Women’s Basketball Hosts Nebraska On ThursdayWomen’s Basketball Hosts Nebraska On Thursday
Craig Houtz

Anna Camden

Women’s Basketball Hosts Nebraska On Thursday


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team returns to the Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday to take on Nebraska at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on B1G+.

The game will follow the men's basketball contest vs. Minnesota at 4 p.m.

The Lady Lions, led by head coach Carolyn Kieger, are 9-15 overall and 3-11 in Big Ten play. Last Sunday, at Rutgers, Leilani Kapinus recorded her first career double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
 
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. 
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIP

  • Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to take on Nebraska in a Big Ten matchup.
  • The Lady Lions trail 10-7 in the all-time series.
  • The blue and white dropped a 76-61 decision at Nebraska on February 3.
  • Makenna Marisa tallied 27 points in Lincoln.
  • Penn State fell 71-62 at Rutgers on Sunday.
  • Leilani Kapinus recorded her first career double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds, both career highs. She tied career bests with four assists and five steals.
  • Kapinus earned PSU's first double-double by a freshman since Lauren Ebo (12 points, 12 rebounds vs. Nebraska, 3/2/18).
  • Makenna Marisa contributed 15 points and has reached double-figures in all 24 games this season.
  • Penn State posted 11 steals, marking the 11th time PSU has recorded 10 or more steals in a game this year.
  • Penn State is one of seven Division I teams with three players owning 40+ steals this season,           including Kapinus (49), Shay Hagans (46) and Marisa (40).
  • Kapinus is second in the Big Ten with 49 total steals and third with 28 total blocks.

 
SCOUTING NEBRASKA

  • Nebraska is led by head coach Amy Williams in her sixth season.
  • Williams is 91-81 in her time at Nebraska. She has led the Huskers to two WNIT appearances and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018, when she was named  Big Ten Coach of the Year.
  • Nebraska ranks fourth in the Big Ten, and 12th in the country, averaging 78.3 points per game.
  • The Huskers sit third in the Big Ten in three-pointers per game (8.5) and second in three-pointers made (213).
  • Nebraska paces the Big Ten in rebounding, pulling down 43.3 per contest.
  • Nebraska is allowing 61.7 points per game, good for fourth in the conference.
  • The Huskers lead the conference in field-goal percentage defense (36.8) and three-point percentage defense (25.9).
  • Alexis Markowski leads four players averaging double-figures with 12.5 ppg.
  • Jaz Shelley is averaging 12.3 ppg, while Sam Haiby is averaging 10.4 and Isabelle Bourne is averaging 10.3.

 
AGAINST THE HUSKERS

  • Penn State will meet Nebraska for the 18th time in the series.
  • The Lady Lions trail 10-7 in the all-time series.
  • Earlier this season, on February 3, 2022, Penn State dropped a 76-61 decision.
  • Makenna Marisa led Penn State with 27 points, while Leilani Kapinus had 10.

 
 
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 24 games this season and has 20+ points in 15 games, 11 25-point games and four 30-point games. Her four 30-point games are the most by a Penn State player since Teniya Page's four in 2016-17.
  • 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), 25 vs. Northwestern (2/6) and 31 at Purdue (2/9).
  • 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 eighth 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 sixth in the nation in total points (538). Marisa's seventh in the country in field goals made (190) and eighth in field goal attempts (430). She's 27th in the nation in free throws made (104). Marisa also holds seventh in the Big Ten in assists per game (4.1) and total assists (99). She's also eighth in the conference averaging 2.25 three-pointers per game.
  • Marisa is tied fifth among DI players with 15 20-point games this season, tied second with 11 25-point games and tied sixth with four 30-point games this year.
  • Marisa is one of two DI players with double-figures in all of their games this season (minimum 24 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 1,137 career points, 30th all-time at Penn State, in 78 career 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 second in the conference in total steals (238).
  • Penn State has at least 10 steals in 12 different games this year, including a season-high 25 vs. Delaware State and 16 at Purdue.
  • The 16 at Purdue were Penn State's most since February 10, 2013 at Michigan State (17).
  • Leilani Kapinus leads PSU with 49 steals followed by Shay Hagans' 46 and Marisa's 41.
  • Penn State is one of seven Division I teams with three players recording 40 or more steals this year, joining Manhattan, New Mexico, San Diego, Syracuse, Tennessee State and Western Illinois.
  • The Lady Lions also have six games with at least six blocks, including a season-best 10 at Duquesne.
  • Kapinus paces PSU with 28 blocks followed by Ali Brigham's 25 and Anna Camden's 17.
  • Kapinus ranks third in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.17), while Brigham sits sixth (1.09).

 
HAGANS FORCING TAKEAWAYS

  • Junior guard Shay Hagans has been a force on the defensive end this season.
  • She ranks fourth in the Big Ten in steals per game (1.92) and total steals (46).
  • Hagans has recorded at least one steal in 21 games and has multiple steals in 14 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 recorded her first career double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds at Rutgers (2/13). She tied career highs with four assists and five steals.
  • Kapinus is PSU's first freshman with a double-double since Lauren Ebo (12 points, 12 rebounds vs. Nebraska, 3/2/18).
  • Kapinus has 49 steals, including a career-high five at Northwestern and Rutgers, leading Big Ten freshmen and sitting 12th among Division I freshmen.
  • The Wisconsin native has 28 blocks, which is good for second among Big Ten freshmen and 12th among all Division I freshmen.
  • Kapinus is second in total steals and third in total blocks in the Big Ten.
  • She's averaging 9.7 points, third among Big Ten freshmen, and 5.3 rebounds per contest, second among conference rookies, and led the team in rebounds in eight 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 23 points at Rutgers and 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 begins a three-game week on Monday, February 21 at Michigan State. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network.