Lady Lions Face No. 2 Iowa in B1G Road Test on ThursdayLady Lions Face No. 2 Iowa in B1G Road Test on Thursday

Lady Lions Face No. 2 Iowa in B1G Road Test on Thursday

Opens in a new window Watch Opens in a new window Live Stats Opens in a new window Listen Opens in a new window Tickets Opens in a new window Notes

IOWA CITY, Iowa- Penn State women's basketball travels for its toughest road contest yet, taking on the no. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City on Thursday, Feb. 8. Tip off in Carver-Hawkeye Arena is set for a 9 p.m. tip off on the Big Ten Network.
 
The Lady Lions (16-6, 7-4 Big Ten) look to bounce back from a tight loss to Michigan on Saturday while the Hawkeyes (21-2, 10-1 Big Ten) attempt to continue a three-game win streak as they climb the national ranks.
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs no. 2 Iowa

LAST TIME OUT

  • Penn State women's basketball rallied from as much as an 18-point deficit, but ultimately fell to Michigan 80-75 on Saturday.
  • The Lady Lions moved to 16-6 overall and 7-4 in the Big Ten.
  • Four Penn State players scored in double figures: Owusu (18), Kapinus (15), Ciezki (13) and Marisa (11).
  • Ashley Owusu reached the 1,500 point mark with an 18-point performance. 
  • Kapinus earned a double-double with 15 points, on 7-11 shooting, and 10 rebounds. She added three steals on the defensive end.
  • The Lady Lions shot 50.9% from the field, their 10th time this season shooting over 50% in a game.
  • The Lady Lions honored breast cancer survivors as the game was hosted by Pink Zone. Penn State welcomed its largest crowd of the season at 4,745 fans and over 200 survivors in attendance.
  • Earlier in the week, Penn State earned its sixth straight at the time Big Ten win at Minnesota with a 80-74 final score. 
  • Owusu notched her first double-double as a Lady Lion and seventh of her career with 17 points and 11 rebounds. 

LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS 

  • Makenna Marisa ranks 11th in the B1G in points per game and 8th in field goal percentage (50.0).
  • Shay Ciezki ranks 16th in the Big Ten, averaging 14.2 points per game. Her total of 313 points through 22 games sits at a rank of 13. Ciezki is fourth in the Big Ten and 28th nationally in made three-pointers with 57. Her 40.4 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 (49).
  • The Lady Lions are second in the country in three-point percentage and first in the B1G, shooting 41.1%. They also rank 11th nationally and 3rd in the conference in three-pointers per game with 9.1. The team also has the 5th highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 86.7 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 2nd in the league in steals per game (10.0), 2nd in blocked shots per game (4.3) and 2nd in bench points per game (26.6).
  • Penn State's defense forces 19.86 turnovers per game which is second in the B1G and 34th 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. She repeated on the list on 2/6 after averaging 17.5 points, eight rebounds and four assists in two games while tallying her 1,500th career point.
  • 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 11/27.
  • 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 found herself on the honor roll again on 1/29 after surpassing 2,000 career 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 HAWKEYES 

  • Iowa is coming off a 2022-23 season where they finished as the national runner-up in the NCAA Tournament before falling to LSU in the national championship. 
  • The Hawkeyes sit at No. 2 in the rankings with an impressive 21-2 (10-1 Big Ten) record.
  • The team is on a three-game win streak with their most recent win coming against Maryland on Saturday.
  • Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year, leads the country in both points (32.4) and assists (7.9) per game. Clark is the second all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball history, only 66 points shy of surpassing the all-time record.
  • In addition to Clark, Hannah Stuelke and Kate Martin average double figures with 12.7 and 12.5 points per game respectively.
  • Iowa leads the country in scoring offense, averaging 91.9 points per game. 

PENN STATE –IOWA SERIES

  • Penn State leads the all-time series with the Hawkeyes by a 29-27 margin.
  • The two programs first met on Jan. 2, 1985, a 87-47 win for the Lady Lions in Happy Valley.
  • Iowa is on an eight-game winning streak against the Lady Lions, with the last Penn State win coming on Jan. 3, 2017.
  • In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes hold a 16-10 advantage.