Penn State Women’s Basketball Week Preview: Nov. 14
The Lady Lions had an impressive week one, picking up good wins over Norfolk State and Fairfield. Head coach Carolyn Kieger’s squad looks to keep it going this week with two more games in the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lady Lions start their week with a matchup against Youngstown State on Tuesday night. Penn State will rely heavily on its star guard Makenna Marisa, who has been special in the early going.
Marisa recorded a double-double in each of the first two games of the season, and has been dominant for Penn State. Marisa is averaging 19 points, 7.5 rebounds and seven assists through two games, and has been the catalyst for the Penn State offense.
The Lady Lions need to be ready on Tuesday as the Penguins bring in a talented offense led by forward Lilly Ritz. Ritz recorded 27 points and 20 rebounds in the Penguins’ season-opening win over Wofford, and was an efficient 62.5% from the field.
Ritz is joined by senior Paige Shy in the front court, who added 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in their season opener. Shy and Ritz are anchors in the middle for a Penguins team that won 24 games in 2021-22, and will be a tough test for Penn State bigs Anna Camden and Alexa Williamson.
After the test from the Penguins, the Lady Lions will welcome Bryant to the BJC on Friday night. The Bulldogs travel to Pittsburgh on Wednesday and finish their trip to Pennsylvania against the Lady Lions.
The Bulldogs have a very prolific offense that averages 90.5 points per game on a very efficient 49.5 field goal percentage. A key reason for the offensive production is junior guard Megan Bodziony, who averages 14.5 points per game on very efficient shooting numbers.
Along with Bodziony is senior guard Alana Perkins, who has been a spark off the Bulldogs bench all season. Perkins adds 16 points per game off the bench while shooting 76.9% from the field and 87.5% from three.
This offense will be a great test for a Penn State defense that has been great at forcing turnovers in its first two games. The Lady Lions have forced 49 turnovers in 2022-23, a large part due to sophomore guard Leilani Kapinus, who’s averaging five steals per game.
Kapinus came into the 2022-23 season as one of the best defenders on Penn State’s roster, and has lived up to that praise through two games.
Along with the great perimeter defense has been strong performances on the interior, led by Temple transfer Alexa Williamson. Williamson has been a perfect fit in the early part of the season, averaging 11 points and four rebounds per game on an impressive 62.5% shooting.
The Lady Lions lacked the consistent forward play last season, but Williamson has added that part of the game to help increase the potential of this Penn State team.
Penn State looked good enough to get to 2-0, but needs to protect the ball in these upcoming contests against Youngstown State and Bryant. The Lady Lions are averaging an alarming 22.5 turnovers per game through their first two contests, and have just been very sloppy with the basketball.
If Penn State wants to accomplish its goals in 2022-23, they will need to limit the turnovers, which will also allow for the Lady Lions to get more opportunities for Marisa and Williamson to punish opposing defenses.
The Lady Lions are 2-0, and will look to continue their hot start to the year with Youngstown State and Bryant this week.
Adam Sheetz is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.
