Women’s Basketball Travels To Purdue On WednesdayWomen’s Basketball Travels To Purdue On Wednesday
Mark Selders

Women’s Basketball Travels To Purdue On Wednesday

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team is back on the road on Wednesday, February 9 when it visits Purdue for a Big Ten matchup. The contest is set for 7 p.m. at Mackey Arena with a broadcast on B1G+.

The Lady Lions, led by head coach Carolyn Kieger, are 9-13 overall and 3-9 in Big Ten play. Penn State looks to bounce back after falling 78-72 against Northwestern in a back-and-forth game on Sunday.
 
FOLLOW ALONG


OPENING TIP

  • Penn State travels to Purdue on Wednesday for a Big Ten matchup.
  • The Lady Lions trail 33-22 in the all-time series, but won the last meeting, 80-70, at Purdue on January 31, 2021.
  • Penn State looks to bounce back after falling 78-72 in a back-and-forth contest against              Northwestern last Sunday.
  • Makenna Marisa led Penn State with 25 points.
  • Marisa has recorded 14 games with 20+ points and 10 with 25+ points this season.
  • The junior ranks seventh in the nation averaging 22.4 points per game.
  • Last Saturday, Marisa was named to the Dawn Staley Award Watch List.
  • After posting 15 points against Northwestern, Leilani Kapinus has scored at least 10 points in 10-straight games, the longest streak by a PSU freshman since Maggie Lucas (11 games) in 2010-11.
  • Against Northwestern, the Lady Lions recorded 10 steals, marking the 10th time this year reaching double-digit steals.
  • Penn State is one of seven Division I teams with three players recording 37 or more steals this year.

 
SCOUTING PURDUE

  • Purdue is led by head coach Katie Gearlds, who graduated from the school in 2007.
  • Gearlds is in her first season at Purdue and has led the Boilermakers to a 13-10 mark.
  • Gearlds was promoted to head coach on September 16, 2021 after serving as associate head coach since March 26, 2021.
  • She is the youngest Power Five head coach this season.
  • Purdue ranks ninth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (70.2 ppg) and 10th in scoring defense (68.3).
  • The Boilermakers sit second in the Big Ten in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.6) and, offensively, third in three-pointers made (185).
  • Madison Layden leads three Boilermakers averaging double-figures with 12 ppg. Abbey Ellis (11.0) and Brooke Moore (10.3) are also averaging double-figures.
  • Cassidy Hardin sits third in the Big Ten, 10th in the nation, with 60 three-pointers made this season.

 
AGAINST THE BOILERMAKERS

  • Penn State will meet Purdue for the 56th time in the series
  • The Lady Lions trail 33-22 in the all-time series.
  • In the last matchup, on January 31, 2021, Penn State earned an 80-70 win at Purdue.
  • Niya Beverley scored 14 points and distributed seven assists. Anna Camden added 12 points.

 
MARISA ADDED TO DAWN STALEY AWARD WATCH LIST

  • Junior Makenna Marisa was named to the Dawn Staley Award Watch List.
  • Marisa has scored at least 11 points in all 22 games this season and has 20+ points in 14 games, 10 25-point games and three 30-point games.
  • She had 30 vs. Delaware State (11/16), 29 at Clemson (11/21), 25 vs. St. John's (11/26), a career-high 33 at Duquesne (12/18), 29 at Maryland (1/6), 25 vs. Illinois (1/16), 26 at Wisconsin (1/23), 32 vs. Iowa (1/25), 27 at Nebraska (2/3) and 25 vs. Northwestern (2/6).
  • Marisa recorded her 1,000th career point on a fourth-quarter layup against Iowa.
  • 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 (22.4 ppg), good for seventh in the country. Her 22.4 points per game rank third among Power Five conference players.
  • In conference games, Marisa is averaging 23.0 points per game with five games coming against ranked opponents. Her 23.0 points per game against conference opponents are second in the Big Ten.
  • Marisa's also averaging 21.5 points per game against ranked opponents this season.
  • She sits second in the conference and fourth in the nation in total points (492). Marisa's sixth in the country in field goals made (177) and 10th in field goal attempts (393).
  • Marisa also holds eighth in the Big Ten in assists per game (4.1) and eighth in total assists (91). She's also ninth in the conference averaging 2.27 three-pointers per game.
  • Marisa is fifth among DI players with 14 20-point games this season, second with 10 25-point games and tied 11th with three 30-point games this year.
  • Marisa is one of five DI players with double-figures in all of their games this season (minimum 22 games).

 
MARISA ECLIPSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS

  • On a fourth quarter layup against Iowa, junior guard Makenna Marisa reached the 1,000 career point mark.
  • She became the 40th Lady Lion to score 1,000 career points.
  • Marisa is the 21st Penn State player to reach 1,000 points before the end of their junior season.
  • Marisa is one of six Big Ten underclassmen with 1,000 career points.
  • She currently sits at 1,091 career points, tied 33rd all-time at Penn State, in 76 career games.

 
SWATS AND STEALS

  • Penn State sits second in the Big Ten in steals per game (9.6) and third in blocks per game (4.5). The Lady Lions hold fourth in the conference in total steals (211).
  • Penn State has at least 10 steals in 10 different games this year, including a season-high 25 vs. Delaware State.
  • Shay Hagans leads PSU with 42 steals followed by Leilani Kapinus' 40 and Marisa's 37.
  • Penn State is one of seven Division I teams with three players recording 37 or more steals this year, joining DePaul, Manhattan, New Mexico, San Diego, Syracuse and Tennessee State.
  • The Lady Lions also have six games with at least six blocks, including a season-best 10 at Duquesne.
  • Kapinus paces PSU with 27 blocks followed by Ali Brigham's 25 and Anna Camden's 16.
  • Kapinus ranks third in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.23), while Brigham sits fourth (1.19).

 
HAGANS FORCING TAKEAWAYS

  • Junior guard Shay Hagans has been a force on the defensive end this season.
  • She ranks third in the Big Ten in steals per game (1.91) and second in total steals (42).
  • Hagans has recorded at least one steal in 19 games and has multiple steals in 12 games.
  • The junior notched a career-high six steals against Youngstown State. She also recorded five steals against Delaware State and four in each game against Illinois and Wisconsin.

 
KAPINUS DOING IT ALL

  • Freshman Leilani Kapinus has scored in double-figures in 10-straight games, the first PSU freshman to do that since Maggie Lucas (11 games) in 2010-11.
  • Kapinus has 40 steals, including a career-high five at Northwestern, leading Big Ten freshmen and sitting 14th among Division I freshmen.
  • The Wisconsin native has 27 blocks, which is good for second among Big Ten freshmen and 12th among all Division I freshmen.
  • Kapinus is third in total blocks in the Big Ten.
  • She's averaging 9.2 points, third among Big Ten freshmen, and 5.0 rebounds per contest, second among conference rookies, and led the team in rebounds in seven games.
  • Against ranked opponents, Kapinus is averaging 11.0 points per game to go with nine blocks and eight steals.
  • She had a career-high 20 points vs. Youngstown State. She scored 17 vs. Michigan, 15 at Northwestern and 15 vs. Northwestern.

 
STEPPING UP AGAINST RANKED TEAMS

  • In six games against ranked opponents this season, Makenna Marisa is averaging 21.5 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field.
  • Her 21.5 points per game are second among Big Ten players who have played at least five games against ranked opponents.
  • She tallied 11 points against No. 13 Iowa State, 21 at No. 6 Indiana, 29 at No. 10 Maryland, 17 vs. No. 11 Michigan, 32 vs. No. 23 Iowa and 19 vs. No. 17 Maryland. At Maryland, Marisa scored 24 of her 29 points in the second half, shooting 10-of-12 from the field.
  • Leilani Kapinus is averaging 11.0 points against ranked opponents, including 12 at Maryland, 17 vs. Michigan and 14 vs. Maryland. She also has nine blocks and eight steals.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State takes on Rutgers on Sunday, February 13 for a Big Ten road contest. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena with a broadcast on B1G+.