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Mark Selders

Penn State Looks For Season Sweep of Nebraska Sunday Afternoon


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team wraps up a two-game road trip Sunday afternoon when the Lady Lions take on Nebraska. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT from Pinnacle Bank Arena.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • Penn State looks to get back on track when the Lady Lions close out a two-game road trip at Nebraska Sunday afternoon.
  • Penn State drilled a program record-tying 14 three-pointers in its most recent game Thursday afternoon at Iowa.
  • Johnasia Cash has recorded a double-double in seven of Penn State's last 11 games and is averaging 15.1 ppg and 9.6 rpg in Big Ten play. Niya Beverley leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country with a 3.82 assist-to-turnover ratio.
  • 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 NEBRASKA

  • Penn State would complete the season sweep of the Huskers after earning an 85-74 win in the season's first meeting on Feb. 4 in Happy Valley.
  • It would be Penn State's first season sweep of the Huskers since 2013 and the Lady Lions' first win in Lincoln, Neb. since March 3, 2013 (82-67).

 
SCOUTING THE HUSKERS

  • Nebraska currently sits in eighth place in the Big Ten standings with an 8-8 mark in Big Ten play that is part of a 10-9 overall record.
  • The Huskers snapped a four-game losing streak in their most recent game as Nebraska took down #24 Northwestern 71-64 on the road Wednesday.
  • Nebraska owns four wins over Top 25 teams thus far this season.
  • Sam Haiby leads the team with 16.8 points per game. Isabelle Bourne chips in 13.9 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per contest. Kate Cain added 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

 
AGAINST THE HUSKERS

  • Penn State is looking to complete its first season sweep of Nebraska since 2013.
  • The Lady Lions won the season's first meeting, 85-74, inside the Bryce Jordan Center on Feb. 4. Penn State out-scored the Huskers 26-16 in the fourth quarter, fueled by a 17-3 run in the game's final 3:17, to earn the victory.
  • Johnasia Cash became the first Penn State player to record four-straight double-doubles since 1997 with her 27-point, 19-rebound performance in the season's first meeting. Makenna Marisa tallied 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Maddie Burke had 13 points and a career-best eight rebounds, while Shay Hagans chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.

 
DEADLY FROM DEEP

  • Penn State's shooters have come alive as the Lady Lions have made an average of 9.3 three-pointers per game over the last six games. Penn State is shooting 37.3 percent (56-for-150) from deep during that time frame.
  • The Lady Lions tied a program record with 14 made three-pointers in Thursday's game at Iowa. Ten of those came in the first half. Freshman Maddie Burke led the team's three-point barrage with six treys.
  • Burke has drilled 20 three-pointers in the last six games combined, shooting 44.4 percent from deep in that stretch. Sophomore Shay Hagans is shooting 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from three-point range in the last six games, while senior Niya Beverley is shooting 44.8 percent (13-for-29).

 
NOT JUST A TIKTOK STAR

  • Sophomore Anna Camden, who has more than 161,000 followers on the popular social media app TikTok, has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games.
  • She had just five double-digit games in the first 41 games of her career before her six double-figure efforts in the last three weeks.
  • Camden set a new career high for the second straight game with 18 points in Penn State's most recent game at Iowa Thursday. She added a Big Ten career-best seven rebounds against the Hawkeyes.

 
SHOOTER!

  • Freshman Maddie Burke has made 43 three-pointers thus far in her rookie season, already putting her in fifth place on Penn State's freshman season three-point FGs made records list with at least five games remaining in the season (four regular season and one guaranteed Big Ten Tournament game).
  • The quick-trigger shooter is averaging 8.7 ppg while shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range and she leads the team with 43 made three-pointers, more than 20 more treys than any other player on Penn State's roster.
  • Burke has drilled three or more treys in six of Penn State's last seven games.
  • The Doylestown, Pa. native has nailed five or more triples three times this season, including a career-best seven against Maryland in the Big Ten opener and six in Penn State's most recent game at Iowa Thursday.

 
CASH IS MONEY

  • Senior transfer Johnasia Cash (previously SMU) has been on a tear as of late, recording double-doubles in seven of Penn State's last 11 games.
  • Cash is averaging 15.1 ppg and 9.6 rpg in Big Ten play. Her season-long averages are 14.6 ppg and 9.1 rpg with eight total double-doubles.
  • She earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Feb. 8 after shooting 63.0 percent (17-for-27) from the field while averaging 22.5 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per contest to lead Penn State to wins over Nebraska and Wisconsin.
  • The McKeesport, Pa. native became the first Penn State player to record double-doubles in four-consecutive games since 1997 when she notched her fourth-straight against Nebraska on Feb. 4. Angie Potthoff was the last PSU player to accomplish the feat 24 years ago.
  • Cash's efficiency has improved greatly in her first year under Head Coach Carolyn Kieger. She's shooting 47.3 percent (107-for-226) from the field this season and was a 36.0 percent (266-for-738) shooter in her three seasons at SMU.

 
BEVERLEY BLOSSOMING

  • Senior transfer Niya Beverley (previously Wisconsin) currently leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally with a 3.82 assist-to-turnover ratio.
  • Over the last seven games, Beverley has dished 31 assists compared to just six turnovers in 287 minutes of action.
  • She has also turned her scoring up a notch, averaging 14.3 ppg in the last three contests combined. Beverley is shooting 43.9 percent (18-for-41) from three-point range in Big Ten play.
  • Beverley was granted immediate eligibility for the start of Big Ten play due to the NCAA's blanket transfer waiver.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State heads into the home stretch of the regular season as the Lady Lions return to Happy Valley for their final two home games of the season next week.
  • Penn State hosts #15 Ohio State Wednesday as senior Nia Staples will be honored on Senior Day.
  • The Lady Lions then host Rutgers Sunday in the home finale.