QUEENS, N.Y.- A 69-53 comeback win on the road at St. John's leads Penn State to a 4-0 start to the 2023-24 season. A combination of three Lady Lions in double figures including Ali Brigham's 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals, produced a second half offensive resurgence. Makenna Marisa cracked two-digit scoring for the fourth consecutive game, scoring 15 points with 13 of them coming in the second half. Chanaya Pinto rounded out the trio of PSU players with her 12 points.
The second half proved to be essential for the Lady Lions, shooting at a high mark of 60.6% from the field including 62.5% shooting from distance after a 38.5% mark in the first half. Penn State outscored the Redstorm 46-27 after the halftime break.
The senior forward from Franklin, Mass., Brigham, used her height and physicality to have a major presence on both sides of the ball. Her 7-of-11 shooting coupled with her six boards led Penn State to a dominant second half comeback. Veteran guard Marisa made a significant impact in the second half, scoring 13 of her 15 points in the final 20 minutes of the game. Her passing ability led to five assists while also collecting four rebounds. Pinto made some noise off the bench, notching her second performance in double figures with 12 on the night and 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
The Lady Lions continued to show their sharing of the ball emphasis, totaling 18 assists with 26 points of their bench full of depth. Leilani Kapinus' efforts on defense contributed three steals and three blocks and turned defense into offense for Penn State as she led her teammates to the basket with four assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Brigham scored the first points of the game after grabbing the opening tip. After the Redstorm tied it up at two with a pair of free throws, neither team could find a basket. The scoring drought was ended by Jayla Oden with 4:09 on the clock.
A 7-2 run for the St. John's offense concluded the first period of play with a 11-8 lead for the Redstorm.
Second Quarter
Kapinus scored all six points for the Lady Lions during the opening drive of the second quarter. Penn State built momentum to tie the score at 18-18 using points from Kapinus and a two-point jumper from Brigham to knot the score off a pass from Kapinus.
Moriah Murray came in to grab the lead for the Lady Lions, forcing a turnover and stealing the ball away from a player in white that had grabbed a defensive rebound. The redshirt-freshman stole the ball from behind and stepped beyond the arc to sink a three-point basket and take a 21-18 Penn State lead.
An 8-2 run led by St. John's Ber'nyah Mayo captured the lead back for the Redstorm into the halftime break with a score of 26-23.
Third Quarter
Marisa came out of the break blazing, scoring seven unanswered points to lift the Lady Lions to a 30-26 lead through the first two minutes of play.
Despite the Redstorm inching back within a single point margin, a three-point basket from Kylie Lavelle followed by a shot in the paint from Pinto extended Penn State to a 39-33 lead. Brigham and Pinto added more points to the lead with back-to-back layups.
Two baskets, one after another, closed the margin for the Redstorm but Tay Valladay silenced with a three-point basket to conclude the third quarter at a score of 46-39.
Fourth Quarter
Pinto's 5-0 run with a three-point play and two-point shot pushed the graduate student into double digit points and gave the Lady Lions a 55-46 lead. Penn State's dominance was showcased with Kapinus intercepting a pass on defense and setting up an offensive opportunity for Valladay to nail her second three-pointer of the night.
The Redstorm tried to cut the deficit but offensive presence from Marisa, Brigham and Pinto kept the Lady Lions ahead with a final score of 69-53.
POSTGAME NOTES vs. St. John's – Nov. 16, 2023
Penn State vs St. John's
11/16/2023
Carnesecca Arena (Queens, N.Y.)
Attendance: 396
Penn State Scoring Leader: Makenna Marisa (15)
Penn State Rebounding Leader: Ali Brigham / Leilani Kapinus (6)
Penn State Assist Leader: Makenna Marisa (5)
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Penn State secured its fourth consecutive victory Thursday night, picking up a 69-53 result over the St. John's Red Storm inside Carnesecca Arena.
- The Lady Lions logged a victory in their second all-time meeting against the Red Storm, improving to 2-0 against St. John's since their first meeting in 2021.
Penn State Team Notes:
- The Blue & White picked up their first true road victory since a 79-71 win over the Michigan State Spartans on the road in East Lansing on Feb. 21, 2022. Thursday night's victorious result was the largest Lady Lion road win since recording a 72-55 win over the Fordham Rams on Nov. 14, 2018.
- Penn State continues to dominate on the offensive end of the floor, booking one of the most efficient performances in recent memory. The Blue & White shot 51% from the floor while holding St. John's to 38% shooting. PSU also managed to connect on 60% of its 3-point shots while limiting the Red Storm to 21% shooting from beyond the arc.
- PSU finished the night on an absolute tear offensively, connecting on eight of its last eight field goal attempts including a pair of buckets from long range.
- The Lady Lions were dominant in the second half of play, outscoring St. John's by a 46-27 margin thanks to a 23-13 win in the third quarter followed by a 23-14 result in the final 10 minutes of work.
- Three Penn State student-athletes scored in double figures Thursday night, ensuring that at least three Lady Lions have cracked the double-digit scoring mark in all four games this year to date.
Lady Lion Individual Notes:
- Senior+ guard Makenna Marisa led the Lady Lions in scoring with 15 points while also pacing the team in assists with five dishes. The McMurray, Pennsylvania, native has scored in double figures in all four games this season.
- Marisa booked her 87th career game in double digits.
- Senior forward Ali Brigham tallied a season-high 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor.
- Brigham logged her 29th career game in double figures and 14th double-digit scoring performance as a Lady Lion.
- Graduate forward Chanaya Pinto fell one point shy of matching her career high in scoring, pouring in 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. The Maputo, Mozambique, native drained a 3-point basket in the fourth quarter and added a pair of assists and rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.
- Pinto cracked double digits on the scoreboard for just the eighth time in her collegiate career and fifth time since joining Penn State's program.
- Redshirt junior guard Leilani Kapinus finished tied for the team lead on the glass with six rebounds, adding six points, a game-high three blocks and game-high-tying trio of steals.