11
Craig Houtz

Women’s Basketball Meets Nebraska For Big Ten Road Matchup

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team takes on Nebraska in a Big Ten contest on Sunday in Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

The Lady Lions, led by head coach Carolyn Kieger, are 9-11 overall and 3-7 in Big Ten action. PSU fell 82-71 against No. 17 Maryland on Sunday. Makenna Marisa led three scorers in double-figures with 19 points. Kelly Jekot had a season-best 16 points and Leilani Kapinus added 14 points.

FOLLOW ALONG


OPENING TIP

  • Penn State travels to Nebraska on Thursday for a Big Ten road matchup.
  • The Lady Lions trail 9-7 in the all-time series.
  • Penn State fell 82-71 against No. 17 Maryland last Sunday.
  • The blue and white shot 59 percent from the floor, its highest in a Big Ten game since 2013.
  • Penn State shot at least 50 percent from the field in each quarter.
  • Makenna Marisa paced PSU with 19 points and five assists.
  • Kelly Jekot notched a season-high 16 points and five assists.
  • Leilani Kapinus recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
  • Marisa ranks seventh in the country averaging 22.0 points per game.
  • In six games against ranked opponents, Marisa is averaging 21.5 points per contest.
  • Kapinus ranks second in the Big Ten with 26 blocks, good for 10th among all Division I freshmen.
  • She also paces Big Ten freshmen with 35 steals.
  • Kapinus has scored in double-figures in eight-straight games.
  • Shay Hagans sits third in the Big Ten in steals per game (1.95) and total steals (39).
  • The Lady Lions rank second in the Big Ten in steals per game (9.7).

 
SCOUTING NEBRASKA

  • Nebraska is led by head coach Amy Williams in her sixth season.
  • Williams is 88-79 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 10th in the country, averaging 79.6 points per game.
  • The Huskers sit second in the Big Ten in three-pointers per game (8.8) and third in three-pointers made (175).
  • Nebraska paces the Big Ten in rebounding, pulling down 43.0 per contest.
  • Jaz Shelley leads three players averaging double-figures with 12.7 ppg.
  • Alexis Markowski is averaging 12.3 ppg, while Sam Haiby is averaging 11.1.
  • Nebraska is allowing 60.1 points per game, good for fourth in the conference.
  • The Huskers lead the conference in field-goal percentage defense (36.2) and three-point percentage defense (26.1).

 
AGAINST THE HUSKERS

  • Penn State will meet Nebraska for the 17th time in the series.
  • The Lady Lions trail 9-7 in the all-time series.
  • In the last matchup, on February 21, 2021, Penn State fell 87-72.
  • Makenna Marisa led the blue and white with 21 points. Maddie Burke added 20 points, while Niya Beverley had 11.

 
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 1,039 career points, 38th all-time at Penn State, in 74 career games.

 
MARISA'S STRONG JUNIOR CAMPAIGN

  • Junior Makenna Marisa scored at least 11 points in all 20 games this season and has 20+ points in 12 games, eight 25-point games and three 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), 25 vs. Illinois (1/16), 20 at Northwestern (1/20), 26 at Wisconsin (1/23) and 32 vs. Iowa (1/25).
  • 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 (22.0 ppg), good for seventh in the country. Her 22.0 points per game rank third among Power Five conference players.
  • In conference games, Marisa is averaging 22.4 points per game with five games coming against ranked opponents. Her 22.4 points per game against conference opponents are fourth 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 fifth in the nation in total points (440). Marisa's sixth in the country in field goals made (158) and 11th in field goal attempts (349).
  • Marisa also holds ninth in the Big Ten in assists per game (4.2) and eighth in total assists (84). She's also eighth in the conference averaging 2.40 three-pointers per game.
  • Marisa is tied sixth among DI players with 12 20-point games this season, tied third with eight 25-point games and tied 10th with three 30-point games this year.
  • Marisa is one of six DI players with double-figures in all of their games this season (minimum 20 games).

 
SWATS AND STEALS

  • Penn State sits second in the Big Ten in steals per game (9.7) and third in blocks per game (4.6).
  • The Lady Lions hold fourth in the conference in total steals (193).
  • Penn State has at least 10 steals in eight different games this year, including a season-high 25 vs. Delaware State.
  • Shay Hagans leads PSU with 39 steals followed by Leilani Kapinus' 35 and Marisa's 32.
  • The Lady Lions also have six games with at least six blocks, including a season-best 10 at Duquesne.
  • Kapinus paces PSU with 26 blocks followed by Ali Brigham's 23 and Anna Camden's 14.
  • Kapinus ranks third in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.30), while Brigham sits fifth (1.21).

 
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 (1.95) and total steals (39).
  • Hagans has recorded at least one steal in 17 games and has multiple steals in 10 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 eight-straight games, the first PSU freshman to do that since Teniya Page in 2015-16.
  • Kapinus has 35 steals, including a career-high five at Northwestern, leading Big Ten freshmen and sitting 16th among Division I freshmen.
  • The Wisconsin native has 26 blocks, which is good for second among Big Ten freshmen and 10th among all Division I freshmen.
  • Kapinus is second in total blocks in the Big Ten.
  • She's averaging 8.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest and led the team in rebounds in six 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 10 points in the fourth quarter vs. St. John's, 12 points at Maryland, 17 vs. Michigan, 14 vs. Illinois, 15 at Northwestern, 10 at Wisconsin, 10 vs. Iowa, 10 vs. Michigan State and 14 vs. Maryland.

 
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 is hosting its 16th annual Play4Kay Game Benefiting Pink Zone on Sunday, February 6 against Northwestern. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center.