MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Penn State women's basketball team dropped a tough 95-62 game to two-seed and third-ranked Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Friday night inside the Target Center.
The seventh-seeded Lady Lions made their first Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal appearance since 2014 and will now await their postseason fate with Selection Sunday set for Sunday, March 17.
Leilani Kapinus led Penn State with 19 points, while Ashley Owusu tallied 18 points and a team-best six rebounds in the Friday night battle against the Hawkeyes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Hawkeyes got out to a 10-0 lead three and a half minutes into the game to force an early Penn State timeout at the 6:33 mark. The Lady Lions responded out the timeout with a Leilani Kapinus 3-pointer and Ashley Owusu layup to immediately cut the deficit to five at 10-5 with 5:48 left on the first-quarter clock. Iowa answered right back to score 21 of the final 29 points of the quarter and take a 31-13 lead into the second term.
Second Quarter
Penn State's turned up the defensive pressure to open the second quarter as the Lady Lions got stop after stop to help fuel an 11-2 Penn State run through the first 5:46 of the term. Kapinus scored four points while Owusu, Makenna Marisa and Ali Brigham all contributed baskets to pull Penn State within single digits at 33-24. The Lady Lions held Iowa to just one field goal in the first six minutes as the Hawkeyes were 1-for-7 from the field with two turnovers in that stretch.
The Hawkeyes responded with 13 of the final 15 points of the half to take a 46-26 lead into halftime.
Third Quarter
The Lady Lions out-scored the Hawkeyes 22-19 in the third quarter as Penn State shot 50 percent (8-16) from the field during the term and held Iowa to a 35 percent (7-20) clip. The Lady Lions opened the stanza on a 15-8 streak to pull within 13 at 54-41 with 5:25 on the clock, but Iowa used a trio of triples to fuel a strong close to the quarter and take a 65-48 lead into the final frame.
Fourth Quarter
Penn State put up a fight in the final quarter, but Iowa outscored the Lady Lions 30-14 to take home the 95-62 win.
POSTGAME NOTES
Seven-seed Penn State vs. two-seed Iowa
Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament – Quarterfinals
March 8, 2024
Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.)
- The Lady Lions made their first Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal appearance since 2014.
- Leilani Kapinus tallied 19 points behind a 7-for-11 effort from the field. She added five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Ashley Owusu recorded her 15th double-digit scoring effort in 16 games played this season. She finished with 18 points and a team-best six rebounds.
- Penn State's defense held the nation's leading scorer and all-time NCAA basketball career leading scorer Caitlin Clark (32.3 ppg) to just one field goal in the first half. Clark didn't convert a field goal until the 4:50 mark of the second quarter and did not convert a three-point field goal until the fourth quarter.
- The Lady Lions held Clark to one of her lowest scoring performances of the seaon for the second time this year.
- Penn State's 19 wins, with postseason games still in play, are its most since the 2016-17 season.
UP NEXT
- Penn State now awaits its postseason fate, with Selection Sunday set for Sunday, March 17.
FOLLOW THE LADY LIONS
- Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the Lady Lion women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @PennStateWBB.