Penn State women’s basketball (2-0) took down Fairfield (1-1) on Friday night, by a massive margin of 77-49. The Lady Lions took control of the game early and didn’t relinquish, while Marisa Makenna recorded a second-straight double-double to stay undefeated.

How It Happened

Penn State started off the game with a dynamic offense, as Makenna Marisa made an early layup and drew a foul, sinking her free throw. After Fairfield returned with a midrange of its own and the Lady Lions gave up some difficult turnovers, Leilani Kapinus followed Marisa with a three-point play of her own.

Four more points by Taniyah Thompson and Alli Campbell gave Penn State a clear 10-4 advantage as the game entered its first timeout with under five minutes left in the first quarter.

Both teams came out firing from the timeout. Johnasia Cash gave Penn State two points with a layup as the shot clock expired, while Lauren Beach put up two and drew on Cash, but she failed to sink the free throw.

The Lady Lions scored on two of their next three possessions and hit four straight field goals. Meanwhile, the Stags gave up three turnovers in under two minutes, as the gap between the two teams furthered to a 17-6 scoreline with a minute and a half remaining in the first quarter.

In total, Penn State dropped nine points before Fairfield worked in a layup during a 15-4 run to end the first quarter and put them up 21-8.

The Lady Lions struck first in the second quarter when Alexa Williamson made one of her two free throws after a two minutes drought. Fairfield’s Izabela Nicoletti-Leite responded with a three-pointer that banked in from the top of the glass.

A steal and score from Marisa followed a layup from Williamson, as Penn State continued to grow its three and a half minutes into the second quarter. After a few more buckets from Shay Ciezki and Marisa, the Lady Lions had a 20-point lead, 31-11 over the visitors.

Coming out of a timeout halfway through the quarter, Fairfield responded well, scoring seven unanswered points before head coach Carolyn Kieger called a timeout to stop the bleeding.

The Stags continued to hold their own through the duration of the quarter, working the score back to 33-21 heading into the locker room. Six points in just over a minute from Callie Cavanaugh were instrumental in making the game more competitive, though the Lady Lions still held a considerable lead at the half.

Both teams showed some aggression at the start of the second half, combining for nine points in two and a half minutes while Penn State held a 37-26 lead before the Lady Lions called a timeout.

The two sides continued to go back and forth, trading bucket after bucket. Penn State was able to consistently maintain a lead of around ten points. When the game stopped for a timeout, the Lady Lions held a 44-35 lead.

As the third quarter ticked into its final minutes, the Lady Lions took on an 8-2 run to boost their lead to 15 points. One made free throw at the end of the quarter by Cavanaugh brought the Stags back one point, as the game stood at 53-39 entering the last ten minutes of play.

The fourth quarter saw both teams combine for decent points early, though the highlight was the Blue Band getting Nicoletti-Leite to shoot before she was ready by chanting a fake shot-clock time.

Penn State restored its deep, 20-point lead after less than four minutes into the fourth quarter, holding a 63-43 scoreline over the visitors.

That deficit only grew for the rest of the game, as the Lady Lions wrapped up business in the Bryce Jordan Center, finishing the game with a 77-49 win.

Takeaways

• Penn State’s aggressive defense was a massive part of picking up extra points against the Stags. The Lady Lions led the steal column 17-9, as plenty of those in Fairfield’s half of the court to create serious scoring opportunities.
• The Lady Lions spread the love on offense, as nine of thirteen players scored against Fairfield. Additionally, the bench contributed a solid 29 points, including 13 points from Campbell.
• While Fairfield fought hard throughout the game, Penn State’s early 20-point lead was massive in controlling the game. The Stags were only able to work the deficit to nine points, as the Lady Lions kept control throughout.

What’s Next

Penn State will continue its home stand, next time against Youngstown State at 7p.m. on Tuesday, November 15 in the Bryce Jordan Center.