Lady Lions Welcome Rutgers For Big Ten MatchupLady Lions Welcome Rutgers For Big Ten Matchup
Mark Selders

Lady Lions Welcome Rutgers For Big Ten Matchup


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team continues it early Big Ten schedule on Thursday night as it hosts Rutgers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center with a broadcast on B1G+.

The Lady Lions, led by head coach Carolyn Kieger, are 4-5 this season and looking to get back on track after falling 70-40 at No. 10 Indiana on Monday.

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. 

TOY DRIVE
The Lady Lions are holding a holiday toy collection. Fans who bring in a new or unwrapped toy can get a $5 ticket.
 
OPENING TIP

  • Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to host Rutgers in a Big Ten matchup on Thursday.
  • Rutgers leads the all-time series, 31-19, and has won the last six matchups.
  • The Lady Lions are looking to bounce back after a 70-40 setback at No. 10 Indiana.
  • Makenna Marisa tallied 21 points for her sixth 20-point game of the season.
  • Marisa has at least 11 points in all nine games this season.
  • She ranks second in the Big Ten and 10th in the country averaging 21.3 points per game, sitting second among Power Five conference guards and fifth among Power Five conference players.
  • Marisa is one of five Division I players averaging 20+ points and 5+ assists.
  • Ali Brigham is averaging 12.5 points per game and ranks seventh in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (56.0).
  • Leilani Kapinus has been a dominating presence on the defensive end with 15 steals, good for third among Power Five conference freshmen, and eight blocks.
  • As a team, Penn State is second in the Big Ten in steals per game (10.4).
  • Penn State is fourth in the Big Ten in three-pointers per game (7.4) and fourth in assists per game (16.9).

 
SCOUTING RUTGERS

  • Rutgers is led by C. Vivian Stringer, in her 27th season at the helm. Stringer is 539-297 in her time at Rutgers.
  • She has led Rutgers to 17 NCAA Tournaments and two Final Fours.
  • However, Stringer announced in early November that she would not coach this season due to COVID-19 concerns.
  • Associate head coach Timothy Eastman has served as the head coach on game days.
  • The Scarlet Knights are 4-6 this season and 0-1 in Big Ten play.
  • Last Sunday, Rutgers fell 73-59 against No. 8 Maryland.
  • Shug Dickson led RU with 18 points, while Lasha Petree had 11 and Osh Brown and Tyia Singleton each had 10.
  • The Scarlet Knights are averaging 55.0 points per game, paced by Dickson's 9.4 per contest.
  • Rutgers is allowing 58.2 points per contest.

 
AGAINST THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

  • Penn State will meet Rutgers for the 51st time in the series.
  • The Scarlet Knights lead the series, 31-19, and have won the last six matchups.
  • Penn State's last win in the series came on January 18, 2018 (70-67).
  • In the last matchup, PSU fell 74-56 at Rutgers on March 2, 2021. Niya Beverley paced the Lady Lions with 20 points, while Anna Camden had 14.

 
MARISA'S STRONG JUNIOR CAMPAIGN

  • Junior Makenna Marisa scored at least 11 points in all nine games this season and has 20+ points in six games.
  • She had 20 points vs. Rider (11/11), 30 vs. Delaware State (11/16), 29 at Clemson (11/21), 25 vs. St. John's (11/26), 23 vs. Kent State (11/28) and 21 at Indiana (12/6).
  • Makenna Marisa ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (21.3 ppg), good for 10th in the country. Her 21.3 points per game rank second among Power Five guards and fourth among Power Five players.
  • She also sits second in the conference and seventh in the nation in total points (192). Marisa's fifth in the country in field goals made (74).
  • Marisa also holds fourth in the Big Ten in assists per game (5.2), ranking 35th in the nation, and holds fourth in total assists (47), good for 18th in the country. She's also eighth in the conference averaging 2.22 three-pointers per game.
  • She's one of five DI players averaging 20+ points and 5+ assists this season.
  • Marisa was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on November 22. It was Marisa's first career Big Ten weekly honor.
  • She recorded a triple-double in Penn State's 120-51 win over Delaware State on November 16, notching 30 points, on 12-of-16 shooting, 11 assists and 10 steals against the Hornets. Her points, assists and steals totals were all career highs.
  • Marisa's triple-double was Penn State's first since Suzie McConnell on January 3, 1988 (22 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists in a 74-63 win vs. Western Kentucky).
  • Marisa's triple-double is the 25th Points-Assists-Steals triple-double and 20th 30-point triple-double in NCAA Division I history.
  • It's also the third 30-point triple-double and second Points-Assists-Steals triple-double in Big Ten history.
  • Marisa had Penn State's 79th 30-point game and became the first Lady Lion with double-digit assists in a game since Dara Taylor (10 vs. Minnesota, 2014).

 
LADY LIONS RANK AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS

  • The Lady Lions sit 56th in the country averaging 74.9 points per game.
  • Penn State ranks 35th in the nation and fourth in the conference averaging 16.9 assists per game and 19th in the country in total assists (152). The Lady Lions have at least 20 assists in four games this season.
  • Penn State is fourth in the Big Ten in three-point field goals per game (7.4).
  • PSU sits second in the Big Ten in steals per game (10.4).

 
BRIGHAM DOMINATING THE PAINT

  • Sophomore forward Ali Brigham made a big impact in her first game as a Lady Lion, vs. LIU, after transferring from George Washington, scoring 20 points and tallying nine rebounds and three blocks. She followed that with a 23-point performance against Rider, shooting 11-of-13 from the floor.
  • Brigham became the first Lady Lion to score 20+ points in the first two games of a season since Brianna Banks in 2015.
  • She collected her first career double-double against St. John's with 19 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, and 10 rebounds.
  • She had 10 points against No. 13 Iowa State and a team-high 18 points at Boston College.
  • Through nine games, Brigham ranks seventh in field-goal percentage (56.0), ninth in field goals made (51) and 12th in blocks per game (1.11) in the Big Ten.

 
KAPINUS DOING IT ALL

  • Freshman Leilani Kapinus is consistently filling up the box score this season.
  • She has 15 steals, with three in each contest against Rider, Kent State and Boston College, sitting third among Power Five freshmen.
  • She's averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest and led the team in rebounds in three games.
  • She scored 10 points in the fourth quarter in Penn State's 80-75 win over St. John's.
  • The freshman has 15 assists on the year, including three in each game vs. Rider, Boston College and Indiana.
  • The Wisconsin native has eight blocks with at least one in seven different games and two blocks at Boston College.

 
MULTIPLE CONTRIBUTORS

  • Penn State has five players averaging at least 5.8 points this season, led by Marisa's 21.3 average.
  • Ali Brigham is averaging 12.4 points per contest and reached the 20-point mark vs. LIU (20) and Rider (23), while Niya Beverley is scoring 8.8 points per game, including a 20-point effort vs. Rider.
  • Anna Camden is averaging 6.3 points per game, Shay Hagans is scoring 5.9 points per contest and Leilani Kapinus is averaging 5.8.
  • Penn State has also balanced out its minutes with 10 players averaging at least 10.2 minutes per game.

 
STRENGTH OF THE BIG TEN

  • The December 6th AP Poll features five Big Ten teams: No. 8 Maryland, No. 10 Indiana, No. 12 Iowa, No. 13 Michigan and No. 20 Ohio State. Purdue is among teams receiving votes.
  • Penn State opened 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 resumes non-conference play on Sunday, December 12 as it hosts Youngstown State for a 2 p.m. tipoff.