UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women's basketball uses second half rally to defeat Belmont 74-66 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament. Efforts from four double figure scorers including redshirt-junior guard Leilani Kapinus who posted her 1000th career point and graduate guard Ashley Owusu who earned her 500th career rebound, propelled the Lady Lions from a halftime deficit for their second straight comeback win in March. Penn State will host Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the WBIT on Thursday, March 28 at 6 p.m.
Kapinus surpassed 1,000 career points, earning her seventh consecutive double figure scoring performance with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Senior+ guard Makenna Marisa led the Lady Lions offense with 18 points to go with three assists and two steals. Owusu's 16 points marks her seventh straight game surpassing double figures and her five rebounds allowed her to reach 500 boards. Junior guard Jayla Oden rounded out the four Lady Lions above the 10-point mark with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting with three assists and two steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Penn State was on the attack from the opening tip off, scoring the first points of the game. Ali Brigham was responsible for the bucket, but the Bruins had the response with five straight points of their own to grab the 5-4 advantage. Kapinus battled her way to the basket off a pass from Makenna Marisa to bring the lead back to the home team into the media timeout.
After some back-and-forth action, Belmont sparked a 7-2 run to build a four-point deficit but two straight steals from Alli Campbell on defense allowed Owusu to score four points to knot the score at 14-14. Kapinus forced a turnover on a strong press to give the Lady Lions the final possession of the quarter but they were unable to convert, knotting the score at 14s.
Second Quarter
Belmont missed two free opportunities at the line to begin the quarter but found the basket with a layup on its next possession after a defensive stop. A three-point play allowed the Bruins to extend their advantage to five points. Kapinus chipped at the margin finding Owusu under the basket and nailing a three herself to bring PSU within three at 25-22. Belmont found five unanswered scores before the Lady Lions added points to the board using a jumper from Oden. Moriah Murray hit a shot from beyond the arc to cut the margin but the Bruins continued to push the pace, having an answer for nearly every PSU point. A block from Kylie Lavelle allowed the Lady Lions to have the last offensive possession of the half but the Bruins defense forced a turnover to end the quarter in the lead by a 32-29 margin.
Third Quarter
A loud three from Shay Ciezki opened the second half scoring, tying the score at 32-32. The PSU press was in full effect, forcing a turnover and allowing the Lady Lions to score six straight points to grab the lead back. The Bruins finally got on the board using a three pointer with over two minutes of game time already played. A trip to the charity stripe allowed Belmont to tie the score once again at 36-36 and then pushed back in front with a shot behind the arc.
A 7-0 run led by Oden with three points allowed the home team to jump in front again by a 48-41 margin. Again, the PSU press forced a turnover allowing for the steady offensive possession and pushed Belmont into a timeout. The stretch was silenced by a trip to the free throw line for the Bruins but Makenna Marisa had the answer with a three pointer to extend the margin to eight points. Belmont managed to push two more points across to hang the third quarter score at 51-45.
Fourth Quarter
Marisa got the scoring going in the fourth stanza, extending the PSU advantage to eight points. Belmont was awarded a three-point play to cut the deficit. A sequence of consecutive offense drawn from a forced turnover with the Penn State press created five straight PSU points using a three pointer from Marisa and a driving layup off the turnover forced from Owusu to jump to a 60-51 lead.
A 8-2 stretch for the Bruins allowed them to creep within three points, but a big three pointer and another open layup from Chanaya Pinto pushed the cushion back to six points at a score of 69-63 with under two minutes to play. In the final minute the Bruins laid in two points to make it a four-point game and a foul sent Pinto to the line for a pair of free shots where she sank one of two. Despite the Bruins getting one more free throws across, the Lady Lions earned two sets of free throws to close the game at 74-66.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State vs. Belmont
March 25, 2024
Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.)
- Penn State earned its 21st win of the season, its highest win total since 2016-17.
- Penn State advances to the quarterfinals of the WBIT, its first time reaching the quarterfinals of an NCAA Invitation Tournament since 2016-17.
- Four Lady Lions scored in double figures: Marisa (18), Owusus (16), Kapinus (11) and Oden (10).
- Ashley Owusu scored in double figures for the 17th time this season and seventh time in a row.
- Kapinus reached 10 points for the seventh straight time to notch her 1000th career point.
- Owusu picked up her 500th career rebound.
- There were six ties and 10 lead changes throughout the game.
- Penn State forced 20 total turnovers.
- Penn State's defense forced four turnovers on the press off the inbound in its front court.
Head Coach Carolyn Kieger Postgame Press Conference
Leilani Kapinus and Makenna Marisa Postgame Press Conference
UP NEXT
The Lady Lions host two-seeded Mississippi State on Thursday, March 28 at 6 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the WBIT.
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