisconsin (1/23), 32 vs. Iowa (1/25), 27 at Nebraska (2/3), 25 vs. Northwestern (2/6), 31 at Purdue (2/9), 32 at Michigan State (2/21) and 28 vs. Minnesota (2/27).
  • Marisa has four 20-point halves this year, including 20 vs. Delaware State (1st), 24 at Maryland (2nd), 25 at Purdue (2nd) and 20 vs. Minnesota (20).
  • She has recorded a triple-double (30 points, 11 assists, 10 steals vs. Delaware State) and two double-doubles (25 points, 10 assists vs. Illinois).
  • Makenna Marisa ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (22.5 ppg), good for seventh in the country. In conference games, Marisa is averaging 23.0 points per game, with six games coming against ranked opponents, holding second in the Big Ten.
  • Marisa's also averaging 19.9 points per game against ranked opponents this season.
  • She sits second in the conference and fifth in the nation in total points (630). Marisa's 10th in the country in field goals made (219) and eighth in field goal attempts (504). She's 11th in the nation in free throws made (133). Marisa also holds seventh in the Big Ten in assists per game (4.2) and total assists (118).
  • Marisa is tied fifth among DI players with 18 20-point games this season, fourth with 13 25-point games and tied sixth with five 30-point games this year.
  • Marisa is one of two DI players with double-figures in all of their games this season (minimum 28 games).

 
MARISA CLIMBING POINTS LIST

  • On a fourth quarter layup against Iowa, junior guard Makenna Marisa reached the 1,000 career point mark.
  • She became the 40th Lady Lion to score 1,000 career points.
  • Marisa is the 21st Penn State player to reach 1,000 points before the end of their junior season.
  • Marisa is one of six Big Ten underclassmen with 1,000 career points.
  • She currently sits at 1,229 career points, 27th all-time at Penn State, in 82 career games.
  • Marisa also reached the 600-point mark for the season at Ohio State (2/24), becoming the sixth Lady Lion (10 occasions) to accomplish the feat.
  • With 630 points this season, Marisa ranks ninth at Penn State.

 
KAPINUS TABBED TO ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

  • Freshman Leilani Kapinus recorded her first career double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds at Rutgers (2/13). Kapinus was PSU's first freshman with a double-double since Lauren Ebo (12 points, 12 rebounds vs. Nebraska, 3/2/18). She also notched a double-double at Ohio State (2/24) with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
  • Kapinus has 56 steals, including a career-high five at Northwestern and Rutgers, leading Big Ten freshmen and sitting 13th among Division I freshmen.
  • The Wisconsin native has 32 blocks, which is good for second among Big Ten freshmen and 13th among all Division I freshmen.
  • Kapinus is second in total steals and total blocks in the Big Ten.
  • She is one of only eight Division I players with 30+ blocks and 55+ steals in 2021-22.
  • Against ranked opponents, Kapinus is averaging 10.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game to go with 10 blocks and 10 steals.
  • She had a career-high 23 points at Rutgers and 20 points vs. Youngstown State. She scored 17 vs. Michigan, 15 at Northwestern and 15 vs. Northwestern.

 
SWATS AND STEALS

  • Penn State holds second the Big Ten in steals per game (9.6) and blocks per game (4.4). The Lady Lions leads the conference in total steals (269).
  • Penn State has at least 10 steals in 13 different games this year, including a season-high 25 vs. Delaware State and 16 at Purdue, PSU's most since February 10, 2013 at Michigan State (17).
  • Leilani Kapinus leads PSU with 57 steals followed by Shay Hagans' 50 and Marisa's 44.
  • The Lady Lions also have eight games with at least six blocks, including a season-best 10 at Duquesne and 9 at Michigan State.
  • Kapinus paces PSU with 32 blocks followed by Ali Brigham's 30 and Anna Camden's 27.
  • Camden had a career-best seven blocks at Michigan State (2/21), the first Lady Lion with seven blocks in a game since Talia East vs. Purdue in 2014.
  • Penn State is one of six Division I teams with three players recording 27 or more blocks this year, joining Florida State, Gardner-Webb, Georgia Tech, Providence and South Carolina.
  • Kapinus ranks second in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.14), while Brigham sits third (1.11).

 
HAGANS FORCING TAKEAWAYS

  • Junior guard Shay Hagans has been a force on the defensive end this season.
  • She ranks sixth in the Big Ten in steals per game (1.79) and fifth in total steals (50).
  • Hagans has recorded at least one steal in 24 games and has multiple steals in 15 games.
  • The junior notched a career-high six steals against Youngstown State. She also recorded five steals against Delaware State and four in each game against Illinois and Wisconsin.

 
STEPPING UP AGAINST RANKED TEAMS

  • In seven games against ranked opponents this season, Makenna Marisa is averaging 19.9 points per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field.
  • Her 19.9 points per game are second among Big Ten players who have played at least seven games against ranked opponents.
  • She tallied 11 points against No. 13 Iowa State, 21 at No. 6 Indiana, 29 at No. 10 Maryland, 17 vs. No. 11 Michigan, 32 vs. No. 23 Iowa, 19 vs. No. 17 Maryland and 10 at No. 17 Ohio State. At Maryland, Marisa scored 24 of her 29 points in the second half, shooting 10-of-12 from the field.
  • Leilani Kapinus is averaging 10.9 points and 6.0 rebounds against ranked opponents, including 12 at Maryland, 17 vs. Michigan, 14 vs. Maryland and 10 at Ohio State. She also has 10 blocks and 10 steals.