Lady Lions Surge to WBIT Semifinals with 92-87 Win Over Mississippi State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women’s basketball punched its ticket to the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament semifinals with a 92-87 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs Thursday night from the Bryce Jordan Center. Graduate guard Ashley Owusu led the way with 24 points, senior+ guard McKenna Marissa poured in 22 and redshirt junior guard Leilani Kapinus swatted a career-high five blocks in the victorious result.

The Lady Lions improved to 22-12 overall and booked their most victories in a single season since the 2013-14 roster turned in 24 wins a decade ago. PSU booked its third straight win and sixth victory in the last seven games, with the only loss coming against eventual Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa in the quarterfinals of the league’s postseason event. In defeat, Mississippi State closed out its 2023-24 campaign with a 23-12 overall record. Penn State extended its slim lead over the Bulldogs in the all-time series, climbing to 2-0 overall against Mississippi State following Thursday night’s result.

PSU shot the ball at an astonishing 58% clip against the Bulldogs, connecting on 32-of-55 shot attempts with a 5-for-15 mark from deep. At the charity stripe, the Lady Lions were exemplary, shooting with 96% efficiency from the line after connecting on 23-of-24 attempts. PSU thumped Mississippi State on the defensive glass by a 23-16 margin and managed to outscore the Bulldogs by a 46-40 margin in the painted area. The Lady Lions were electric in their fast break opportunities, outpacing MSU by an 18-11 tally in the transition game.

Owusu, a native of Woodbridge, Virginia, came up clutch when it mattered most for the Blue & White, dropping 24 total points including 10 in the fourth quarter to propel PSU to its most postseason victories since advancing to the regional final of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. She shot 7-for-13 overall and 10-of-11 from the line in addition to contributing four assists and three rebounds. Marisa closed out her illustrious Bryce Jordan Center career with an absolute gem, dropping her 43rd career 20-point game with 22 points, four assists and three boards. Redshirt junior guard Alli Campbell was the only additional Lady Lion in double figures, turning in 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting with a pair of triples. Defensively, Kapinus helped shut the Bulldogs down, rejecting a career-high shattering five blocks in addition to a steal.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Lady Lions opened the game with a defensive stand followed by a fastbreak bucket by Pinto on an assist from Marisa. Both squads traded scores in the ensuing moments, but a left corner triple from Marisa gave PSU an early 6-2 advantage. Mississippi State rattled off an 8-0 reply aided by a pair of 3-pointers, surging ahead by a 10-6 tally, but an Owusu step-back mid-range jumper halted the Bulldog advance just before the media timeout. Trailing by an 11-8 margin out of the break, Marisa got PSU rolling once again with a driving layup through the lane, but both squads exchanged baskets over the next few minutes culminating in a 20-19 Bulldog advantage. The Blue & White rattled off five unanswered points over the last 90 seconds, but a Mississippi State layup before the end of the frame gave the Bulldogs a 22-21 edge through 10 minutes.

Second Quarter

Mississippi State opened the second with a layup down low, but a foul line jumper from Marisa kept it a one-point game. Both squads continued to battle over the next three minutes with neither team able to gain any separation, but a sweet mid-range jumper from the left wing by Campbell followed by a second-chance triple by Ciezki gave Penn State a 32-28 lead with 5:41 left on the clock. Out of a Bulldog timeout, Mississippi State hit a 3-pointer from the left corner, but an Oden driving bucket kept PSU in control. Penn State separated Bulldog free throws with a pair of successful layups, but Mississippi State closed the half out with back-to-back buckets to deadlock the score by a 38-38 tally at the intermission.

Third Quarter

The Bulldogs opened the second half with a trip to the charity stripe, but a multitude of buckets in the paint exchanged by both squads preserved the tied score. A quick 5-0 rally from the Bulldogs on the offensive end saw Mississippi State take a 47-42 advantage, but Owusu reciprocated with a successful trip to the free-throw line that cut the lead back to three. Baskets came in abundance in both directions, but a Kapinus and-one knotted the game up once again at 51 points apiece. Leading by a two-point margin out of the media timeout, both teams traded trips to the line over the next three minutes, culminating in a tied ballgame at 59-all. A tough drive and gritty and-one make from Owusu put Penn State up three, and a mid-range jumper from Ciezki gave the Lady Lions a 64-59 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Fourth Quarter
Campbell beat the shot clock with a left corner 3-pointer on Penn State’s first possession of the final frame, and Marisa added a right corner triple to spark an 8-2 Lady Lion run to open the fourth. After a Bulldog bucket attempted to stymie the PSU momentum, Owusu rattled off back-to-back paint jumpers to give the Blue & White a 13-point advantage. Mississippi State hit a 3-pointer from the right wing just before a Lady Lion timeout and drilled another from the right corner on the other side of the break. After a pair of Marisa free throws made it a nine-point game, the Bulldogs rattled off five unanswered points to bring the contest back within two possessions. Owusu roared to life offensively in the next possession, drilling an and-one jumper from the elbow. MSU got it back within three, but a merciless block from Kapinus and a bucket from Lavelle put Penn State up five with 90 seconds to play. The Bulldogs responded with a layup down low moments later, but Owusu drilled another and-one bucket to ice the game. After the final 28.8 seconds passed without incident, Penn State punched its ticket to the WBIT semifinals with a 92-87 result in their final home game of 2023-24.

POSTGAME NOTES

Mississippi State at Penn State
Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament | Quarterfinals
March 28, 2024
Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.)

• The Lady Lions advance to the Final Four of the WBIT, marking the first time the team will reach the semifinals of a postseason tournament since 2000 when the team made a Final Four run in the NCAA Tournament.
• Penn State earned its 22^n.d win, the most in a season since 2013-14.
• Three Lady Lions surpassed double figures: Owusu (24), Marisa (220 and Campbell (10).
• Owusu earned her eighth straight game in double figures.
• Campbell shot perfect from all over the court going 4-of-4 from the field including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
• Kapinus had a career high five blocks including two down the stretch in the last few minutes.
• The Lady Lions shot 58% from the field and 96% from the free throw line.
• Penn State as a team picked up 20 assists.
• There were 10 lead changes and eight tie scores throughout the game.
• The Lady Lions’ 92 points marked their 13th^th 90-plus-point performance this season.

Head Coach Carolyn Kieger Postgame Press Conference

Leilani Kapinus and McKenna Marissa Postgame Press Conference

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