UNIVERSITY PARK – No. 13 seed Penn State women's basketball kicks off the 2023 Big Ten Tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis against No. 12 Minnesota Wednesday at 2 p.m. EST on the Big Ten Network. The winner advances to face No. 5 Michigan Thursday at approximately 3 p.m.
OPENING TIP
- Penn State closed out the regular season last Saturday with an 80-65 home loss to Michigan State.
- Starting in every contest after the first game, Shay Ciezki has produced team-bests of 2.3 three-pointers per game and 41.7 three-point percentage and averaged 11.6 points, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
- Ciezki closed the season with a hot week, pouring in 27 points with seven three's and five rebounds against Michigan State and 16 points, four three's and three assists at Purdue last Wednesday.
- 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 seventh in the nation in steals (89), 15 more than the next closest player in the Big Ten, while also averaging 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.
- Makenna Marisa leads the team in scoring (17.3 points per game), assists (4.2 per game) and in addition to 57 made three's, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
- Marisa currently ranks 10th in career scoring (1,747) in program history and needs 40 more points to move into ninth.
- She is also two rebounds from 500 in her career and can become the second Lady Lion to record 1,750 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists (Tanisha Wright, 2002-05: 1,995 points, 621 rebounds, 484 assists).
- Penn State ranks in the nation 13th in steals per game (11.1) and 33rd in turnovers forced per game (19.6).
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
- Is 11-18 overall with a 77-69 home win over Purdue last Sunday to conclude the season.
- Finished 4-14 in the Big Ten tied for 12th with Penn State and earned the No. 12 seed over the Lady Lions by beating them twice in the regular season.
- Leads the Big Ten in rebounds per game (42.0).
- Freshman guard Mara Braun leads the team in scoring (15.3 points per game), three's (54) and three-point percentage (35.1).
- Sophomore forward Alanna Micheaux has pulled down a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 14.8 points per game.
AGAINST THE GOPHERS
- Penn State leads the series, 29-25.
- Minnesota defeated Penn State twice this season, 98-96 (double overtime) in Minneapolis and then 75-67 in University Park.
- The Gophers have won the last two Big Ten Tournament matchups in 2020 (85-65) and 2017 (70-64).
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 (17.3 ppg) and assists (4.2 per game) in addition to 57 made three's and 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
- She has recorded 81 double-digit scoring games and 36 20-point games with 12 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 1,747 career points, she is 10th in school history.
- Starting this season ranked 24th, she needs 40 more to pass Alex Bentley (2010-13, 1,786 points) for ninth.
- In program history she also ranks tied for third in 30-point games (seven), fifth in career three-point field goals made (184), seventh in career free throw percentage (81.6%), eighth in career scoring average (15.6 ppg), tied for ninth in career double-digit assist games (three) and 11th in career assists (433).
- In the nation, she ranks 37th in career free throw percentage and 49th in career points.
- For the 2022-23 season, she ranks in the nation 52nd in points (503), 66th in minutes per game (35.2) and 70th in field goals made (174) and assists (121).
- In the Big Ten she is third in minutes per game, fifth in points, ninth in three-pointers made and assists, 12th in steals (49) and assist/turnover ratio (1.6), 17th in free throw percentage (77.2) and 21st in field goal percentage (38.0).
NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCHLIST
- Leilani Kapinus was 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 seventh in the nation in steals (89) and first in the Big Ten, which is 15 more the No. 2 steals conference leader (Sydney Wood of Northwestern).
- Averaging 3.1 steals per game, 10th nationally, she has maintained that average against B1G opponents.
- Overall, she has racked up at least three steals in 16 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 26 blocks, eighth-most in the Big Ten.
- Her block average increased in conference play with 1.1 per game (20 in 18 contests).
- In addition to her defense, she leads the squad in rebounds (6.7 per game), 10th in the league, and has put up 11.1 points and 2.8 assists per game and 43.0 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 21 times and pulled down at least seven rebounds in 14 contests with four double-doubles, all in Big Ten play.
- Her last double-double came in the regular season finale against Michigan State with 11 points and 14 boards (the most by a Lady Lion this year) as well as team-highs of five assists and three blocks.
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.
- The sharpshooter ranks in the nation 20th in three-point percentage (41.7) and 86th in three-pointers made (63), both team-highs.
- She is just one of two freshmen in the nation to be averaging at least 2.0 three's per game with a 40.0 or better three-point percentage.
- She has recorded the third-most three's by a freshman in program history with three more to move ahead of Kelly Mazzante (2000-01).
- Her current 41.7 three-point percentage currently is the fourth-best for a freshman as well.
- She is 18 points from tying Tanisha Wright (355, 2001-02) for the 10th-most points by a Penn State freshman.
- In the Big Ten she places third in three-point percentage and sixth in three's made.
- In 907 minutes of action as the main ballhandler after Makenna Marisa, she has committed just 63 turnovers with 72 assists.
- She is one of three Lady Lions averaging at least double-digit points (11.6) and averages 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
- Against Michigan State last Saturday, she produced the most points (27) by a Lady Lion freshman under head coach Carolyn Kieger along with career-highs of 10 field goals and seven three-pointers, tying Marisa for the most in a single-game this season and tying the Bryce Jordan record for three-point field goals made by a Lady Lion.
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 423 combined from the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons as a Lady Lion for an average of 8.0 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 (1,747), Thompson 122nd (1,445) and Cash 322nd (1,082).
CASHING REBOUNDS
- Johnasia Cash has pulled down the 20th most career rebounds (947) among active Division I players in the nation and is also 45th in double-doubles (25).
- In her fifth season, Cash has averaged 6.8 boards per game in her career and 5.9 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.
- After readjusting due to missing last season, her rebounding picked up with a three-game streak of 10+ rebounds (Bryant-11, Syracuse-12 and Toledo-10).