UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State women's basketball faces No. 6/6 Iowa in the 17th annual Play4Kay Benefitting Pink Zone and Alumni Day Sunday at noon at Bryce Jordan Center on the Big Ten Network.
PLAY4KAY GAME BENEFITING PINK ZONE
- Pink Zone and Lady Lions Basketball are a unified force in the fight against breast cancer on the court, across campus and within communities. Pink Zone promotes cancer awareness and empowers survivors through year-long efforts to raise funds critical in supporting vital breast cancer organizations, charities and facilities that focus on breast cancer education, research, diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
- The Lady Lions own a 7-9 record in the Play4Kay game benefiting Pink Zone, including a five-game winning streak from 2010-14.
- Penn State was the first team in the NCAA to don pink uniforms, debuting the threads on Feb. 4, 2007 against Wisconsin at the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The Lady Lion program has been honored as the Play4Kay Division I initiative winner twice in program history, winning the award in 2013 and 2014.
- Pink Zone at Penn State has raised more than $3.2 million in funds over its 16 years, including a record $310,000 in 2014.
- The event began in 2007 with $20,490 raised and 31 cancer survivors in attendance and has grown into an event that has raised over $200,000 in seven of the last eight years and honored 5,000+ survivors.
- Pink Zone's six beneficiaries include: Mount Nittany Health Foundation, Penn State Cancer Institute, Kay Yow Foundation, PA Breast Cancer Coalition, Penn Highlands Healthcare and Geisinger.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙋𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙕𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩?#UnleashThePRIDE pic.twitter.com/eYgK7yH2Yk
— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) February 3, 2023
GAMEDAY INFO
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.
SCOUTING IOWA
- Is 18-4 overall and 11-1 for second place in the Big Ten standings with a seven-game winning streak.
- Leads the nation in scoring offense (87.7 points per game) and ranks second in assists per game (20.5), third in field goal percentage (50.1), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5), seventh in free throws made per game (16.5), ninth in defensive rebounds pr game (30.9) and 18th in three-pointers made per game (8.5).
- Junior guard Caitlin Clark leads the nation in triple-doubles (two) and made free throws (155) and is second in assists per game (7.9), points per game (27.8) and third in three's (72).
- Fifth-year forward/center Monika Czinano ranks third in field goal percentage (67.2) and averages 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
AGAINST THE WILDCATS
- Penn State leads the series, 29-26.
- The Lady Lions have gone 16-9 against the Hawkeyes in University Park.
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 (18.3 ppg), assists (4.3 per game) and made three's (50) in addition to 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
- She has recorded 77 double-digit scoring games and 34 20-point games with nine 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 1,664 career points, she is 11th in school history.
- Starting this season ranked 24th, she needs 62 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 (82.5%), seventh in career three-point field goals made (177), eighth in career scoring average (15.7 ppg), tied for ninth in career double-digit assist games (three) and 12th in career assists (412).
- In the nation, she ranks 28th in career free throw percentage and 47th in career points.
- For the 2022-23 season, she ranks in the nation 25th in points (420), 37th in points per game, 40th in made field goals (147), 47th in minutes per game (35.4), 50th in assists (100), 65th in steals (47), 79th in three-pointers made (50) and 84th in three-point percentage (37.6).
- In the Big Ten she is first in minutes per game, third in points, fourth in steals, fifth in three-point percentage, sixth in assists and three-pointers, 12th in free throw percentage (79.2) and 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.6) and 20th in field goal percentage (39.5).
- In the win over Rutgers, she produced a game-high 32 points with four made three-pointers and six free throws in addition to five rebounds.
- In the home win over Purdue, she produced 24 points, eight boards and six dimes and went 3-6 from three.
- At Drexel in the second to last game played, she notched one of the best games in her career, pouring in 28 points off 10-16 shooting from the field, including tying a career-high seven made three's, along with five assists, three boards and a steal.
- In the Big Ten-opener at Minnesota she recorded one of the best games as a Lady Lion, recording a career-high 34 points (13-21 from the field, seven three-pointers, six assists, two blocks and two steals.
- In the program's largest comeback against Syracuse, she produced 22 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, eight rebounds and seven assists.
- 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.
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 last Tuesday.
- Kapinus is the only Big Ten player on the watchlist and one of 15 players overall.
- She ranks third in the nation in steals (82) and first in the Big Ten, which is 32 more the No. 2 steals conference leader (Sydney Wood of Northwestern).
- Averaging 3.4 steals per game, fourth nationally, she has ramped up that average to 4.1 against B1G opponents in 12 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 22 blocks, tied for 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 (6.3 per game), tied for 13th in the league, and has put up 11.0 points and 2.7 assists per game and 44.9 field goal percentage.
- She has scored in double-figures 16 times and pulled down at least seven rebounds in 10 contests.
- In the win over Northwestern, she racked up 11 points, eight boards, seven steals and three blocks.
- Against Minnesota, she put up 10 boards, eight points and six steals.
- She produced her first double-double of the season in the win over Purdue with 17 points and 12 rebounds along with a game-high seven steals and four assists.
- She racked up nine steals in the win over Fairfield along with 11 points and eight boards.
- In the win over Youngstown State, she nearly produced a double-double with 21 points and nine boards along with five assists and four steals.
- Against Fresno State, she produced 12 points, six steals and five assists.
- She notched 18 points on 8-10 shooting from the field and had five steals and four assists.
- Making all five free throws, she got 15 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals in the win over West Virginia.
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 410 combined from the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons as a Lady Lion for an average of 8.7 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 47th (1,664), Thompson 102nd (1,414) and Cash 279th (1,069).
CASHING REBOUNDS
- Johnasia Cash has pulled down the 17th most career rebounds (943) among active Division I players in the nation and is also 38th in double-doubles (25).
- In her fifth season, Cash has averaged 7.0 boards per game in her career and 6.5 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).
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 700 minutes of action as the main ballhandler after Marisa, she has committed just 53 turnovers with 61 assists.
- She is one of three Lady Lions averaging at least double-digit points (11.4), leads the team in three-point percentage (39.4), is second in made three's (43) and averages 1.3 steals per game.
- In the conference she's tied for ninth in made three's and tied for 23rd in assists.
- At then-No. 12/9 Iowa, she led the team in points (20), rebounds (seven) and assists (three).
- At then-No. 14/19 Michigan, she notched career highs in points (21), field goals (eight) and three-pointers (five) along with four assists.
- She became just the second Lady Lions' freshman since the 2009-10 season with 20+ points, 5+ three's and 4+ assists in a Big Ten game (Maddie Burke: 20 points, six three's and four assists at Iowa, Feb. 19, 2021).
- 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.
- She notched a career-high six assists along with 14 points and four three-pointers in the win over West Virginia.
UP NEXT
Penn State goes back on the road to face Michigan State next Sunday at 3 p.m.