SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Penn State women's basketball's Makenna Marisa earned a spot on the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday. Marisa is one of 20 people selected for the honor that is given after the season to the best point guard in the nation.
A consensus All-Big Ten First-Team pick and a preseason all-conference pick this year by the coaches and media last year, Marisa enjoyed a stellar 2021-22 season, ranking second in the Big Ten and sixth in the country in scoring at 22.2 points per game. Her average was the third-highest average by a Lady Lion in a single season.
The senior scored double-digit points in all 29 games last season, one of only two Division I players to notch the feat, including 19 20-point games, 13 25-point games and five 30-point performances.
Her 30-point games included a career-high 33 at Duquesne (12/18), 32 vs. Iowa (1/25) and at Michigan State (2/21), 31 at Purdue (2/9) and 30-point triple-double vs. Delaware State (11/16). She also had a double-double vs. Illinois (1/16) with 25 points and 10 assists.
She had four 20-point halves, coming against Delaware State (20, 1st), Maryland (24, 2nd), Purdue (25, 2nd) and Minnesota (20, 2nd).
Marisa's 645 total points in the regular season ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 15th in the country and ninth in a season at Penn State. In conference games, including six against ranked opponents, Marisa averaged 23.0 points per game, good for second in the conference. She also averaged 19.9 in seven games against ranked foes, also second in the Big Ten.
She was 28th in the country in field goals made (224) and 29th in free throws made (138), while holding seventh in the Big Ten in assists per game (4.2) and total assists (123).
The CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree reached the 1,000-point mark for her career against Iowa on January 25. Marisa has 1,244 career points, ranking 25th all-time at Penn State.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, October 21. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 Nancy Liberman Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Lieberman and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award winner will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center), in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
2023 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates
Jenna Annecchiarico - College of Charleston
Chrislyn Carr - Louisville
Haley Cavinder - Miami
Caitlin Clark - Iowa
Jenna Clark – Yale
Gina Conti - UCLA
Dyaisha Fair - Syracuse
Rori Harmon - Texas
Anastasia Hayes - Mississippi State
McKenna Hofschild - Colorado State
Deja Kelly - North Carolina
Makenna Marisa - Penn State
Olivia Miles - Notre Dame
Alexis Morris - LSU
Te-Hina Paopao - Oregon
Lauren Park-Lane - Seton Hall
Jasmine Powell - Tennessee
Emily Ryan - Iowa State
Myah Taylor - Mississippi
Destinee Wells - Belmont
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-23 season
