Lady Lions Set for First Road Test at St. John’sLady Lions Set for First Road Test at St. John’s
Alysa Rubin

Lady Lions Set for First Road Test at St. John’s

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Lady Lions set off on their first road trip of the 2023-24 campaign as they travel to Queens, N.Y. to take on St. John's on Thursday, Nov. 16. The battle in the Carnesecca Arena will be streamed on FloSports with a tip time of 7 p.m. 
 
In the second all-time meeting between Penn State and St. John's, the Lady Lions look to build on their strong opening record with a fourth win. The team has started the season 3-0 for the fourth consecutive season.
 
GAME INFORMATION
at St. John's

LAST TIME OUT

  • The Lady Lions earned their third straight victory to open the season 3-0 for the fourth consecutive year.
  • Penn State cruised to another 90-plus-point outing with a 91-85 victory over the reigning WNIT Champions Kansas.
  • The three score lines to open the season mark the most consecutive 90-plus-point team performances in a row since the opening three games of the 2010-11 season when the Lady Lions beat Dayton 112-107 in double overtime followed by a 95-21 win over Rider and a 96-89 overtime win against Oakland.
  • Makenna Marisa led the offense with her eighth 30-point outing of her career, matching her career high 34 points. Her eight 30-point performances ties her for second in program history.
  • Marisa logged a 61.1% shooting percentage from the field including four of those from beyond the arc. The graduate student also notched a team high seven assists.
  • Four Lady Lions cracked double figures: Marisa with 34, Jayla Oden with 14, Ali Brigham with 10 and Shay Ciezki with 10. Marisa and Ciezki hit double digits for third consecutive contest. 
  • Chanaya Pinto and Leilani Kapinus both notched a team high seven boards.
  • Penn State passed the ball well for the third game in a row with 21 assists. 
  • The team continued to thrive off of their depth, capturing 27 bench points. 
  • Five Lady Lions shot over 50% on the night to lead to a team percentage of .464.
  • Penn State out-rebounded its opponent for the third straight game, winning 40 boards to Kansas' 33. The team won both the offensive and defensive rebound battle.
  • The Lady Lions defense held six-foot-six center Taiyanna Jackson to no offensive rebounds and no blocks, a category she frequents multiple a game.
  • Penn State led for the majority of the contest (33:03 minutes). 

LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS 

  • Makenna Marisa sits sixth in the conference in scoring average (21.3) and second in total points scored (64) behind Caitlin Clark. Marisa also ranks 22nd nationally in total points.
  • Shay Ciezki ranks 12th in the Big Ten, averaging 15 points per game. Her total of 45 points through three games sits at a rank of eight in the B1G.
  • The Lady Lions rank first in the conference in points scored with 292 through three games. Iowa owns the next highest total at 276 in its three appearances. Penn State's 37.3 margin is good for third in the Big Ten behind Minnesota and Nebraska. The team also sits ninth nationally in scoring offense with 97.3 ppg and eighth in total points giving them the 12th best margin in the country.
  • Penn State's field goal percentage of 53.5% is second best in the conference and sixth best in the country along with its 44.0% from three-point range. The team's 33 three pointers made is at the top of the league and eighth in the national rankings.
  • The Lady Lions also lead the conference in assists with 68 total. Their average of 22.67 per game sits them at ninth in the country.

2023-24 ACCOLADES

  • Marisa was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List for the second consecutive season. She also earned a spot on the All-Big Ten preseason team.
  • Owusu repeats on the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award Watch List. 

SCOUTING THE REDSTORM

  • St. John's is off to a 1-1 start this season with a win over LIU in its home opener and a loss to Monmouth on the road. 
  • Unique Drake leads the team in scoring, totaling 51 points and averaging 25.5 in two games so far. 
  • Jillian Archer follows behind Drake with 26 total points. She leads the team on defense with 20 total rebounds for a 10.0 average. 
  • The Redstorm have turned the ball over 28 times throughout two appearances. 
  • St. John's had a short stint in the NCAA Tournament last year, making it to the second round after defeating no. 11 Purdue 66-64. The Redstorm lost to no. 6 North Carolina by another tight score of 61-59.

PENN STATE –ST. JOHN'S SERIES

  • This will be only the second all-time meeting between Penn State and St. John's. 
  • When the teams met in 2021, Penn State came away victorious with a final score of 80-75.
  • The one match-up was played at the Gulf Coach Showcase in Estero, Fla. on Nov. 26, 2021.