PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Penn State women's basketball program picked up its 1,000th all-time victory Sunday afternoon, as the Lady Lions registered a convincing 94-80 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights inside Jersey Mike's Arena. The contest also marked the Penn State debut of former Ann Meyers Drysdale award winner and two-time All-American graduate guard Ashley Owusu, who finished as the team's leading scorer in the game with 18 points.
One of the most storied program's in women's college basketball, Penn State moved to 1,000-560 all-time after its 16th game of the 2023-24 season. Beginning in 1965, the Lady Lions have accomplished a wide variety of historic achievements highlighted by a Final Four appearance in the 1999-2000 season. PSU has also brought home eight Big Ten Conference regular season championships, two Big Ten Tournament championships and 25 NCAA Tournament appearances in its storied 60 years as a varsity program.
The impressive result brings PSU's 2023-24 season record to 11-5 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten competition so far this year. In one of the longest-running active rivalries between a pair of B1G opponents, Penn State improved to 22-34 against the Scarlet Knights all-time and picked up their fifth win in Piscataway since the series began back in 1977. In defeat, Rutgers drops to 6-13 overall and moves to 0-6 in league action so far this season.
Sunday's final box score favored Penn State in practically every major statistical category, highlighted by a 56% field goal rate on the afternoon coupled with an astonishing 60% mark from beyond the 3-point arc. Penn State forced a whopping 24 Rutgers giveaways and surrendered the ball itself on just 11 occasions, one of the largest turnover disparities for the Lady Lions this season. PSU converted those chances into a 33-13 differential in points off turnovers, the key stat Sunday afternoon. The most striking disparity on the stat sheet came in the form of bench scoring, with PSU picking up a 44-11 win in the category.
Owusu led the way in her first-ever appearance in the Blue & White, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes of game action. The Woodbridge, Virginia, native was one of the most high-profile transfers during the offseason after playing three seasons and Maryland and one at Virginia Tech, landing a wide array of national accolades and acclaim in the process. Senior+ guard Makenna Marisa made her return to the starting five on Sunday and dropped 17 points with three 3-point makes, while graduate guard Tay Valladay also finished with 17 on 6-for-7 shooting with a 3-for-3 mark from long range.
Redshirt junior guard Alli Campbell shattered her season high in scoring and set a new B1G career high with 11 points in the contest, while senior forward Ali Brigham added eight points and a team-high six rebounds. All 12 members of Penn State's roster saw the floor in the game, marking the first time Penn State has seen all 12 players in a contest this year. Eleven-of-12 Lady Lions found a way to score in the game, with Chanaya Pinto, Shay Ciezki, Grace Hall, Leilani Kapinus, Moriah Murray and Jayla Oden working their way onto the box score.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Scarlet Knights struck first on the fastbreak, and the squads both exchanged misses over the next few possessions. RU drove down once again for another basket to take an early four-point lead, but a layup from Brigham assisted by Valladay put the Blue & White on the board. A blazing-quick drive from Kapinus deadlocked the contest, Valladay hit a triple on the left wing and Brigham laid it in once more to punctuate a 9-0 run and force a Scarlet Knight timeout. Out of the break, Owusu made her Penn State debut and utilized her masterful passing ability to find Ciezki through traffic for an easy bucket. Rutgers managed a couple of buckets, but a 3-pointer from Valladay and back-to-back scores from Pinto kept PSU in control. Both squads appeared to settle into the action, but the Lady Lions maintained a comfortable edge thanks to an impressive and-one from Marisa. A personal 5-0 run from Valladay closed out an impressive opening period for the Blue & White, leading 29-17.
Second Quarter
Rutgers opened the second quarter with a pair of makes at the line and a putback layup. A brilliant defensive possession forced a Scarlet Knight shot clock violation and a straight-on triple from Marisa opened PSU's scoring in the second. On the next offensive possession, an outlet pass from Brigham to Ciezki allowed the latter to find Marisa in the left corner for another three points to give PSU a 36-21 lead at the media break. Rutgers rattled off a quick 5-0 run out of the pause, but Owusu's first basket as a Lady Lion found the bottom of the net from long range straight-on. Each team exchanged baskets over the next couple of minutes, but Owusu's impressive stretch on the offensive end continued with a personal 4-0 run to give PSU its largest lead of the day at 45-30. Penn State would take its 15-point lead into the halftime intermission.
Third Quarter
Out of the halftime break, the Rutgers offense came back to life and registered a quick 5-0 start to the second half, warranting a Penn State timeout. A sweet step-back mid-range jumper from Owusu halted Rutgers' early momentum, and a brilliant lefty hook shot from Hall kept PSU's lead in double figures. Expert cutting and spectacular ball movement on the offensive end helped the Lady Lions carve up the Rutgers 3-2 zone defense, affording PSU a 56-44 advantage at the media timeout. Out of the break, Marisa scored Penn State's next eight points and helped the Lady Lions to a 16-point edge with less than two minutes in the frame. Owusu drilled yet another one of her patented mid-range step backs, but Rutgers hit a buzzer-beating triple to make it a 66-53 advantage for PSU with 10 minutes to go.
Fourth Quarter
Penn State came out of the gates in the fourth quarter with a vengeance, as Campbell an Brigham tallied back-to-back buckets to get things going early on. A cold-blooded triple on the right wing from Campbell found the bottom of the net, and a 6-0 run fueled by baskets from Brigham, Valladay and Owusu put Penn State up by a stunning 79-57 margin on the road with six minutes to play in the contest. After a Rutgers timeout, the Scarlet Knights tallied five straight points, but long-range baskets from Valladay and Ciezki kept the contest firmly in PSU's control. Rutgers cut into Penn State's lead a bit as time trickled away, but the Lady Lions ultimately came away with an impressive 94-80 result that resulted in the storied program's 1,000th all-time victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State at Rutgers
January 14, 2024
Jersey Mike's Arena (Piscataway, N.J.)
- The Penn State women's basketball team became one of 29 programs to earn 1,000 program wins.
- Ashley Owusu made her first appearance in the blue and white and scored a team high 18 points off the bench. Her 7-of-12 shooting, five rebounds, five assists and two steals made for a complete performance on both sides of the ball.
- Four Lady Lions contributed to the dominant road win including Owusu (18), Mairs (17), Valladay (17) and Campbell (11).
- Campbell recorded perfect shooting from the field, posting a mark of 4-for-4 including three from beyond the arc.
- Valladay shot near perfect as well, 6-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep.
- Alli Campbell produced her highest scoring mark in the blue and white
- Penn State shot 55.6% from the field and 60% from three-point range, which ties its highest percentage from three of the season.
- The Lady Lions scored 44 points off the bench, their highest total of the 2023-24 campaign.
- Penn State totaled 23 assists on only 11 turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Lady Lions return to Happy Valley to host Purdue on Thursday, Jan. 18. Tip off in the Bryce Jordan Center is set for 7 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
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