ESTERO, Fla. – The Penn State women's basketball team outscored St. John's, 14-8, over the final 4:34 to earn an 80-75 win over the Red Storm on Friday. The Lady Lions improved to 4-1 on the season while picking up a win on day one of the Gulf Coast Showcase.
The Lady Lions will meet No. 13 Iowa State on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. with a broadcast on FloHoops.
Penn State was led by Ali Brigham's double-double as she recorded 19 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, and 10 rebounds. Brigham earned her first double-double as a Lady Lion. Makenna Marisa added 25 points, six rebounds and four assists. Maddie Burke added 11 points and a team-high three steals, while Leilani Kapinus had 10 points, scoring all 10 in the fourth quarter. Penn State shot 60 percent (18-of-30) in the second half.
Leilani Correa paced St. John's with 27 points, including five three-pointers, and eight rebounds. Danielle Patterson contributed 15 points and Unique Drake added 13.
The Lady Lions jumped out to a 13-5 lead in the first quarter. Marisa scored five, while Burke hit three free throws after drawing a foul. Penn State extended its lead to 22-10 with as Marisa scored on a layup and drew the foul to complete the three-point-play before Burke drove in for a layup. However, the Red Storm closed the gap to 24-20 Penn State, including five points from Correa and three by Kadaja Bailey.
A 16-3 run by St. John's put the Red Storm ahead, 36-27, with 2:24 to go in the half. Correa scored 11 during the run. Penn State closed the game to within two, 36-34, on a jumper by Marisa, a three by Burke and a layup by Beverley. The Red Storm's Unique Drake hit a three at the buzzer to give St. John's a 39-34 lead at the break.
The Lady Lions held a 57-51 lead after three as Marisa scored 13 in the quarter and Brigham tallied 10, including the first six of the period. A 13-0 run early in the quarter gave PSU a 49-41 lead at the four-minute mark. Marisa recorded seven points and Brigham had six in the run.
A 6-0 run to open the fourth quarter by the Red Storm tied the game at 57-57 with 8:21 to go. Patterson had all six points.The teams then traded 4-0 runs. Kapinus and Brigham scored at the rim before Patterson and Correa tied it back up at 61-61 with seven minutes to go.
Trailing 67-66 with 4:34 remaining, Burke sparked an 9-0 run with a three. A layup by Shay Hagans was followed by back-to-back buckets by Kapinus to give Penn State a 75-67 advantage with 1:45 to go. Four free throws by Kapinus and two by Marisa helped to close out the 80-75 victory.
After taking on Iowa State on Saturday, Penn State will finish the Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday against UMass or Kent State. Tipoff time is to be determined.
