Game Grades: Penn State Women’s Basketball vs. Wisconsin
Penn State managed to snap a three-game losing streak on Sunday following a 74-69 win against Wisconsin.
The Lady Lions pulled off the victory at the Bryce Jordan Center to move to 12-8 on the season.
Here’s a look at how each group performed in the win.
Offense: A-
The Lady Lions scored its highest point total since Dec. 30 against Rutgers which was five games ago.
Senior guard Taniyah Thompson was a big part of that performance with a breakout 27-point game with a large portion of that coming in the fourth quarter.
Thompson’s heroics were a huge part of the Lady Lions hot stroke in that final quarter hitting all but three shots which included three 3-pointers.
Senior guard Makenna Marisa was the only other double-digit scorer putting up 15-points of her own.
Standout freshman guard Shay Ciezki did have a quiet game, however with just nine points in 40 minutes which ended a stretch of three consecutive double-digit scoring outings.
The Lady Lions did turn the ball over 14 times and missed five free throws on the night but that didn’t affect the win column at the end of the day…
Defense: A+
And this is why.
The Lady Lions struggled for the first few minutes of the game and after a timeout decided to switch to a full court press which worked wonders the rest of the way.
In total, the Lady Lions forced 25 turnovers with Marisa and redshirt-sophomore guard Leilani Kapinus each swiping five steals.
Kapinus, a Madison native, also added two blocks to what was a strong defensive effort.
The press continued to interrupt the Badgers as they tried and failed to control the 3-point line.
Wisconsin attempted 22 shots from beyond the arc while making nine of them which doesn’t fully tell the story.
The Lady Lions had a hot fourth quarter which was already discussed while the Badgers were ice cold, especially from deep. Out of seven attempted 3-pointers, the Badgers only made one as the Lady Lions pulled away with the victory.
Coaching: A
The turnover differential is the big stat here as Carolyn Kieger’s Lady Lions dominated in that category.
Penn State seemed to never lose control in what was a tight Big Ten defensive battle.
Kieger stuck with the hot hand in Thompson and it paid off especially late in the contest with the Badgers making a late push.
The Badgers did manage to make over half of their shots in both the first and third quarters but the Lady Lions kept at it bay for win number 12 on the season.
That total is now the most for Penn State under Kieger in a season during her four-year tenure as the Lady Lions’ coach.
Penn State now begins a two-game road trip on Thursday against Rutgers. The Lady Lions have yet to win a road game this season.
Logan Bourandas is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
