UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team dropped a 74-57 decision against No. 11 Michigan on Thursday night in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lady Lions are now 7-7 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play, while the Wolverines improved to 14-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference.
Leilani Kapinus and Makenna Marisa tied for the team high with 17 points. Kapinus added five rebounds, two blocks and a steal, while Marisa had seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kapinus' 17 points are her most in a Big Ten game. Ali Brigham contributed 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocks off the bench. Penn State shot 36.7 from the field.
Naz Hillmon paced four Wolverines in double-figures with 21 points. Leigha Brown registered 17 points, while Maddie Nolan had 15. Emily Kiser recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Michigan shot 43 percent from the floor.
The Lady Lions held Michigan to 30 percent shooting in the second half, including 25 percent in the third quarter. Penn state also recorded 10 steals and seven blocks. The blue and white has 10 or more steals in five games this season.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 10-0 lead to start the game, including five points by LBrown. Kapinus tallied seven points in the opening quarter, while Marisa added five. Penn State trailed 25-14 after one.
A 15-8 stretch by the Lady Lions between the first and second quarters cut the deficit to eight, 33-25, with 2:40 left in the first half. Marisa recorded six points during the run, while Kapnius had four and Tova Sabel added two. A pair of free throws by Brigham got the Lady Lions within eight. A 6-2 run by Michigan to close the half gave the Wolverines a 39-27 lead going into the break.
Michigan benefited from a 9-1 run to begin the third quarter. Seven points by Brigham and a 5:17 stretch of holding Michigan with no field goals helped Penn State to work the deficit back down to 16, 51-35, with 4:29 remaining. After six straight points by the Wolverines, the Lady Lions closed out the quarter with a free throw by Kapinus and a layup by Hagans. Penn State trailed 57-38 after three.
Penn State started the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run and outscored Michigan, 19-17, in the period. Kapinus contributed four points, while Marisa hit a three. After a three-point play by Michigan's Hillmon, Penn State responded with back-to-back layups by Hagans and Kapinus to cut the deficit to 62-52 with 5:39 left. Five straight points by Hillmon helped Michigan to extend its lead back to 15 on its way to the final 74-57 margin.
The Lady Lions hosts Illinois at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, January 16. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. with a broadcast on B1G+.
