Women’s Basketball Hosts No. 13/14 Ohio State ThursdayWomen’s Basketball Hosts No. 13/14 Ohio State Thursday
Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics

Ali Brigham

Women’s Basketball Hosts No. 13/14 Ohio State Thursday

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UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State women's basketball hosts No. 13/14 Ohio State Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center.
 
GAMEDAY INFO
Promotion

  • Black History Month will be spotlighted and celebrated throughout the game.

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 is coming off an 85-75 overtime loss at Michigan State last Sunday.
  • Leilani Kapinus was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List Jan. 24 and was the only Big Ten player selected to the list and one of 15 overall.
  • Kapinus is fourth in the nation in steals (84), 25 more than the next closest player in the Big Ten, while also averaging 10.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.
  • Kapinus is one of two players in the nation to be averaging at least 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and one block per game.
  • This year Makenna Marisa leads the team in scoring (18.0 points per game), assists (4.4 per game) and made three's (51) in addition to 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
  • Marisa currently ranks 11th in career scoring (1,695) in program history.
  • Starting in every contest after the first game, Shay Ciezki has averaged 11.3 points, 2.6 assists, 2.0 three-pointers and 1.3 steals per game while shooting a team-best 40.2% from three.
  • Ciezki is one of two freshmen in the nation to make at least 2.0 three-pointers per game while shooting at least 40.0% from three.


SCOUTING OHIO STATE

  • Is 21-5 overall and 10-5 in the Big Ten for fifth place in the conference standings.
  • Won the first 19 games of the season and have gone 2-5 since with all but one loss coming against a ranked team (73-65 at home to Purdue, Jan. 29).
  • Forces the most turnovers in the Big Ten (21.2 per game) that ranks sixth in the nation.
  • Senior guard Taylor Mikesell has made the second-most three pointers in the nation (82) and leads the team in scoring (17.8 points per game).
  • An All-Big Ten First Team selection last season, senior guard Jacy Sheldon returned Feb. 5 at then-No. 8/9 Maryland after missing 20 games due to an injury, but she has missed the last two games.
  • Sophomore guard/forward Taylor Thierry leads the squad in rebounding (6.8 per game), steals (43) and field goal percentage (64.4).


AGAINST THE BUCKEYES

  • Penn State leads the series, 37-33.
  • The Lady Lions won the last matchup in University Park 69-67 on Feb. 24, 2021.


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 (15.7 ppg), assists (4.4 per game) and made three's (51) in addition to 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
  • She has recorded 78 double-digit scoring games and 35 20-point games with 10 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.
  • She has notched seven career 25+ points and 5+ assists games, the 10th most in the Big Ten since 2009-2010 (courtesy of Her Hoop Stats).
  • With 1,695 career points, she is 11th in school history.
  • Starting this season ranked 24th, she needs 31 more to pass Angie Potthoff (1993-1997, 1,725 points) for 10th.
  • In program history she also ranks tied for third in 30-point games (seven), fifth in career free throw percentage (81.9%), seventh in career three-point field goals made (178), eighth in career scoring average (15.7 ppg), tied for ninth in career double-digit assist games (three) and 11th in career assists (423).
  • In the nation, she ranks 34th in career free throw percentage and 49th in career points.
  • For the 2022-23 season, she ranks in the nation 38th in points (451), 42nd in minutes per game (35.7), 53rd in field goals made (157), 57th in assists (111) and 97th in three-point percentage (35.9).
  • In the Big Ten she is first in minutes per game, fifth in points per game, sixth in three-point percentage, tied for sixth in three-pointers made, seventh in assists, ninth in steals (47), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.6), 14th in free throw percentage (77.5) and 19th in field goal percentage (39.1).

 
NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCHLIST

  • Leilani Kapinus has been named to the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year 2023 Watch List, the organization announced Jan. 24.
  • Kapinus is the only Big Ten player on the watchlist and one of 15 players overall.
  • She ranks fourth in the nation in steals (84) and first in the Big Ten, which is 25 more the No. 2 steals conference leader (Sydney Wood of Northwestern).
  • Averaging 3.4 steals per game, sixth nationally, she has ramped up that average to 3.6 against B1G opponents in 14 contests.
  • Overall, she has racked up at least three steals in 15 games, including eight contests with 5+: nine against Cornell, seven in the wins over Purdue and Northwestern, six versus Fresno State, Rutgers and Minnesota (at home) and five against Minnesota (in Minneapolis) and Wisconsin.
  • In addition to her steals, the guard has recorded a team-high 24 blocks, eighth-most in the Big Ten.
  • Again, her block average has increased in conference play with 1.1 per game.
  • In addition to her defense, she leads the squad in rebounds (6.4 per game), 12th in the league, and has put up 10.9 points and 2.7 assists per game and 43.9 field goal percentage.
  • Kapinus is one of two players in the nation to be averaging at least 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and one block per game (Alasia Smith of Gardner-Webb).
  • She has scored in double-figures 18 times and pulled down at least seven rebounds in 11 contests with two double-doubles.

 
A TRIO OF 1,000 POINT SCORERS

  • Johnasia Cash notched her 1,000 career point in the win over Youngstown State, becoming the third current Lady Lion to accomplish the feat (Makenna Marisa and Taniyah Thompson).
  • Cash has produced 412 combined from the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons as a Lady Lion for an average of 8.4 ppg.
  • She had 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 49th (1,695), Thompson 108th (1,430) and Cash 305th (1,071).


CASHING REBOUNDS

  • Johnasia Cash has pulled down the 17th most career rebounds (945) among active Division I players in the nation and is also 40th in double-doubles (25).
  • In her fifth season, Cash has averaged 6.9 boards per game in her career and 6.3 in her two seasons at Penn State (2020-21 and 2022-23).
  • In her first year as a Lady Lion 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. 


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 779 minutes of action as the main ballhandler after Makenna Marisa, she has committed just 57 turnovers with 64 assists.
  • She is one of three Lady Lions averaging at least double-digit points (11.3), leads the team in three-point percentage (40.2), is second in made three's (49) and averages 1.3 steals per game.
  • She is just one of two freshman in the nation to be averaging at least 2.0 three's per game with a 40.0 or better three-point percentage.
  • In the conference she's tied for ninth in made three's.

 
UP NEXT
Penn State faces RV/RV Illinois on the road Sunday at 3 p.m.