EVANSTON, Ill. – Senior+ guard Makenna Marisa surpassed the 2,000-point career scoring mark with a layup in the third quarter, ultimately finishing with 20 points as the Lady Lions picked up a 76-65 win over the Northwestern Wildcats Thursday night inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
One of the most decorated players in Lady Lion history, the McMurray, Pennsylvania, native Marisa finished tied for the team lead in scoring on the night with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting. She picked up her 2,000th career point at the 2:47 mark of the third quarter with a right-handed layup just outside the painted area, making her the seventh player in Penn State women's basketball history to accomplish that feat.
A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection during her time with the Blue & White, Marisa has scored 2,009 points and currently ranks seventh all-time in scoring at PSU, just 17 points behind program legend Kahadeejah Herbert. Marisa joins Iowa guard Caitlin Clark and Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes as one of just three active players in the Big Ten to surpass the 2,000-point career scoring threshold.
Thursday night's result in Evanston marked Penn State's fourth-straight Big Ten Conference victory, propelling PSU to a 14-5 overall record paired with a 5-3 mark in league play. The Lady Lions currently sit fourth in the Big Ten standings behind a trio of nationally ranked conference foes in Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State. The Blue & White picked up the series sweep against Northwestern this season, improving to 42-12 against the Wildcats in an all-time series that dates to 1979. In defeat, Northwestern drops to 7-12 and 2-6 in the conference.
Penn State managed to outshoot the home squad from the field and beyond the arc, finishing with 44% and 38% clips in each respective category. The Lady Lions forced 19 turnovers and scored 18 points off those extra chances, also booking a win in the rebounding battle with a tight 35-33 differential on the glass. Graduate guard Ashley Owusu joined Marisa with a team high-tying 20-point effort, adding seven rebounds and five assists while securing her fourth straight outing in double figures since returning to the floor against Rutgers earlier this month.
Senior forward Ali Brigham contributed eight points and six rebounds in addition to a pair of blocks, while sophomore guard Shay Ciezki battled on both ends and logged eight points with three rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. Graduate guard Tay Valladay and redshirt junior guard Leilani Kapinus poured in seven points apiece, while graduate forward Chanaya Pinto finished the night with six points and six boards to round out the seven Lady Lions in the point scoring column.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Lady Lions won the opening tip and struck first on the following possession with a quick look from Ciezki outside the arc on the left wing. Northwestern found the bottom of the net from 3-point range to tie things up early on, but a physical layup down low from Brigham put PSU up by a narrow margin. Turnover woes allowed things to stay close, but a pull-up 3-pointer from Owusu followed by a fastbreak bucket from Pinto put PSU ahead by a 13-7 margin at the media timeout. A pair of makes at the stripe followed by a pair of triples from Marisa and Valladay out of the intermission put Penn State up 21-9, forcing a Wildcat timeout. The Blue & White traded buckets with Northwestern over the remaining two minutes and ultimately took a 23-13 lead heading into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
Smooth pick-and-pop work between Owusu and Brigham opened the second period of play, as the former drained a mid-range bucket off an excellent screen. Northwestern booked a 4-0 response to cut the Lady Lion lead to eight points, but a gritty layup from Ciezki followed by a merciless block by Hall on the defensive end kept PSU in control of the momentum. Trailing 31-21 out of the media timeout, Northwestern drilled a mid-range jumper, but PSU responded with a pair of makes at the charity stripe. Back-to-back Wildcat buckets brought NU within six points of the lead, but a perfect trip to the line from Owusu preserved the Lady Lion lead. Neither team managed a successful field goal over the final two minutes of action, culminating in a 38-32 Penn State lead at the intermission.
Third Quarter
PSU took advantage of a second-chance opportunity on the opening possession of the second half with a layup from Brigham on a nice feed from Owusu. Northwestern replied with a 5-0 scoring run that included a long-range make from straight-on. Free throw exchanges over the next minute followed by a jumper inside the line allowed NU to tie the ballgame at 41-points apiece. A left corner 3-pointer from the Wildcats forced a PSU timeout, looking to halt a 7-0 Northwestern run and turn the tides after falling behind, 44-41. A personal 4-0 run from Marisa allowed Penn State to pull ahead once more, and an Owusu and-one layup extended it to a 7-0 Lady Lion run as the Blue & White took a 48-44 lead. The teams battled back and forth to a 51-51 deadlock, but Marisa cracked the 2,000-point scoring mark with a right-handed layup outside of the lane with 2:47 to play in the third to break the tie. Marisa's milestone bucket sparked a 6-0 scoring run that afforded PSU a 57-53 lead at the end of the period.
Fourth Quarter
The Wildcats opened the final quarter of action with a 5-0 scoring run to take a 58-57 lead, the fifth lead change of the evening. A brief break gave way to a left-wing 3-pointer from Marisa that saw Penn State lurch ahead once again, and Valladay helped extend the Lady Lion lead with a bucket that was aided by an excellent seal from Kapinus. NU hit a prayer of a triple from the left wing, but Kapinus snapped back with a long-range bomb of her own. A baseline drive from Ciezki paved the way for a Brigham bucket, and back-to-back daggers from Marisa and Owusu ultimately iced the game for the Blue & White. The final two minutes of competition passed without major incident, and Penn State left Welsh-Ryan Arena with a victorious 76-65 result.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State at Northwestern
January 25, 2024
Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)
- Makenna Marisa scored her 2,000th career point, a milestone only six other Lady Lions have achieved and something only 14 other active division I college basketball players have.
- Marisa surpassed Tanisha Wright in the Lady Lions record book in career points to move into the seventh spot all-time.
- Marisa posted her third 20-point-plus performance of the season.
- Owusu earned her fourth consecutive 18-plus-point performance since her return to the court.
- Owusu surpassed the double-digit point mark in the first half for the second game in a row.
- The Lady Lions held the Wildcats to 38.3% shooting from the field.
UP NEXT
The Lady Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center for a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Maryland Terrapins. Tip off in Happy Valley is set for 1 p.m.
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