Women’s Basketball Concludes Two-Game Road Stint at Wisconsin

MADISON, Wisc.- Penn State women’s basketball travels to Madison, Wisc. to take on the Badgers on Sunday, Feb. 11. Tip off in Kohl Center is set for 3 p.m. ET as Wisconsin hosts its annual Play4Kay game.
 
Penn State (16-7, 7-5 Big Ten) looks to bounce back from two consecutive losses including one road contest at no. 2 Iowa on Thursday (2/8). The Badgers will also look to snap a losing streak of their own, dropping games to Ohio State and Northwestern.
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs Wiscosin

• Date: Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Madison, Wisc. | Venue: Kohl Center
• Live Stats | Watch: B1G+ | Notes | Radio
• Admission: Ticketed 

LAST TIME OUT

• Despite holding the advantage after the first quarter, Penn State could not battle back from the deficit Iowa created throughout the remaining stanzas. 
• The final score of the high-scoring contest was 111-93 making the all-time series narrower at a 29-28 margin.
• The Lady Lions held the 2022-23 National Player of the Year below her season average point total, only allowing 27 points from Caitlin Clark and also forced a career high 12 turnovers on the senior guard. 
• Penn State totaled 93 points, its 10th game surpassing the 90-point mark. This is the second highest point total scored on the Hawkeyes this season. 
• Four Lady Lions surpassed the double-digit mark. Ashley Owusu scored 18 points, her eighth straight came posting double digit scoring. Leilani Kapinus scored 12 points her 11th time, Makenna Marisa for the 15th time and Alli Campbell for the second time.
• Kapinus also notched her second double-double in back-to-back games with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
• Penn State shot 40 three-point field goals, breaking the all-time record for three-point attempts in a single-game in program history. 

LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS 

• Makenna Marisa ranks 13th in the B1G in points per game and 9th in field goal percentage (50.0).
• Shay Ciezki ranks 18th in the Big Ten, averaging 14.2 points per game. Ciezki is fourth in the Big Ten and 30th nationally in made three-pointers with 59. 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 1.17 mark and 2nd in steals (51).
• The Lady Lions are 3rd in the country in three-point percentage and first in the B1G, shooting 40.4%. They also rank 11th nationally and 3rd in the conference in three-pointers per game with 9.3. The team also has the 5th highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 87.0 points per game.
• Penn State ranks 5th in the nation and 3rd in the conference in field goal percentage (50.0).
• The Lady Lions also rank 2nd in the league in steals per game (10.0), 2nd in blocked shots per game (4.3) and 1st in bench points per game (27.0).
• Penn State’s defense forces 19.74 turnovers per game which is second in the B1G and 39th 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 BADGERS 

• Wisconsin is on a two-game slide, dropping games to Northwestern and Ohio State. 
• They sit 11th in the conference with their 10-11 overall record and 3-8 conference record.
• The Badgers have B1G wins over Rutgers, Minnesota and Illinois. 
• Sophomore Serah Williams has had a breakout season, leading the team in several major statistical categories. She was recently named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. She is the top blocker in the Big Ten and ranks 5th nationally in blockers per game. Williams also rebounds at a high-level averaging 10.4 per game to lead the B1G and rank 19th in the country. 
• On Jan. 29, Williams and Tessa Grady swept Big Ten weekly awards with Williams tabbed as the Player of the Week and Grady being awarded Freshman of the Week. 
• Two Badgers average double figure scoring: Williams at a 17.5 clip and Ronnie Porter with 10.1 per game.

PENN STATE –WISCONSIN SERIES

• Penn State leads the all-time series with the Badgers by a 35-17 clip.
• The two programs first met on February 2, 1992 in Rec Hall in Happy Valley. Penn State was victorious in the match up with a 86-75 final score.
• The Lady Lions won the most recent meeting 74-69 on January 22, 2023 in Happy Valley. 
• Penn State is 11-13 in games played in Madison and haven’t taken down the Badgers on their home court since Jan. 24, 2019.