UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State women's basketball faces Minnesota Saturday at 8:30 pm E.T. on the Big Ten Network in the first B1G game for any squad this season.
OPENING TIP
- Penn State is coming off its first loss of the season, 89-68 to Virginia at home in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
- The Lady Lions notched the fourth best start at 7-0, tied with the 1996-97 team.
- The seven straight wins were the longest since an 11-game streak from Dec. 9, 2012-Jan. 27, 2013.
- The B1G game is the first for any team in the league this season.
- The Lady Lions earned two wins at the Daytona Beach Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend, defeating Toledo 60-59 and Fresno State 68-49.
- Penn State owns wins over four reigning conference champions: Norfolk State (MEAC), Fairfield (MAAC), Youngstown State (Horizon League) and Toledo (MAC).
- Penn State ranks in the nation 13th in steals per game (13.1), 20th in turnovers forced per game (23.1), 48th in turnover margin (5.5), 51st in scoring margin (15.4) and 54th in field goal percentage (45.0).
- Leilani Kapinus ranks fourth in the nation in steals (28).
- Makenna Marisa has averaged 16.8 points per game with three 20-point games and 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.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
- Are 4-3 to start the year, having dropped three games (71-65 at North Dakota State, Nov. 17, 73-70 at Virginia, last Friday, and 63-59 at home to Wake Forest, this Wednesday).
- Have been the second-best rebounding team in the league, averaging 45.1 boards (15.6 offensive) per game.
- Returned only three letterwinners and no starters from last year's squad that went 15-18 and finished tied for ninth in the conference (7-11).
- Sophomore forward Alanna Micheaux has registered the most double-doubles (four) in the Big Ten and averages 13.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
- One of four players to average double-digit points, freshman guard Mara Braun leads the team in scoring (19.7).
AGAINST THE GOPHERS
- Penn State has the edge in the series, 29-23.
- Minnesota has had the edge as of late with eight wins in the last nine contests.
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.
- This year she leads the team in scoring (16.8 ppg) and assists (4.3 apg) in addition to 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
- She notched a double-double in the first two contests: 24 points and 11 rebounds against Norfolk State and 14 points and 10 assists against Fairfield.
- In the program's largest comeback against Syracuse, she produced 22 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, eight rebounds and seven assists.
- She has recorded 64 double-digit scoring games and 27 20-point games with three this year.
- A 35-game streak of consecutive double-digit games that started at the beginning of last season ended Nov. 26 against Fresno State.
- With 1,378 career points, she is 18th in school history
- Starting this season ranked 24th, she needs 51 more to pass Jen Bednarek (1977-80, 1,428) for 17th.
- In program history she also ranks fifth in career free throw percentage (83.3%) and 30-point games (five), ninth in career scoring average (15.1 ppg), tied for ninth in career double-digit assist games (three), 11th in career three-point field goals made (138) and 14th in career assists (346).
- In the nation, she ranks 16th in career free throw percentage and 66th in career points.
- For the 2022-23 season, she ranks in the nation 40th in made field goals (51), 49th in points (134), 62nd in assists (34) and 96th in steals (16).
- In the Big Ten she is ninth in throw percentage (.808), 10th in scoring, 11th in assists and steals and 16th in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
A TRIO OF 1,000 POINT SCORERS
- Johnasia Cash notched her 1,000 career point in the over Youngstown State, becoming the third current Lady Lion to accomplish the feat: Makenna Marisa (1,358) and Taniyah Thompson (1,262).
- Cash has produced 377 combined from the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons as a Lady Lion for an average of 11.8 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 68th, Thompson 100th and Cash 199th.
CASHING REBOUNDS
- Johnasia Cash has pulled down the ninth most career rebounds (899) among active Division I players in the nation and is also 26th in double-doubles (25).
- In her fifth season, Cash has averaged 7.6 boards per game and 8.2 in her two seasons at Penn State (2020-21 and 2022-23).
- In her 2020-21 season in which she earned Third-Team All-Big Ten from the media, she recorded a double-double in all 11 games in which she gathered 10+ rebounds.
- After readjusting due to missing last season, her rebounding has picked up with a three-game streak of 10+ rebounds (Bryant-11, Syracuse-12 and Toledo-10).
- This year she ranks 14th in rebounding (6.5 per game) in the B1G.
SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN FOR ALL-FRESHMAN KAPINUS
- Much like last season, Leilani Kapinus has proven she can do it all for the Lady Lions.
- This year she leads the squad in steals (28), is tied with teammate Johnasia Cash in blocks (four) and has put up 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, 23 assists, a 50.0 field goal percentage and 77.3 free throw percentage.
- Kapinus is fourth in the nation in steals and leads the Big Ten in steals per game (3.5) while also and 18th in rebounding.
- She has scored in double-figures in four games, pulled down at least seven rebounds in four contests and gotten at least three steals five times.
- She racked up nine steals in the win over Fairfield along with 11 points and eight boards.
- Against Fresno State, she produced 12 points, six steals and five assists.
FRESHMAN IMPACT
- Shay Ciezki has made an instant impact as a freshman.
- After coming off the bench in the opener, Ciezki has started every game since.
- In 202 minutes of action as the main ballhandler after Marisa, she has committed just 11 turnovers with 21 assists.
- She was pivotal in the team's 21-point comeback against Syracuse, scoring 16 of her 18 points during the team's second half rally.
- She followed the game with 16 points and three assists with two three-points against Toledo.
- 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.
UP NEXT
Penn State faces No. 4/5 Indiana next Thursday in the first B1G game of the season at Bryce Jordan Center.