UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team looks to carry its momentum from a Wednesday win over #15 Ohio State into its home finale Sunday when the Lady Lions host red-hot #25 Rutgers. Tipoff from the Bryce Jordan Center is set for 12:30 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TV: Big Ten Network – Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and Christy Winters Scott (analyst)
- 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
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State plays its final home game of the year when it hosts #25 Rutgers Sunday in the first of two games in three days against the Scarlet Knights.
- The Lady Lions are coming off a signature win over #15 Ohio State Wednesday night as Penn State secured its first victory over a Top 15 opponent since 2016.
- Niya Beverley has scored in double figures in each of the last five games and ranks third in the nation with a 3.85 assist-to-turnover ratio. Johnasia Cash has tallied nine double-doubles and is averaging 15.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg in Big Ten play.
- 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 RUTGERS
- Penn State would beat teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll in back-to-back games for the first time since 2012 when the Lady Lions beat #17 Purdue (74-63, Feb. 16) and #8 Ohio State (84-66, Feb. 20). That 2011-12 team won the first of PSU's three-straight Big Ten Championships.
- The Lady Lions would snap their four-game losing streak to the Scarlet Knights.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
- Red-hot Rutgers rides a six-game win streak into Happy Valley Sunday afternoon.
- The #25 Scarlet Knights own an 11-3 overall record and 7-3 mark in Big Ten action.
- Rutgers' program was on pause for more than a month due to Covid-19 and the Scarlet Knights haven't lost a game since returning from their pause on Feb. 7.
- The Scarlet Knights earned a 63-53 win at Michigan State in their most recent game Wednesday.
- Rutgers own's the Big Ten's best defense as the Scarlet Knights allow just 55.8 points per game and snatch up 13.29 steals per contest.
- Arella Guirantes leads the team with 21.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Rookie Diamond Johnson is a close second with 18.9 points per contest, while two other Scarlet Knights are also averaging double-digit points in the balanced attack.
AGAINST RUTGERS
- Rutgers leads the all-time series that dates back to 1977, 29-19. Penn State is 1-9 against the Scarlet Knights since Rutgers joined the Big Ten, with that lone win being a 70-67 home victory over the #25/21 Scarlet Knights on Jan. 18, 2018.
- Rutgers has won the last four matchups, including sweeping last year's season series. The Scarlet Knights squeaked out a 62-57 victory in Happy Valley on Jan. 16, 2020 before claiming a 72-39 win in New Jersey on Feb. 6, 2020.
SIGNATURE WIN
- Penn State is fresh off a 69-67 upset of #15 Ohio State Wednesday night.
- A full-team effort led the Lady Lions to the gutsy two-point victory, a signature win under second-year head coach Carolyn Kieger that was Penn State's first victory against a team ranked in the top 15 of the AP poll since 2016.
- Sophomore Makenna Marisa hit what proved to be the game-winning layup with 1:01 to play before the Penn State defense came up with key defensive stops in the final minute to secure the Lady Lions' first victory over the Buckeyes in the last 12 meetings.
- Penn State held the nation's 10th-best scoring offense 15.3 points below its season average and kept the Buckeyes without a field goal for the final 4:24.
- Niya Beverley finished with a career-best 21 points behind a blistering 82% (9-for-11) effort from the field, including a key three-pointer in the final three minutes. Marisa narrowly missed a triple-double with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Johnasia Cash finished with 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half, and five rebounds.
TOUGH TESTS TO CLOSE
- Wednesday's win over #15 Ohio State marked the first of Penn State's four games against ranked opponents to close out the season.
- The Lady Lions will be looking to defeat Top 25 foes in back-to-back games for the first time since February 2012 when Penn State took down #17 Purdue on the road, 74-63, on Feb. 16 before defeating #8 Ohio State in the next game, 84-66, on Feb. 20. Penn State was ranked #12 and #11, respectively, at that time. That 2011-12 PSU team went on to win the first of the Lady Lions three-straight Big Ten Championships from 2012-14.
- Penn State will face #25 Rutgers twice in a three-day stretch on Sunday and Tuesday before closing out the regular season Saturday at #8 Maryland.
BEVERLEY BLOSSOMING
- Senior transfer Niya Beverley (previously Wisconsin) currently leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally with a 3.85 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Beverley has scored in double figures in Penn State's last five games, including a career best 21 points on 82 percent (9-11) shooting in Wednesday's upset of #15 Ohio State.
- Beverley has averaged 15.0 ppg over the last five games while shooting 51.8 percent from the field.
- Beverley was granted immediate eligibility for the start of Big Ten play due to the NCAA's blanket transfer waiver.
MARISA COMING INTO HER OWN
- Makenna Marisa has turned her game up a notch in her sophomore season. She is currently averaging 14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 5.1 apg compared to her freshman year numbers of 9.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.7 apg.
- Marisa has gone for 20-plus points on six occasions this season and has tallied 13 double-digit games.
- Marisa is coming off two-straight stellar performances. She scored what proved to be the game-winning layup in Wednesday's win over #15 Ohio State and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. She put together a a 21-point, 7-rebound, 6-assist effort at Nebraska Sunday.
CASH IS MONEY
- Senior transfer Johnasia Cash (previously SMU) has recorded nine double-doubles this season and is averaging 15.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg in Big Ten play. Her season-long averages are 14.8 ppg and 9.1 rpg.
- 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 47.1 percent (121-for-257) from the field this season and was a 36.0 percent (266-for-738) shooter in her three seasons at SMU.
FRESHMAN ON FIRE
- Freshman Maddie Burke ranks fourth amongst all Division I freshmen with 50 three-pointers this season.
- Burke has hit six three-pointers in two of Penn State's last three games, making her the first Penn State player to record back-to-back games with six or more three-pointers since former All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year Maggie Lucas '14.
- Her 50 treys already put her in fourth place on Penn State's freshman season three-point FGs made records list with at least four games remaining in the season (three regular season and one guaranteed Big Ten Tournament game), and an already shortened season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Burke has drilled three or more treys in seven of Penn State's last nine games. The Doylestown, Pa. native has nailed five or more triples four times this season, including a career-best seven against Maryland on Dec. 31.
UP NEXT
- Penn State will square off against #25 Rutgers for the second time in three days Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in New Jersey. The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 21, but postponed due to Rutgers' program pause. The game will air nationally on the Big Ten Network.