UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team opens up a two-game trip to the Midwest Thursday evening when the Lady Lions travel to take on Illinois at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW ALONG
- Video ($): Big Ten Network-Plus
- Listen: Penn State Sports Network with Justin Antweil and Joe Putnam – 93.3 FM, 1390 AM and online
- Live Stats: Live Stats
- Game Notes: Penn State Notes
- Digital Program: Digital Program
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State opens a two-game road trip to the Midwest Thursday night when the Lady Lions face Illinois.
- Penn State will be looking for its second Big Ten win of the season. The Lady Lions earned a 69-60 win at Minnesota in their last road game on Jan. 10.
- Johnasia Cash (22 points, 15 rebounds) and Makenna Marisa (25 points) are coming off big games against Minnesota Monday night.
- A young Penn State squad has faced ranked opponents in five of its last eight contests. The Lady Lions are the youngest team in the Big Ten with an average age of 19.56 and eight true freshmen on the roster.
IF PENN STATE BEATS ILLINOIS
- The Lady Lions would earn their second-straight road win and second Big Ten victory of the season.
- Penn State would emerge victorious in nine of its last 10 games against the Illini.
- The Lady Lions would move to 5-7 on the season.
SCOUTING THE ILLINI
- The Illini will be searching for their first Big Ten win of the season when the Lady Lions come to town Thursday night.
- Illinois is 2-8 overall and 0-7 in conference play.
- The Illini are coming off a tight 57-53 loss to Nebraska in their most recent game Monday night.
- Illinois' two wins this season came in non-conference action against Indiana St. (68-49) and Omaha (53-50).
- The Illini are last in the Big Ten with 58.8 points per game.
- Kennedi Myles leads the team with 11.0 points per game and is also averaging 7.9 boards per contest.
- Jeanae Terry averages 10.2 points per game, and team-best marks of 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest.
AGAINST ILLINOIS
- Penn State holds a 38-16 lead in the all-time series against the Illini and the Lady Lions have won eight of the last night meetings.
- Penn State is 13-10 all-time when playing in Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
- The Illini won last season's meeting, 70-66, on Feb. 9, 2020 to snap an eight-game losing streak to Penn State.
- The game went down to the final seconds as Illinois hit two free throws in the last second to seal at 70-66 win.
- Shay Hagans scored a then-career-best 14 points.
CASH IS MONEY
- Senior transfer Johnasia Cash (previously SMU) has been on a tear as of late, recording double-doubles in three of Penn State's last four games.
- She's coming off one of her best performances of the season against Minnesota Monday night in which she went off for a season-best 22 points while adding 15 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
- The McKeesport, Pa. native is averaging 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game on the season, while shooting 47.9 percent from the field.
- Cash has scored in double figures in nine of Penn State's 11 games, while adding four double-digit rebounding efforts.
- Cash's efficiency has improved greatly in her first year under Head Coach Carolyn Kieger. She's shooting 47.9 percent (58-for-121) from the field and was a 36.0 percent (266-for-738) shooter in her three seasons at SMU.
MARISA COMING INTO HER OWN
- Makenna Marisa has turned her game up a notch in her sophomore season.
- Marisa is currently averaging 14.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 4.5 apg compared to her freshman year numbers of 9.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.7 apg. Marisa is coming off a big 25-point game against Minnesota Monday night.
- Marisa narrowly missed a triple-double in the non-conference finale at #22 Syracuse, tallying nine points and career-best marks of 11 rebounds and nine assists. She nearly had her first double-double at #16 Ohio State with 21 points and nine rebounds.
SHARP-SHOOTING SABEL
- Freshman guard Tova Sabel leads the team with a 50.8 (31-for-61) field goal shooting percentage and 51.9 (14-for-27) clip from three-point range.
- The Stockholm, Sweden native has tallied four double-digit games this season, including a career-best 15 points against #19 Indiana and at #22 Syracuse.
ADJUSTING WITHOUT JEKOT
- Graduate transfer Kelly Jekot suffered a season-ending injury in practice prior to the Lady Lions' Jan. 17 game against Northwestern. Jekot was the team's leader in scoring (15.9 ppg) and minutes played (34.6 mpg), and the team's second-leading rebounder (6.8 rpg).
- Jekot was relied upon as a key veteran leader for a young Penn State squad. Head Coach Carolyn Kieger will rely on a committee-based approach to replace Jekot's on-court production.
YOUNGEST TEAM IN THE BIG TEN
- Penn State's 2020-21 roster features eight freshmen and four transfers who are seeing their first court time in in the Blue and White this season. The eight freshmen, all true freshmen, are tied for the national lead in number of freshmen on Division I rosters. Oral Roberts and Incarnate Word also have eight freshmen on their rosters.
- Penn State is ranked as the ninth-youngest team in Division I, and the youngest in the Big Ten, with an average age of 19.56.
- Penn State has 11 players that have two or less years of Division I playing experience, which equates to 73.3 percent of its roster.
UP NEXT
- Penn State will stay on the road and travel to Purdue for a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Boilermakers. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Sunday from Mackey Arena.