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Women’s Basketball Travels to Northwestern for Midweek Battle

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EVANSTON, Ill.- Penn State women's basketball will face Northwestern on the road for a prime time contest on Thursday, Jan. 25. Tip off in Evanston, Ill. is set for 8 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network. 
 
The Lady Lions are in search of a season sweep against the Wildcats after defeating Northwestern 95-55 on Jan. 2, 2024, at the Bryce Jordan Center. 
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs Northwestern

LAST TIME OUT

  • Penn State moved to a winning record in conference play with a gritty 82-73 win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday, Jan. 21.
  • Following a tightly contested first quarter that ended tied at 12-12, the Lady Lions pulled to a 10-point lead at halftime. 
  • The Blue and White came out hot after the break to earn a 19-point advantage heading into the final stanza.
  • The game served as the 13th 80-plus-point performance of the year for the fifth highest scoring offense in the country.
  • The Lady Lions shot 46.8% from the field while holding the Cornhuskers to just 36.8% shooting.
  • Leilani Kapinus earned four steals to lead the way for Penn State's defense. The team forced 18 Nebraska turnovers.
  • Ashley Owusu made her first start for Penn State and led the team with 20 points. Owusu is averaging 19 points per game in her first three games of the season.
  • Shay Ciezki (17) and Leilani Kapinus (13) rounded out the scorers in double-figures. 

LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS 

  • Makenna Marisa ranks 13th in the B1G in points per game and 10th in field goal percentage (47.9).
  • Shay Ciezki ranks 12th in the Big Ten, averaging 14.8 points per game. Her total of 266 points through 18 games sits at a rank of 12. Ciezki is fourth in the Big Ten and 24th nationally in made three-pointers with 49. Her 40.8 clip beyond the arc sits her fourth in the conference.
  • Leilani Kapinus is sixth in the conference in blocks per game with a 1.06 mark and second in steals (39).
  • The Lady Lions are second in the country in three-point percentage and first in the B1G, shooting 40.6%. They also rank 16th nationally and third in the conference in three-pointers per game with 8.9. The team also has the fifth highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 86.9 points per game.
  • Penn State ranks fifth in the nation and second in the conference in field goal percentage (50.7).
  • The Lady Lions also rank first in the league in steals per game (10.6), second in blocked shots per game (4.4) and first in bench points per game (27.8).
  • The Lady Lions defense forces 20.83 turnovers per game which is second in the B1G and 23rd in the nation.

2023-24 ACCOLADES

  • Ashley Owusu earned her first Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (1/22) after two standout performances against Purdue and Nebraska. She averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the week.
  • Shay Ciezki collected her first conference accolade of the season after totaling 62 points through three games including a personal best 27-point performance against Oklahoma State in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship. The Buffalo native made the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 27.
  • Marisa earned a spot on the three-person Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (11/20) after her to double digit scoring outings against Kansas (34 points) and St. John's (15 points).
  • Marisa was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List for the second consecutive season. She also earned a spot on the All-Big Ten preseason team.
  • Owusu repeats on the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award Watch List. 

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

  • Northwestern has struggled so far this season with an overall record of 7-11 and a Big Ten record of 2-5.
  • The Wildcats earned conference wins over Rutgers and Wisconsin.
  • Caileigh Walsh and Melannie Daley pace the team in scoring, averaging 12.9 and 12.7 points per game respectively.
  • Daley is ninth in the B1G in field goal percentage, shooting 48.5%. 
  • Caroline Lau ranks second in the conference with six assists per game. She checks in at 15th for assist/turnover ratio at 1.5.
  • Northwestern shoots 36.1% from three-point range, which is good for fourth in the Big Ten. 
  • The Wildcats lead the B1G and are 10th nationally in free throw percentage, shooting 79% from the charity stripe. 

PENN STATE–NORTHWESTERN SERIES

  • The Lady Lions dominate the all-time series with the Wildcats 41-12. 
  • The first meeting between the two programs was Dec. 17, 1979, a 79-74 win for Penn State.
  • The Lady Lions won the most recent matchup this season with a 95-55 victory on Jan. 2, 2024, at the Bryce Jordan Center. This game marked Penn State's largest margin of victory in a B1G game since 2013. 
  • In Evanston, Penn State has 16 wins to just seven losses against Northwestern.