BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Penn State women's basketball team dropped a 70-40 decision at No. 10 Indiana on Monday in its Big Ten opener. Makenna Marisa led the Lady Lions with 21 points, her seventh 20-point game of the season. The Lady Lions are now 4-5 on the season, while Indiana improved to 6-2.
Marisa went 10-of-22 from the field and added five rebounds, three assists and a block. Ali Brigham added eight points, four boards and two steals, while Leilani Kapinus had four points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Penn State shot 34 percent from the field.
Indiana was paced by Mackenzie Holmes' 16 points and six rebounds. Ali Patberg had 15 points, while Nicole Cardano-Hillary poured in 14. Aleksa Gulbe (11) and Grace Berger (10) also reached double-figures. The Hoosiers shot 51 percent from the field.
The Lady Lions trailed 18-13 after the first quarter. Marisa tallied 11 of Penn State's 13 points. The blue and white jumped out to a 6-2 lead, forcing an IU timeout. After a short 5-0 run by the Hoosiers, a layup and a three by Marisa gave Penn State an 11-9 lead at the 3:19 mark. Indiana responded with eight straight points, including a three by Cardano-Hillary.
After a layup by Marisa early in the second quarter, the Hoosiers went on a 9-2 run, sparked by a three by Patberg. Maddie Burke stopped the run with a jumper and Nyam Thornton added a layup before a three by Cardano-Hillary and a layup by Berger closed out the half. Penn State trailed 37-21 at the break.
Anna Camden opened the third quarter with a three. Indiana responded with a 21-0 run, including five points by Patberg and four each by Berger and Holmes. PSU had six of the final eight points of the quarter with a pair of jumpers by Marisa and a layup by Kapinus. Indiana led 60-30 after three.
Penn State closed the game on an 8-2 run. Marisa scored on a layup before Brigham got two buckets in the paint and Kapinus added a layup.
The Lady Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday, December 9 to face Rutgers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with a broadcast on B1G+.
