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Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics

Women’s Basketball Hosts Michigan in 18th Annual Pink Zone Game

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women's basketball welcomes the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, Feb. 3 for its annual Pink Zone game. The contest will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network with a tip off time of 6 p.m.
 
The Lady Lions look for their seventh straight win as they take on the Wolverines. Penn State has not won seven consecutive B1G games since Jan. 3 to Jan. 27 in 2013.
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs Michigan

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

  • PARKING: Parking for all athletic events requires a valid university permit or payment of an applicable parking fee. Parking can be purchased in advance by 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each game using Prepaid ParkMobile for $5.50, or can be purchased on game day for $10. Parking for men's basketball can be found at Jordan East, Stadium West, or Porter North lots.
  • MOBILE TICKETING: 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 updated Penn State Athletics App downloaded on your phone to easily access and manage your mobile tickets. Download the app on the App Storeand Google Play.
  • CLEAR BAG POLICY: The Bryce Jordan Center has a clear bag policy. 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, as well as one-gallon clear plastic freezer bags. 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.

PINK ZONE

  • The Lady Lions became the first division I program in the country to wear pink uniform in support of breast cancer awareness on Feb. 4, 2007.
  • Penn State's Pink Zone game began in 2007 when the Big Ten granted Penn State women's basketball one game for a community outreach effort. The Lady Lions hosted and defeated the Wisconsin Badgers and raised more than $20,000 through t-shirt and ticket sales. 
  • The Lady Lions recorded a record number of survivors with 698 in attendance to their 2014 Pink Zone game and hit a record fundraising mark of $310,000.
  • PA Pink Zone has honored over 5,200 survivors in Penn State throughout its 16 years of existence.
  • $3.2 million has been raised in the fight against breast cancer since 2017.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Penn State women's basketball earned its sixth straight win, all of which have been conference games, with a 80-64 final at Minnesota. The Lady Lions have not won six consecutive Big Ten games since Jan. 16 to Feb. 2, 2014.
  • The team continues its best start to a season through 21 games since the 2013-14 campaign when they were 17-4 and 8-2 through 10 B1G games.
  • Owusu became the second Lady Lion this season to earn a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. This was the sixth of her career.
  • Four Penn State players scored in double figures: Ciezki (18), Owusu (17), Kapinus (16) and Marisa (13).
  • Sophomore guard Ciezki led all scoring with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. She contributed four shots from long range.
  • Kapinus was effective on both sides of the court, shooting a 6-of-9 clip from the field and racking up six boards, two blocks and two steals. 
  • The Lady Lions scored double digit three pointers for the second consecutive game with 11 on the evening. 
  • This scoring outing marked Penn State's 15th performance of 80-plus-points out of its 21 contests.
  • The Lady Lions never conceded the lead after holding Minnesota scoreless through the first three minutes of the game. 

LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS 

  • Makenna Marisa ranks 10th in the B1G in points per game and 8th in field goal percentage (50.5).
  • Shay Ciezki ranks 16th in the Big Ten, averaging 14.3 points per game. Her total of 300 points through 21 games sits at a rank of 13. Ciezki is fourth in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally in made three-pointers with 56. Her 40.6 clip beyond the arc sits her 4th in the conference.
  • Leilani Kapinus is 5th in the conference in blocks per game with a 1.14 mark and 2nd in steals (46).
  • The Lady Lions are second in the country in three-point percentage and first in the B1G, shooting 41.4%. They also rank 7th nationally and 2nd in the conference in three-pointers per game with 9.3. The team also has the 5th highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 87.2 points per game.
  • Penn State ranks 4th in the nation and 2nd in the conference in field goal percentage (50.9).
  • The Lady Lions also rank first in the league in steals per game (10.3), second in blocked shots per game (4.3) and 1st in bench points per game (27.4).
  • Penn State's defense forces 20.19 turnovers per game which is second in the B1G and 30th in the nation.

2023-24 ACCOLADES

  • Ashley Owusu was named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (1/22) after averaging 19.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two of Penn State's B1G wins.
  • 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 WOLVERINES

  • After making a run in the 2022-23 NCAA Tournament to the second round and losing to LSU, the Wolverines are on a two-game slide as of recent.
  • Michigan holds a 14-8 overall record but sits .500 in the conference with five wins and five losses. 
  • They look to bounce back from two-straight Big Ten losses to Illinois and Michigan State. The Wolverines have also dropped games to Nebraska, Indiana and Minnesota. Their B1G wins come over Maryland, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wisconsin and Illinois.
  • Two players are averaging double digit scoring. Laila Phelia leads the team with a 16.0 ppg average and Lauren Hansen scores 11.5 on average.
  • Michigan ranks at the top of the league in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 60.7 points per game but in turn rank 10th in scoring offense, only managing 69.3 points per game.

PENN STATE –MICHIGAN SERIES

  • Penn State owns the all-time series with the Wolverines by a 32-20 margin.
  • The meetings between the two squads date back to March 8, 1992.
  • Michigan is on an eight-game winning streak against the Lady Lions, beginning in 2017.
  • Penn State is 17-6 in games played in Happy Valley and 15-6 in games played in the Bryce Jordan Center specifically.