Lady Lions Earn 93-88 Gritty Road Win at Purdue

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: February 28, 2024

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Courtesy of GoPSU Athletics
WEST FAFAYETTE, Ind.- Penn State women’s basketball earns a gritty 93-88 win at Purdue to sweep the season series with the Boilermakers and earn its 17^th win of the year. The Lady Lions used five double figure scorers and 56.1% shooting from the field to pick up their fifth road win of the year.

Graduate guard Ashley Owusu led the offensive charge with 23 points, her second straight game surpassing 20 or more. Senior+ Makenna Marisa produced 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Junior Jayla Odenreached double digit scoring with 15 points including nine of them coming from distance. Redshirt junior Leilani Kapinustotaled 14 points on 63.6% shooting. Sophomore Shay Ciezkitotaled 10 points to round out the five in double figures.

The Lady Lions were lights out shooting the ball, posting 56.1% shooting from the field and 40% from three-point range. Penn State also brought its assist total to 19 and posted its lowest turnover total of the season at seven.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Penn State opened the game with five straight points to get off to an early advantage. The Boilermakers got on the board two straight triples. Kapinus made sure the lead stayed with the Lady Lions, making a bucket at the buzzer. The teams traded baskets before the Penn State two consecutive turnovers on defense to extend its lead to five points at 13-8. A three-point play for Purdue cut that edge to two and an immediate two points to follow tied the score at 13-13. Ciezki had the pull ahead three pointer to bring the game to the media timeout at a 16-13.

A short 6-0 run for the Boilermakers allowed them to take the lead but PSU responded with a pair of field goals to close the quarter with the 22-20 advantage.

Second Quarter
The teams exchanged baskets for the opening minutes of the game until Purdue managed to pull ahead with a three-point shot. The Boilermakers three points was immediately met with a triple from Oden. A trip to the charity stripe for the home team tied the score again. Another shot from beyond the arc from Oden and an answer from Purdue created another knotted score. The Lady Lions drew their biggest lead of the first half after yet another three-pointer from Oden followed by a Kapinus in layup in at the halftime buzzer to bring the score the 47-40. With those baskets, Oden and Kapinus entered double figures at 11 and 10 respectively.

Third Quarter
Marisa opened the second half scoring with a shot from under the hoop to extend to a nine-point lead but was quieted by a shot from deep from Purdue. The Boilermakers battled back from the deficit to tie the game with just under five minutes to play. The Lady Lions responded with a 6-0 spurt, but the home team used four-straight points to bring it to a one-point game. Penn State added two points to conclude the third stanza in the lead with a 65-62 score.

Fourth Quarter
An immediate three-point basket for the Boilermakers tied the score once again and earned a stop on defense to take the lead back. A triple from Marisa pulled the advantage back to the Lady Lions. Purdue produced seven points to Penn State’s two to push ahead but Owusu had the answer for the blue& white to tie the score and lead her team to steam in front by as much as eight points. The Boilermakers continued to press in the final minutes drawing the deficit to just three in the final eight seconds with Penn State to inbound. Purdue fouled with six seconds remaining sending Owusu to the free throw line where she sank her two free points to end the game at a 93-88 final score.