UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women's basketball loses a tough home game to Illinois with a 86-71 final score. The Lady Lions were unable to slow down the Fighting Illini in the second half, ultimately leading to the end result. Penn State falls to 16-9, 7-7 Big Ten while Illinois moves to 12-12, 6-8 Big Ten.
Despite the loss, two Lady Lions surpassed significant milestones. Senior+ Makenna Marisa became the only Penn State player in program history to play in 135 contests wearing the blue & white. Graduate student Ashley Owusu also notched a landmark in her career, surpassing 500 assists.
Three Lady Lions scored in double figures. Owusu hit her 10th consecutive game with 10 points or more while also posting five rebounds and four assists. Marisa totaled 14 points on four-of-nine shooting from the field. She also added five rebounds and two assists. Senior Ali Brigham rounded out the players in double digits with 10 points and five boards. The forward from Franklin, Mass. Shot a perfect four-of-four from the field.
Penn State as a team outrebounded the Fighting Illini by a 36-30 margin. They also compiled 30 points off the bench from subs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Illinois managed to grab the opening tip and sink the first basket of the night, but Ali Brigham responded on the opposite end, pulling down the offensive rebound and pushing her way to the rim. After a back-and-forth session on both sides of the court, Leilani Kapinus forced a turnover and hustled to the basket for an easy layup. Owusu's turnaround jumper acted as a response to a two-point basket for the Fighting Illini to make the score 8-4 before a pair of free throws for the team in orange. Kapinus' relentless defense kept the ball with the Lady Lions but two missed three-point opportunities for the home team and one made by the visitors hung the score at 10-9 in favor of the Lady Lions into the media timeout.
Back-to-back three pointers for the Fighting Illini gave them the edge but a three-point play resulting from an Illinois foul gave PSU the chance to tie the score. The ensuing free throw was missed by the blue & white maintained possession and Marisa knocked down a shot beyond the arc to take the lead back. A 10-2 run for Penn State led by Marisa led to the final minute of the quarter but the Fighting Illini put up four points to close the score at 22-21, a one-point edge for the Lady Lions.
Second Quarter
Owusu forced her way into the paint with a physical bucket to open the frame's scoring for Penn State. She came back with a 3-pointer to push the Lady Lions to a 27-26 lead. Penn State surrendered an 8-0 run, trailing by seven at the under-five timeout. Brigham snapped Illinois' run with a tip-in off an offensive rebound. Pinto cashed a three to bring the Blue & White within four with under two minutes in the period. Murray splashed a 3-pointer as time expired to make the score 38-35 in favor of Illinois at the half.
Third Quarter
The Lady Lions opened the third stanza with fire, scoring back-to-back layups out of the hands of Kapinus and Brigham to push ahead by one but a jumper from the Fighting Illini quickly silenced the surge. Persistent defense from Kapinus again kept the ball on the PSU offensive end, grabbing two offensive rebounds, allowing Ciezki to sink a three-point basket to knot the score. A six-point run for Illinois was unanswered by the Lady Lions until Owusu stepped to the charity stripe for two shots to cut the lead to 48-44. Illinois made two 3-pointers en route to their first double-digit lead of the night. The Fighting Illini drove in for a layup to beat the buzzer and take a 62-51 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Ciezki and Campbell earned layups to score Penn State's first points in the final period. Illinois pushed their lead to 69-55, forcing a Lady Lion timeout. Murray made her third 3-pointer of the game before the media timeout, but the Blue & White trailed 71-58. The Fighting Illini were able to extend their lead to as much as 20 points with three minutes to go. The Lady Lions never quit, but were unable to complete the comeback, falling 86-71.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State vs. Illinois
February 15, 2024
Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.)
- Ashley Owusu surpassed 500 career assists with her four in tonight's game.
- Makenna Marisa has now played in the most games of any Lady Lion in program history.
- Owusu notched her 10th consecutive game in double figures.
- Three Lady Lions surpassed the double-digit mark: Owusu (15), Marisa (14). And Brigham (10).
- Brigham shot a perfect four-of-four from the field.
- There were 10 lead changes and three tie scores throughout the contest.
- Penn State outrebounded Illinois 36-30.
UP NEXT
The Lady Lions square off against the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday, Feb. 18 for the second time this season. Penn State will travel to College Park for a 1 p.m. tip time.
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