Penn State women’s basketball (3-0) defeated Rhode Island (0-2) 70-69 in buzzer-beater fashion Thursday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Makenna Marisa converted a layup as the clock expired and helped Penn State remain undefeated to start the season. The sophomore finished the day with 17 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
Shay Hagans also added a huge spark for the Lady Lions. She chipped in 16 points and went 3-for-4 from three-point range in yet another impressive outing.
How It Happened
Marisa scored the first points of the game for the Lady Lions after capitalizing on a crafty move along the baseline and converting a layup with ease. Over the next few possessions, however, the sophomore point guard struggled offensively, going 1-for-5 from field goal range and failing to connect on four three-pointers.
Those struggles extended to the rest of the team, as the Lady Lions went a full five minutes without scoring a field goal and quickly found themselves in an 11-4 hole against a challenging Rhode Island squad.
Things started to settle down after Kelly Jekot drew a foul and knocked down a pair of free throws with 3:45 left to play in the first quarter. Marisa then redeemed herself with a fast-break layup and a few possessions later, Jekot forced a steal and converted a fast-break bucket of her own.
At this point in the game, the Lady Lions outscored Rhode Island 6-0 off turnovers, which served as a major spark for the offense. Penn State also received some much-needed help from sophomore Anna Camden, who sank back-to-back threes at the end of the quarter to give the Lady Lions an 18-17 lead.
In the second quarter, freshman Maddie Burke made an immediate impact by knocking down a deep three-ball and maintaining the offensive momentum. Hagans later managed to draw an offensive charge and connect on a three-pointer in the ensuing possession to put the final exclamation point on a 13-0 Penn State run.
Kieger’s offense then went another four minutes without field goal, paving the way for the Rams to charge back and retake a one-point lead with a minute to go in the half.
A Hagans steal and a buzzer-beater three-point play allowed Penn State to ultimately regain the lead and head into the locker rooms at halftime up 34-32.
The score remained tight in the third as the teams battled back and forth and exchanged the lead several times. Graduate-transfer Johnasia Cash took over offensively for the Lady Lions, scoring eight points in eight minutes.
Jekot hit a three early in the fourth to break a 51-51 tie, but Rhode Island continued to battle back. Penn State led by just one point with five minutes to go in the game, before Hagans hit a three to give the Lady Lions some breathing room and extend the lead to four. That didn’t seem to faze Rhode Island, as the Rams converted a clutch four-point play with 1:28 remaining in the game to retake the lead by one-point.
On the next possession, Jekot confidently made two free-throws. Cash then came up with an impressive stop and defensive rebound to protect Penn State’s one-point lead. Rhode Island was able to convert a layup and retake the lead a few possessions later, but with three seconds remaining on the clock Kieger’s offense had one more possession to try and win the game.
After inbounding the ball to Cash in the paint, the forward assisted Marisa with a buzzer-beater layup to steal the game for the Lady Lions.
‘I’m just really proud of our composure,’ Kieger said. ‘We didn’t play a great game, we have a lot of things we need to fix and a lot of teaching moments, but we kept our heads and kept our composure and came up huge at the end there.’
Takeaways
- Prior to this game, the Lady Lions had back-to-back 30-plus point wins. Now, they can add a buzzer-beater to their resume. Although it’s still early, a 3-0 start is always a good sign, especially for a team that finished with a 7-23 overall record last season. ‘With 13 newcomers who were in that position for the first time, great to come out with the win,’ Kieger said.
- Makenna Marisa is certainly coming into her own this year. While she may have struggled to get into a groove early in the game, she made the necessary adjustments and played a huge role in helping her team come out with the win. She was especially clutch from the free-throw line, where she went 7-for-8.
- Johnasia Cash stepped up in the second half and proved just how much of a threat she can be on both ends of the floor. The graduate transfer made some important baskets for the Lady Lions and had an impressive stop and rebound late in the fourth quarter. She also assisted Marisa with the buzzer-beater to win the game.
What’s Next
The Lady Lions will play their first road game of the season against Syracuse on Sunday. Tipoff at the Carrier Dome is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on the ACC Network.
