Ali Brigham’s Ability to Finish Helped Penn State Defeat Northwestern
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Junior Ali Brigham’s season-high of 19 points led the Lady Lions to a 74-64 win over the Wildcats on Thursday night during Penn State’s National Girls and Women in Sports Day game.
“I'm very excited and proud of Ali Brigham and what she was able to do,” head coach Carolyn Kieger said. “ We needed to shake things up in the starting lineup and she was a huge spark for us.”
Brigham started the game off hot. She nailed her first four shots of the game and was the only Lady Lion on the scoreboard for the first three and a half minutes of the game.
Soon after, freshman Shay Ciezki made her presence felt on the court. After Northwestern received an administrative technical foul, Ciezki sank both foul shots which gave Penn State the momentum it needed.
Leilani Kapinus, a redshirt sophomore, was another player who brought the energy to the court, especially in the paint. Kapinus earned 11 points, all either layups or free throws. She also amassed eight rebounds and seven steals.
“Our goal tonight was 40 points in the paint and we have 44, so I loved our team sharing the ball and finding Ali while she was hot” coach Kieger said.
Capinus, Brigham and Kieger all emphasize the importance of the team’s halftime discussion. “Our defense builds onto our offense, so we knew that we needed to fix our defense in the second half,” Brigham said.
With this win, Penn State aims to build on its momentum for its upcoming game against the Boilermakers.
“Everyone feels good [after this win], And we can build off of that, one win leads to another one and we are looking for more as a team,” Brigham said.
Coach Kieger explained that although Brigham’s start to the game was pivotal in Thursday’s game, the scout report and game-time matchups are the deciding factors to changing lineups.
The Lady Lions take on No. 6 Iowa for its annual Play 4 Kay Pink Zone Game on Sunday at noon.
“It’s really special to step out there and put that [pink] jersey on to represent a lot of women, especially that battled through something like [cancer],” Brigham said. “That's why we do what we do, it's something bigger than us.”
Alyssa Wagner is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email ajw6714@psu.edu.
