Women's Basketball Welcomes Rider on ThursdayWomen's Basketball Welcomes Rider on Thursday
Mark Selders

Niya Beverley

Women's Basketball Welcomes Rider on Thursday


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team hosts Rider in a non-conference matchup on Thursday night. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
PARKING
All Penn State Athletics non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Complimentary parking will no longer be issued for season ticket holders.
 
Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
 
Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Season packages will be available for general parking for most sports, and information on VIP parking options available for select events will be released later.
 
Please visit the 2021-22 Women's Basketball Parking page for additional information.
 
Non-football event parking is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information on parking for this event, please email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436. 
 
FOOD SHORTAGE AWARENESS NIGHT
The Lady Lions are recognizing food shortage awareness on Thursday night. Fans are encouraged to bring canned, boxed or bagged goods to donate.

OPENING TIP

  • Penn State takes on Rider to continue non-conference play.
  • The teams will meet for the fourth time.
  • The Lady Lions opened the 2021-22 campaign with an 85-66 victory over LIU on Tuesday.
  • Penn State led by double-digits for the entire second half.
  • Sophomore forward Ali Brigham had an impressive Penn State debut with 20 points, on 8-of-13 from the field and four-of-four from the free-throw line, nine rebounds and three blocks.
  • Junior guard Makenna Marisa filled up the box score with 19 points, including three triples, six rebounds and six assists.
  • Graduate student guard Kelly Jekot contributed 11 points, including three three-pointers.
  • Penn State assisted on 20 of its 30 made field goals, led by Marisa's six dimes and Maddie Burke's four.
  • The Lady Lions shot 45.5 percent from the field, including 50 percent in the second half.
  • Penn State forced 21 turnovers by LIU and collected 13 steals with five players recording at least two steals.
  • Penn State will look for its 33rd 2-0 start in program history.

 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

  • Rider is led by head coach Lynn Milligan, in her 15th year at the helm.
  • Milligan is 178-247 in her time at Rider and led the Broncs to their first ever MAAC Regular Season Championship in 2019-20.
  • Rider had an 8-15 record last season.
  • Rider returns five players who averaged at least 6.7 points per game last season.
  • Sophomore guard Makayla Firebaugh led the Broncs with 11.0 points per game in 2020-21.
  • Sophomore forward Raphaela Toussaint (7.5 ppg) and junior guard Maya Hyacienth (7.3) also return.
  • Rider led the MAAC last season in three-point field goals made (145) and free-throw percentage (72.2).
  • The Broncs allowed 59.3 points per game last season and led their conference in blocked shots per game (4.8).
  • In their exhibition win over The College of New Jersey, the Broncs were paced by Toussaint's 20 points and 12 rebounds. Firebaugh contributed 13 points, while Lenaejha Evans had 15 off the bench.

 
AGAINST THE BRONCS

  • Penn State will meet Rider for the fourth time between the programs. The Lady Lions lead the all-time series, 2-1.
  • The Lady Lions fell 78-70 in 2019. Makenna Marisa tallied 13 points in that contest.

 
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT

  • Sophomore forward Ali Brigham made a big impact in her first game as a Lady Lion, vs. LIU, after transferring from George Washington.
  • Brigham finished the game with 20 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field and hit all four free-throw attempts.
  • She also pulled down nine rebounds and blocked three shots.
  • Brigham posted 14 points in the first half.

 
MARISA DOING IT ALL

  • Junior guard Makenna Marisa filled up the box score in the season opener vs. LIU.
  • Marisa scored 19 points, including three three-pointers.
  • She also contributed six rebounds, tying for second on the team, and led PSU with six assists.

 
STINGY DEFENSE

  • The Lady Lions had a solid night on the defensive end against the Sharks.
  • Penn State held LIU to 25-of-65 shooting (38.5 percent) from the floor and 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from three. LIU shot just 26.7 percent in the first quarter and 25 percent in the fourth quarter.
  • The Lady Lions also forced 21 turnovers and collected 13 steals.
  • Anna Camden had three steals as one of five Lady Lions with at least two steals.

 
ALL-BIG TEN RETURNERS

  • Sophomore Maddie Burke returns after earning Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year and Big Ten All-Freshman team honors in 2020-21.
  • Burke reached 20 points in four games, including a career-best 24 points vs. Maryland.
  • Burke drilled at least three three-pointers in 11 games and hit five or more treys in six games.
  • Burke ranked fifth among Division I freshmen with 58 three-pointers.
  • Junior Makenna Marissa also returns after being named honorable mention All-Big Ten.
  • Marissa averaged 13.4 points per game, including 15 double-figure scoring efforts and six 20-point games.
  • Marissa finished fifth in the Big Ten and 37th nationally with 5.0 assists per game.

 
RETURNING SCORERS

  • Penn State returns eight of its top nine scorers from the 2020-21 season.
  • Senior Kelly Jekot paced the Lady Lions, averaging 15.9 points per game through nine games, before suffering a season-ending injury. Jekot reached double-figures in all nine games and had 20+ points in three contests.
  • Marissa averaged 13.4 points per game, tallying 15 games with double-digit points and six with 20 points.
  • Senior Niya Beverley averaged 9.2 points per contest in 2020-21 with nine double-figure efforts and two 20-point games.
  • Sophomore Maddie Burke tallied 8.9 points per game and led the Nittany Lions with 58 three-pointers. She had four 20-point games and eight double-figure efforts.
  • Junior Anna Camden averaged 7.8 points with 13 double-digit games and fellow junior Shay Hagans averaged 7.0 points with 11 double-figure efforts.

 
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

  • Penn State opened its 11-game non-conference slate against LIU.
  • The Lady Lions' first three contests will be played at the Bryce Jordan Center against LIU (11/9), Rider (11/11) and Delaware State (11/16).
  • Penn State's non-con continues at Clemson on Sunday, November 21. The Tigers reached the 2021 WNIT Second Round.
  • The Lady Lions then travel to the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida. Penn State will open the tournament against St. John's on November 26.
  • On November 27, Penn State will face either Iowa State or Charlotte in the Gulf Coast Showcase. Iowa State was a 2021 NCAA Tournament team, while Charlotte was a 2021 WNIT participant.
  • Penn State takes on Boston College in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Thursday, December 2.
  • The non-conference schedule closes out with home games against Youngstown State (12/12) and Towson (12/22) and a road matchup at Duquesne (12/18).

 
STRENGTH OF THE BIG TEN

  • The Preseason AP Poll features five Big Ten teams: No. 4 Maryland, No. 8 Indiana, No. 9 Iowa, No. 11 Michigan and No. 17 Ohio State.
  • Penn State opens Big Ten play at Indiana on December 6.
  • The Lady Lions played 10 ranked opponents in 2020-21, the most among Big Ten schools, and earned a 69-67 win over No. 15 Ohio State on February 24, 2021.

UP NEXT

  • Penn State remains home to host Delaware State on Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with a broadcast on B1G+.