UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Highlighted by a career-high-tying 34-point performance from senior+ guard Makenna Marisa, the Penn State women's basketball team register an impressive 91-85 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on Monday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lady Lions surge to 3-0 overall on the season with their third-consecutive 90-plus-point outing as a team. Penn State is off to an unbeaten start through three games for the fourth season in a row, beginning that stretch in the 2020-21 campaign with consecutive wins over Coppin State, St. Francis and Rhode Island. PSU picked up its third win against KU in the fifth all-time meeting of the two programs, last notching a victory against the Jayhawks inside Rec Hall on Dec. 16, 1995. In defeat, Kansas drops to 1-1 overall on the year after booking a 42-point victory in their season opener against Northwestern State last week.
PSU was a force to be reckoned with offensively, going 32-of-69 from the field for a .464 field goal percentage. The Lady Lions also poured in twelve 3-point baskets at an astronomical .462 clip from beyond the arc, highlighted by PSU booking 4-of-5 long-range jumpers in the fourth quarter. Penn State managed to out-rebound its opponent for the third game in a row, surpassing KU by a 40-33 margin with a 29-26 differential on the defensive glass coupled with an 11-7 lead on the offensive boards.
Four Lady Lions cracked double figures in the victory, marking the third game in a row Penn State saw at least four players score 10 points. Marisa, a native of McMurray, Pennsylvania, led the way with 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor with 4-of-6 made 3-point baskets. The veteran Lady Lion guard added in a season-high seven assists with three defensive rebounds and eight free throws made. Marisa moved into a tie for second all-time in 30-point games at Penn State with Teniya Page, booking her eighth performance of that nature.
Junior guard Jayla Oden impressed in 17 minutes off the bench, logging a season-high 14 points with a career-best four made 3-point buckets. Senior forward Ali Brigham booked 10 points with four rebounds and three blocks, her second game in a row in double figures, while sophomore guard Shay Ciezki cracked double digits for the third game in a row with 10 points, four assists and two made threes. Redshirt junior guard Leilani Kapinus and graduate forward Chanaya Pinto both finished with a team-high seven rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Kansas opened the game with a trio of transition buckets, but a Pinto layup with 6:58 remaining in the opening period stymied the Jayhawk momentum. KU returned the favor with a basket on the other end, but Oden sank a pair of 3-point baskets from the far corner to spark a 9-0 Lady Lion run that gave PSU an 11-8 edge. The Penn State defense held Kansas scoreless for over three minutes in the middle of the period before Jayhawk senior guard Wyvette Mayberry was fouled and hit a pair from the charity stripe. Both squads exchanged buckets for the remaining few minutes, with the Blue & White escaping the opening frame with a narrow 23-22 edge.
Second Quarter
KU missed its first shot of the second period and Oden responded with a trey to put PSU ahead by four. The Jayhawks found the bottom of the net with back-to-back buckets, but a Kapinus layup at the 7:59 mark followed by a pair of lay-ins from Brigham granted Penn State a 10-2 run and 38-30 advantage. The Blue & White weathered a two-minute scoring drought but maintained a steady lead that ballooned to 10 points after a Ciezki 3-pointer with 3:29 left. Marisa drilled PSU's eighth trey of the frame with 2:11 to go to build up a 14-point lead, but Kansas registered a 4-0 response to make it 49-39 in Penn State's favor. With two seconds left in the period, Marisa stole the ball in Jayhawk territory and connected on a buzzer-beating mid-range shot to give the Lady Lions a 51-39 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
The Jayhawks returned from the locker room with an attacking mindset, logging a 12-2 run to open the frame and pull within two with 6:45 on the board. After a Lady Lion timeout, Marisa gave PSU the response it was looking for with a sweet fadeaway jumper just outside the paint on the near side of the court. Neither team scored for the following 2:43, with Marisa adding two more points to the box score after a successful trip to the line. The Jayhawks dropped another 3-pointer into the bucket, but Marisa responded with back-to-back baskets to preserve a solid 62-55 lead with two minutes left in the frame. Marisa poured in Penn State's final 10 points of the period and 12-of-15 points in the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Brigham opened the final 10 minutes with a layup and Marisa found the bottom of the net from long range to surpass the 30-point threshold while guiding PSU to a 71-59 lead. A dramatic back-and-forth affair followed, with Ciezki leading the way for the Blue & White with a 3-point bucket at the 7:30 mark. PSU extended its lead to 11 points after Brigham sank a shot in the paint over 6-foot-6 Jayhawk center Taiyanna Jackson, but tension remained high with less than five minutes to play. Kansas rattled off a quick 6-2 run to pull back within seven, but a 3-pointer from Oden followed by a Kapinus layup put the Lady Lions up 12. A 3-pointer from Marisa in the right corner with 1:16 to play proved to be the dagger, lifting Penn State to an impressive 91-85 result.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State vs Kansas
November 13, 2023
Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, PA.)
Attendance: 1,938
Penn State Scoring Leader: Marisa (34)
Penn State Rebounding Leader: Kapinus (7)
Penn State Assist Leader: Marisa (7)
Team Stats:
- The Lady Lions continued their effort sharing the ball, totaling 21 assists, marking their third game with 20 or more passes.
- Penn State produced 27 bench points.
- Five Lady Lions shot 50% or over on the night.
- Penn State out-rebounded Kansas 40-33.
- The Lady Lions held Kansas to only six three-point baskets.
Individual Notes:
- Makenna Marisa matched her career high 34 points, marking her eighth career 30-point game which ties her for second all-time in the Penn State records with Teniya Page.
- Marisa shot 11-for-18 (61%) from the field going 4-for-6 from deep.
- Ali Brigham contributed 10 points, two assists and three blocks.
- Jayla Oden produced 14 points off the bench. The Illinois transfer shot perfect from deep making all three shots she took from beyond the arc.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- The Lady Lions kept Taiyanna Jackson to no offensive rebounds after totaling 184 last season and no blocks after notching 109 last season.
- Penn State held the lead for 33:03 minutes of the game.
Head Coach Carolyn Kieger Postgame Press Conference
Ali Brigham and Makenna Marisa Postgame Press Conference
UP NEXT
The Lady Lions are set for their first road contest at St. John's on Thursday, Nov. 16. Tip in Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y. is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on FloHoops.
FOLLOW THE LADY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the Lady Lion women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @PennStateWBB.