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Craig Houtz

Lady Lions Travels To Northwestern On Thursday

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team visits Northwestern on Thursday for a Big Ten matchup at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on B1G+.

The Lady Lions, led by head coach Carolyn Kieger, are 8-7 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play this season. Penn State earned a 90-72 win over Illinois on Sunday. Makenna Marisa recorded her second double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Shay Hagans added 17 points and four steals, while Leilani Kapinus contributed 14 points and Maddie Burke had 12 points off the bench.

FOLLOW ALONG

OPENING TIP

  • Penn State visits Northwestern to continue Big Ten play.
  • The Lady Lions led the all-time series, 38-11, but have lost the last four matchups.
  • Penn State improved to 6-1 at home this season with a 90-72 win over Illinois.
  • The Lady Lions shot 51.5 percent from the field and above 50 percent in three different quarters.
  • Penn State also shot 50 percent from three, making 11-of-22 attempts.
  • Makenna Marisa recorded her second double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 assists.
  • Marisa has nine 20-point games this season and six with 25+ points.
  • Shay Hagans posted 17 points and four steals.
  • Leilani Kapinus recorded 14 points, two blocks and two steals.
  • Maddie Burke went four-of-five from three-pointers for 12 points.
  • Penn State ranks second in the Big Ten in steals per game (9.9) and third in blocks per game (4.3).
  • Kapinus leads Big Ten freshmen in steals (24) and ranks second in blocks (18).
  • Hagans sits sixth in the Big Ten averaging 1.87 steals per game.
  • Ali Brigham ranks third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (56.6) and third in blocks per game (1.29).

 
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN

  • Northwestern is led by head coach Joe McKeown.
  • McKeown is in his 14th season leading the Wildcats and holds a 96-130 record at Northwestern.
  • He has led Northwestern to two NCAA Tournament appearances and was Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2019-20.
  • McKeown has a career record of 744-365, owning the 10th most wins among active DI coaches.
  • Northwestern is averaging 66.7 points per game, ranking 11th in the Big Ten, and allowing 60.3 points per contest, sitting fourth in the          conference.
  • Veronica Burton leads the Wildcats with 17.4 ppg, holding 10th in the Big Ten.
  • Burton is also second in the conference in assists per game (6.0), good for 12th in the nation, and 10th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.74).
  • Burton leads the Big Ten in steals with 4.25 per game, ranking third in the country, and sits second in the nation with 101 free throws made.

 
AGAINST THE NORTHWESTERN

  • Penn State will meet Northwestern for the 50th time in the series
  • The Lady Lions lead 38-11 in the all-time series, but have lost the last four meetings, with their last winning coming in 2018.
  • In the last matchup, on January 20, 2021, Penn State fell 67-50.
  • Johnasia Cash scored 14 points, while Makenna Marisa notched 12 points.

 
MARISA'S STRONG JUNIOR CAMPAIGN

  • Junior Makenna Marisa scored at least 11 points in all 15 games this season and has 20+ points in nine games, six 25-point games and two 30-point 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), 21 at Indiana (12/6), a career-high 33 at Duquesne (12/18), 29 at Maryland (1/6) and 25 vs. Illinois.
  • She has recorded a triple-double (30 points, 11 assists, 10 steals vs. Delaware State) and two double-doubles (25 points, 10 assists vs. Illinois).
  • Makenna Marisa ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (21.6 ppg), good for eighth in the country. Her 21.6 points per game rank third among Power Five players.
  • In conference games, Marisa is averaging 21.6 points per game with three of five games coming against ranked opponents. Her 21.6 points per game against conference opponents are fourth in the Big Ten.
  • Marisa's also averaging 19.5 points per game against ranked opponents this season.
  • She sits fourth in the conference and 13th in the nation in total points (324). Marisa's 11th in the country in field goals made (123) and 14th in field goal attempts (272).
  • Marisa also holds sixth in the Big Ten in assists per game (4.9), ranking 47th in the nation, and holds seventh in total assists (73). She's also eighth in the conference averaging 2.4 three-pointers per game.
  • Marisa is tied seventh among DI players with nine 20-point games this season and is one of 24 DI players with multiple 30-point games this year.
  • Marisa is one of 15 DI players with double-figures in all of their games this season (minimum 15 games).

 
SWATS AND STEALS

  • Penn State sits second in the Big Ten in steals per game (9.9) and third in blocks per game (4.3).
  • The Lady Lions hold fourth in the conference in total steals (149).
  • Penn State has at least 10 steals in six different games this year, including a season-high 25 vs. Delaware State.
  • Shay Hagans leads PSU with 28 steals followed by Marisa's 25 and Kapinus' 24.
  • The Lady Lions also have four games with at least six blocks, including a season-best 10 at Duquesne.
  • Brigham and Kapinus pace PSU with 18 blocks followed by Anna Camden's 12.

 
BRIGHAM OFF THE BENCH

  • Sophomore forward Ali Brigham is averaging 11.8 points per game and 5.8 rebounds in that span to go with seven blocks when coming off the bench this season.
  • She tallied 13 points vs. Rutgers, 15 at Duquesne and 11 against Michigan.
  • She recorded three blocks in each game vs. Duquesne and Michigan.
  • Brigham started her 2021-22 campaign with 20 points vs. LIU and 23 vs. Rider, becoming 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 15 games, Brigham ranks third in field-goal percentage (56.6), good for 26th in the nation, and third in blocks per game (1.29) in the Big Ten.

 
KAPINUS DOING IT ALL

  • Freshman Leilani Kapinus has 24 steals, with three in each contest against Rider, Kent State and Boston College, leading Big Ten freshmen.
  • The Wisconsin native has 18 blocks, which is good for second among Big Ten freshmen and 14th among all Division I freshmen.
  • She's averaging 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest and led the team in rebounds in three games.
  • Against ranked opponents, Kapinus is averaging 10.5 points per game to go with five blocks and five steals.
  • She had a career-high 20 points vs. Youngstown State, adding seven rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. She scored 10 points in the fourth quarter vs. St. John's, 12 points at Maryland, 17 vs. Michigan and 14 vs. Illinois.

 
STEPPING UP AGAINST RANKED TEAMS

  • In four games against ranked opponents this season, Makenna Marisa is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field.
  • Her 19.5 points per game are second among Big Ten players who have played at least four games against ranked opponents.
  • She tallied 11 points against No. 13 Iowa State, 21 at No. 6 Indiana, 29 at No. 10 Maryland and 17 vs. No. 11 Michigan.
  • At Maryland, Marisa scored 24 of her 29 points in the second half, shooting 10-of-12 from the field.
  • Leilani Kapinus is averaging 10.5 points against ranked opponents, including 12 at Maryland and 17 vs. Michigan. She also has five blocks and five steals.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State visits Wisconsin on Sunday, January 23. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on B1G+.