UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 2020-21 Penn State women's basketball season officially tips off Wednesday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center when the Lady Lions host Coppin State at 6 p.m.
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OPENING TIPS
- Penn State kicks off its 57th season of women's basketball Wednesday night when the Lady Lions welcome Coppin State to the Bryce Jordan Center.
- Penn State enters its second season under head coach Carolyn Kieger who will look to lead a slew of new faces along with talented returners. Kieger and her staff added three transfers and eight freshmen to Penn State's roster over the offseason.
- The Lady Lions will look to the sophomore trio of Anna Camden, Shay Hagans and Makenna Marisa to lead the way as the three returners who saw court time last year, in addition to transfers Kelly Jekot and Nia Staples who were with the team last season and will be eligible to play this year.
IF PENN STATE BEATS COPPIN STATE
- Penn State would improve to 44-13 all-time in season openers. The Lady Lions have won 13 of their last 14 season-opening contests.
- The Lady Lions would improve to 2-0 all-time vs. Coppin State.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
- Coppin State enters its first season under head coach Laura Harper.
- The Eagles will be looking to improve upon last season's 3-26 overall record and 3-13 mark in MEAC play.
- Junior Aliyah Lawson was named to the MEAC Preseason third team. Lawson averaged 10.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game a season ago, in addition to dishing a team-best 67 assists.
- The Eagles will also turn to graduate transfers Nailah Delinois and Roni Richardson for added leadership this season.
- Coppin State is a relatively young team, with the two graduate transfers being followed by four juniors, seven sophomores and one freshman.
- First-year Head Coach Laura Harper was a four-year standout at Maryland and was named the 2006 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading the Terrapins to a National Championship.
AGAINST COPPIN STATE
- Penn State and Coppin State will be meeting for the second time in program history.
- The two teams first met on Nov. 29, 2008 while playing in the Timeout for HIV/AIDS Tournament in Malibu, Calif.
- Penn State won that meeting, 76-61.
2020-21 LADY LIONS
- A new-look Penn State enters its second season under head coach Carolyn Kieger in 2020-21.
- Kieger added eight talented freshmen and three experienced transfers to the roster over the offseason.
- Sophomores Makenna Marisa, Anna Camden and Shay Hagans will look to lead Penn State's young group as the three returning players who have seen plenty of court time under Kieger.
- Grad transfers Kelly Jekot (Villanova) and Nia Staples (West Virginia) joined the team last season and will be eligible to play this year.
SOPHOMORES READY TO SHINE
- The three-member sophomore class of Makenna Marisa, Anna Camden and Shay Hagans are primed to be key on-court leaders for the 2020-21 season.
- Marisa is the team's returning leading scorer after averaging 9.2 points per game a season ago. The McMurray, Pa. native added 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while starting in 29 of 30 games in 2019-20. She tallied 14 double-digit efforts and led all Big Ten freshmen in minutes played with 32.5 mpg.
- Hagans ranked ninth amongst conference freshmen with 24.5 minutes per game. The lightening-fast guard saw action in all 30 games while making 13 starts a season ago. She finished with 5.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
- Camden also saw action in all 30 games, averaging 4.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. The Downingtown, Pa. native ended the season on a high note, going 4-for-5 from three-point range in the Big Ten Tournament against Minnesota.
HIGHLY-TOUTED TRANSFERS
- Penn State is now home to five players who began their collegiate basketball careers at other institutions.
- Kelly Jekot, a graduate transfer from Villanova, joined Kieger's squad in January 2020 and will be eligible to play this season. Jekot averaged 10.2 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 assists over her three years at the Big East's Villanova, including marks of 13.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest in her junior season in 2018-19.
- Nia Staples, a transfer from West Virginia, was also with Penn State last season and will be eligible to play this year.
- Kieger added three more transfers to the Penn State roster over this past offseason: Johnasia Cash (SMU), Niya Beverley (Wisconsin) and Britnay Gore (Cleveland State Community College).
- Cash, a McKeesport, Pa. native, is coming off a 2019-20 season at SMU in which she averaged 11.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. The forward will provide strong presence to Penn State's low post group.
- Beverley was a three-year starter at Wisconsin with career numbers of 6.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. She is expected to add experienced depth to Penn State's guard corp.
- Gore is also a strong low-post threat and was a two-time first team All-Conference pick at Cleveland State Community College. She averaged career numbers of 13.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
FRESH FACES
- Penn State's eight-member freshmen class is full of highly-touted new faces. The eight newbies come to Penn State from seven different states and Sweden.
- The initial November 2019 signing class was ranked inside the Top 20 by ESPN and comprised of Maddie Burke (Doylestown, Pa.), Kaci Donovan (Owego, N.Y.), Nan Garcia (Jeffersonville, Ind.) and Leilani Kapinus (Madison, Wis.).
- Kieger then added four more fresh faces over the offseason: Nyam Thornton (Columbus, Ohio), Tova Sabel (Stockholm, Sweden), Constance Thomas (Plant City, Fla.) and Mekkena Boyd (Williston, Vt.).
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
- Penn State has a successful history in season openers, holding an all-time record of 43-14.
- The Lady Lions have won 13 of their last 14 season-opening contests.
UP NEXT
- Penn State remains home Monday, Nov. 30 to host local foe St. Francis (Pa.) at 6 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center.