Game Grades: Penn State Women’s Basketball vs. Indiana

Story posted December 9, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Micheal Bolger

The Lady Lions fell to No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers 67-58 on Thursday night and now have a 0-2 record against conference teams.

After having a decent lead coming out of the first half, Penn State got outscored 49-21 in the second half while going 0-for-11 from the three point range.

Offense: C+

The Lady Lions struggled throughout the ACC/Big Ten Challenge to keep a consistent offense and that continued in this one. In past games, they had a hard time getting the offense going in the first half, this time they had a great first half but then fell asleep in the second half.

The majority of the first half points were driven by four clutch 3-point shots and points off of Indiana turnovers. Leilani Kapinus, Makenna Marisa and Alexa Williamson ended the night with a combined 37 points.

The second half the Penn State offense went 7-for-9 from the foul line and 11-for-27 from the field. The Lady Lions turned the ball over six times and trailed as much as 15 points at some points throughout the game.

Defense: B

The defense held its own in the first half, forcing 12 turnovers and holding Indiana to 26 points. After an impressive stand in the opening half it would all come tumbling down as the game progressed.

Penn State held the Hoosiers to 14 points within the paint in the first two quarters. Indiana then pushed the paint and beat Penn State underneath the net to score 24 points at the end of the game.

The Lady Lions couldn’t duplicate the turnovers that they forced in the first half which led to more opportunities around the basket. The defense looked a little fatigued in the final minutes of the game but still fought through it and tried to give their team a chance to get back in the game.

Coaching: B-

Head coach Carolyn Kieger and the rest of the Penn State coaching staff held their own against a top-five team in the country. The defensive scheme in the first half worked extremely well but the adjustments to match Indiana’s offense in the second half didn’t work as well.

The staff kept their starters out on the court for the majority of the game, with Pinto getting 17 minutes which was the most off the bench. Taniyah Thompson played one minute, Johnasia Cash only got three minutes while Anna Camden and Ali Brigham got seven minutes each.

The blue and white fall to 7-3 on the season and are now on a three game losing streak since entering ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Penn State will take on West Virginia on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center.


Micheal Bolger is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mpb6233@psu.edu.