Penn State women’s basketball (4-2) fell to No. 13 Iowa State (6-0) 93-59 in its second game of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida Saturday night.

The Lady Lions looked unusually tired as they faced the ranked opponent in their second game in as many days. Makenna Marisa couldn’t work her typical magic on the floor and was shut down by the Cyclone defense along with the rest of the Nittany Lions.

How It Happened

Coach Carolyn Kieger rolled out the sturdy starting five that has shown its domination throughout the early season.

Niyah Beverley won the tipoff and got the showcase semifinal rolling for the Lady Lions. Anna Camden was the first to find the basket during the first possession and converted a jump shot. The Cyclones responded to every Lady Lion score, maintaining a healthy Iowa State lead.

Our starting for Game No. 6⃣! Lady Lions vs. No. 13 Iowa State! Watch us on FloHoops or listen to @JAntweil!

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— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) November 28, 2021

Iowa State sunk four back-to-back three-pointers in the first quarter, extending the Cyclone’s lead to eleven. Three pointers began to fly for the thirteenth ranked team and the Lady Lions suffered a 12-0 run from their opponent.

The first quarter ended with Penn State trailing 10-24. Iowa State’s sister duo of Ashley and Aubrey Joens kept finding the net from outside of the arc and exploiting the Nittany Lions’ two-three zone from distance.

Shay Hagans found her spot and converted a three-point shot for the first time in the second quarter. Three-point shots kept coming from the Lady Lions as they were trying to close the Cyclones’ lead. Unfortunately, the shots just weren’t sinking and Iowa State continued to pull ahead.

Makenna Marisa was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the first two quarters, not scoring any first-half points. Ali Brigham was slowed down by the Iowa State’s offense, but put up the highest numbers for the team with eight points. The Nittany Lions had a lot of trouble bouncing back from the Cyclones’ early lead and did play not the first half in typical form. Kieger’s squad headed into the locker room 28-45 in favor of Iowa State.

Marisa scored her first bucket of the game in after 22 minutes of play. Still, she couldn’t find her rhythm and was unable make the difference on the court.

As for Iowa State, their ball movement and synergy was hard to ignore. The Cyclones only had six players see floor time, but each player was putting up serious numbers. These numbers were very different from Kieger’s stats, as she had subbed in eleven players through the third quarter and none had reached double digit points.

The third quarter ended with a score of 39-65. Marisa scored five points during the quarter, her first points of the game. Brigham led the squad with ten points and three rebounds to close out the quarter.

The final quarter was similar to the previous three. Each of the six Cyclone starters scored in double figures unlike the Lady Lions. Iowa State was knocking down three-point shots on nearly every possession in the fourth quarter and Penn State had trouble sinking just about anything.

Brigham and Marisa were the only Nittany Lions to reach double figures and closed out the game with ten and eleven points, respectively. The final score was 59-93 in favor of Iowa State from Estero, Florida.

Takeaways

• The Lady Lions’ defense broke down early and the team was hard pressed to recover. Kieger’s squad struggled to disrupt the Cyclones from outside of the arc and didn’t make any tactical adjustments to address Iowa State’s remarkable shooting from distance.
• Midway through the third quarter, the Lady Lions seemed to tailor their game plan from winning the game at hand to getting ready for the third-place matchup. As the score pulled further and further away, Penn State slowed down focused on fundamentals rather than tiring the lineup.
• Although the Lady Lions played a slow game, there is something to be said about Shay Hagans’ energy and pace. She continued to put in maximum effort on the court and kept morale high.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will face Kent State in the third-place matchup of the Gulf Coast Showcase. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.