UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State women's basketball team plays Bryant Friday at 7 p.m. at Bryce Jordan Center in the fourth game of the 2022-23 season.
GAMEDAY INFO
Parking
- Parking for Penn State women's basketball games are available at the following locations two hours prior to the start of each game: Stadium West, Jordan East and Porter North.
- There is no charge for patrons with a valid Penn State parking permit.
- Pre-paid parking is available at a discounted rate of $5.50 through the ParkMobile app. Season-long packages are also available.
- Parking will cost $10 on the day of an event without a valid permit or prepayment.
- ParkMobile prepayment availability ends at 11:59 p.m. the night before each event. Events will not be selectable on the site after that time, and payment must then be made on site upon arrival to event parking staff (cash only).
Mobile Ticketing and Updated App
- All Penn State Athletics tickets are once again mobile tickets. Fans can access Penn State Athletics mobile ticket guide at GoPSUsports.com/mobiletickets.
- Make sure to have the NEW Penn State Athletics App downloaded on your phone to easily access and manage your mobile tickets. Download the app on the App Store and Google Play.
Bryce Jordan Center Bag Policy
- The bag policy has been updated for the 2022-23 season.
- Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVB and are 12" x 6" x 12" or smaller are permitted.
- Small clutches or wristlets that are 4" x 6" x 1" are also permissible.
- All clear bags and patrons are subject to metal detection and/or bag inspection upon entering the venue.
- Bag policy details can be found HERE.
OPENING TIP
- Penn State has won its first three games of the season at home: 77-63 versus Youngstown State Tuesday, 77-49 against Fairfield last Friday and 67-61 over Norfolk State last Wednesday in the opener.
- Makenna Marisa has averaged 19.7 points per game and recorded a double-double in the first two contests: 24 points and 11 rebounds against the Spartans and 14 points and 10 assists against the Stags.
- Penn State has forced opponents to an average of 25 turnovers per game, and Kapinus leads the team with 14 steals, including nine by Leilani Kapinus against Fairfield.
- Kapinus leads the team in rebounding (8.7 per game) and has averaged 13.7 points per game.
- Shay Ciezki has started the last two games and had her first double-digit scoring game (16 points) against Youngstown State.
- The Lady Lions have won the first three games in each of the last three seasons.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
- Dropped its last game 93-53 at Pitt Wednesday afternoon after defeating Emerson (111-27) and winning at Dartmouth (70-63) to begin the season.
- In its first season as a member of the America East Conference, the Bulldogs were picked seventh out of nine in the preseason coaches' poll with three starters returning from last season's team that went 10-22 overall and 6-12 in the NEC.
- Junior center Mariona Planes Fortuny lead the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg).
- Three guards have averaged double-digit in scoring so far this season: junior Megan Bodziony (11.0 ppg), senior Alana Perkins (10.7) and senior Nicole Gallagher (10.0).
AGAINST THE BULLDOGS
- Penn State has won two of the three meetings against Bryant.
- The Bulldogs took the last matchup, 91-70, at home on Dec. 11, 2004.
ONE OF THE TOP POINT GUARDS IN THE NATION, MAKENNA MARISA
- Senior Makenna Marisa was one of 20 point guards selected to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List heading into the season and named to the All-Big Ten Preseason Team by the coaches and media.
- Marisa is off to a stellar start this season, recording a double-double in each contest: 24 points and 11 rebounds against Norfolk State and 14 points and 10 assists against Fairfield.
- Through three games, she leads the team in scoring (19.7 ppg) and assists (6.0 apg) in addition to two steals per game.
- Scoring double-digits in each game and 20+ points twice, she registered a double-double in the first two contests: 24 points and 11 rebounds against the Spartans and 14 points and 10 assists against the Stags.
- She has 1,303 career points, ranking 20th all-time at Penn State.
- Starting this season ranked 24th, she needs 18 to pass Cheryl Ellison (1979-83, 1,320 points) for 19th place and 26 to pass Maren Walseth (1997-01, 1,328) for 18th.
- In program history she also ranks fifth in career free throw percentage (83.1%) and 30-point games (five), ninth in career scoring average (15.2 ppg), tied for ninth in career double-digit assist games (three), 11th in career three-point field goals made (131) and 14th in career assists (330).
- In the nation, she ranks 16th in career free throw percentage and 76th in career points.
- For the 2022-23 season, she ranks in the nation 10th in double-doubles, 35th in assists (18), 37th in minutes per game (36.9) and 63rd in points per game.
- As a junior, she was a consensus All-Big Ten First-Team pick by the coaches and media and a CoSIDA Academic All-American last year.
- She ranked second in the Big Ten and sixth in the country in scoring at 22.2 points per game, third-highest average by a Lady Lion in a single season.
- She 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 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, she 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).
A TRIO OF 1,000 POINT SCORERS
- Johnasia Cash notched her 1,000 career point in Tuesday's win over Youngstown State, becoming the third current Lady Lion to accomplish the feat: Makenna Marisa (1,303) and Taniyah Thompson (1,234).
- The three are among 191 current Division I players to accomplish the career feat.
- Cash has produced 343 combined from the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons as a Lady Lion for an average of 12.7 ppg.
- She produced 659 in her seasons at SMU.
- Thompson accomplished the feat in her three seasons at East Carolina.
- Among active career scoring leaders in Division I, Marisa ranks 76th, Thompson 96th and Cash 189th.
SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN FOR ALL-FRESHMAN KAPINUS
- After redshirting the 2019-20 season, Leilani Kapinus earned All-Big Ten Freshman-Team honors last years.
- Kapinus averaged 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, tallied 46 assists, 33 blocks and 59 steals, shot 43 percent from the floor and collected 16 double-figure games (two with 20+ points and three double-doubles)
- She was one of eight Division I players with 30+ blocks and 55+ steals.
- She ranked third in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.14), third in the Big Ten in steals per game (2.03) and fourth in total steals (59)
- She led Big Ten freshmen in steals, sitting 13th among all Division I freshmen and held second among Big Ten freshmen in blocks, ranking 13th among all Division I freshmen.
FRESHMAN IMPACT
- Shay Ciezki has made an instant impact as a freshman.
- After coming off the bench in the opener, Ciezki has started the last two games.
- She notched her first double-digit scoring performance against Youngstown State with 16 points along with five rebounds and three assists.
- She produced her first collegiate basket as part of a seven-point, four-rebound and two-steal performance against Fairfield.
NONCONFERENCE HOME WINNING STREAK
- Penn State is currently on a 12-game non-conference home winning streak, tied for the fourth-longest in program history (12/0/91-2/16/93).
- The streak began Dec. 3, 2019 with a 78-73 win over Pitt in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and had one more win that season, 88-65 over Sacred Heart.
- The Lady Lions racked up three-straight of these victories in the 2020-21 season: 84-65 over Coppin State, 87-54 against Saint Francis (Pa.) and 70-69 over Rhode Island.
- Penn State went 4-4 last year in Bryce Jordan Center: 85-66 over LIU, 83-69 against Rider, 120-51 versus Rider and 78-58 over Youngstown State.
- Three more wins are needed to tie the second longest streak at 15 (12/28/10-11/17/13 and 12/12/84-12/11/87).
UP NEXT
Penn State remains home to face Syracuse Monday at 7 p.m.