Penn State women’s basketball (1-0) took down Towson (0-1) 73-67 in the first game of the season Tuesday. The Lady Lions trailed for most of the first half before finding their groove on the offense and coasting to a victory.

Four players tallied double-digit point totals for Penn State in the win. Siyeh Frazier and Makenna Marisa racked up 15 points apiece, while Alisia Smith and Kamaria McDaniel pitched in 14 and 11 points, respectively.

How It Happened

Offensively, both teams got off to a slow start Tuesday afternoon. The first quarter was pretty uneventful, and Penn State trailed Towson 8-9 at the end of it.

Things picked up a bit in the second quarter, but overall the first half was dull, to say the least. As a team, Penn State shot 6-of-29 — a mere 20.7% — from the floor and had trouble finding any sort of offensive rhythm.

Juniors Alisia Smith — who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury last season — and Kamaria McDaniel led the offensive charge in the first half, tallying five points apiece. But Kieger’s squad headed to the locker rooms at halftime behind 18-24.

Penn State trailed by as many as eight a minute into the third quarter before sparking a 25-11 run to regain control of the contest. Freshman Makenna Marisa drained six free-throws on as many attempts during the quarter, boosting the offense and helping the Nittany Lions take a 43-37 lead heading into the fourth. From this point on, Penn State never looked back.

The Lady Lions improved drastically on offense in the second half, shooting 47.1% from field-goal range on 16-of-34 shooting. Siyeh Frazier made a huge impact in the game, racking up a total of 15 points and eight rebounds and truly coming into her own.

Kieger’s squad also played lockdown defense and forced a total of 24 Towson turnovers and 10 steals, which played a major role in the win.

Takeaways

• Carolyn Kieger is a WINNER. She secured her 100th-career victory as a head coach and her first with the Lady Lions Tuesday afternoon.
• The starting lineup of Siyeh Frazier, Kamaria McDaniel, Makenna Marisa, Shay Hagans, and Lauren Ebo got off to a rough start offensively but began to gel together as the game went on. Frazier, McDaniel, and Marisa all tallied double-digits in points, while Hagans and Ebo chipped in seven points each, while also making their presence known on the boards, securing eight and six rebounds, respectively.
• Alisia Smith may not have started the game, but she still saw plenty of action — a great sign considering she’s still bouncing back from an Achilles injury. Smith was the team’s third-leading scorer, racking up 14 points and 7 rebounds.
• The freshmen truly stepped up in Tuesday’s season opener. Makenna Marisa played a big role in the third-quarter comeback and scored an impressive 15 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting from the free-throw line. Shay Hagans chipped in seven points and eight rebounds and made her presence known on both ends of the floor.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will host their first home game Sunday, November 10 in a matchup against Rider. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game can be streamed live on BTN+.