Penn State women’s basketball (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten) took care of Northwestern (6-8, 1-2 Big Ten) 95-55. After falling to Michigan State on Sunday, the Lady Lions left no doubts about their prowess against the Wildcats.

With the win, Penn State recorded its first regular season conference victory since last February against Northwestern. The Lady Lions, who are on track to have their best season yet under head coach Carolyn Kieger, only won four Big Ten games last year.

How It Happened

Penn State scored first, with Chanaya Pinto finding the net first. Northwestern responded with two points of its own before Leilani Kapinus knocked down her shot from beyond the arc. Melannie Daley followed with six straight points for Northwestern, but Tay Valladay responded after a Penn State scoring drought of over three minutes. The two teams traded buckets once more before Northwestern led 11-9 going into a media timeout with 4:39 left in the first quarter.

Jayla Oden started the scoring coming out of the break with a three-pointer before Ali Brigham did the same soon after. Brigham then got under the net for a layup to extend Penn State’s lead to six points with under three minutes left in the opening quarter. Oden knocked down another three a minute later as Penn State’s run kept rolling before a Northwestern timeout.

Valladay scored with a drive to the rim with one minute left in the quarter. Northwestern had one last chance to score with the shot clock turned off, but a turnover gave Penn State the ball with 11 seconds left. Valladay beat the buzzer to give the Lady Lions a 24-11 lead after 10 minutes.

Kapinus started off the scoring in the second quarter with an early layup before Oden dropped two free throws to continue the Lady Lions run. Northwestern finally responded with a three-pointer from Hailey Weaver, but Penn State came right back with a layup from Ali Brigham and free throws from Valladay. Aggressive defense from Penn State forced a poor turnover from the Wildcats before Valladay scored her 11th point with a three.

Keep it on a swivel for this one 3⃣#LionMentality | @forevertay3 pic.twitter.com/zofgtuhqRa

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 2, 2024

With Brigham’s free throws with 6:16 left in the first half, Penn State took a 20-point lead. After struggling early in the game, Shay Ciezki scored her first points with a three-pointer with six minutes remaining.

*chef's kiss* 3⃣#LionMentality | @shay_ciezki pic.twitter.com/ZPGyyMGfq4

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 2, 2024

Ciezki scored the game’s next two points from the charity stripe before Kapinus turned an offensive rebound into two more points. Weaver knocked down a three, but with three minutes remaining in the half, Penn State was up 44-21.

Pinto and Paige Mott traded field goals as the game’s scoring ramped back up and Northwestern’s defense started to make a few nice plays. Mott and Weaver combined for four more points, but the Wildcats still had some ways to go to climb their way back into the game.

Daley knocked down a field goal before Moriah Murray knocked down a shot from beyond the arc. Two free throws from Daley brought Northwestern back to a 20-point deficit to end the first half.

Brigham led off the scoring in the third quarter on Penn State’s opening possession before Ciezki scored just over a minute later. Both teams traded misses before trading buckets. With a media timeout after three minutes, the Lady Lions led 56-33.

The Wildcats took the first score out of the break before Ciezki responded with a layup under the net. A layup from Casey Harter responded before Murray beat the buzzer with a mid-range jumper.

Number 3 getting it done #LionMentality | @murray_moriah pic.twitter.com/mkOUaHAS2y

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 3, 2024

Valladay knocked down one of her two free throws before Jasmine McWilliams gave Northwestern two points. Alli Campbell, who’d had a quiet game, notched a layup with three minutes left in the third quarter before missing a shot and giving up a turnover on the next two possessions. Northwestern’s defense recorded a block against Ciezki before giving up six more points and a turnover.

A three-pointer from Kapinus was followed by Caileigh Walsh’s two free throws before the end of the quarter. Penn State was up 74-41 as Northwestern’s efforts became more futile by the second.

Penn State and Northwestern exchanged field goals early in the fourth quarter, scoring four points each in just over a minute. Coming away from a media timeout, Ciezki notched down a layup to give Penn State an 80-45 lead.

The Lady Lions kept extending their lead as the fourth quarter ticked on as a 40-point margin appeared realistic. After some back-and-forth with Northwestern, Murray’s three-pointer gave Penn State a 95-55 lead with under a minute remaining. The score remained that way through the final buzzer.

Takeaways

• Ciezki was unusually quiet against Northwestern. The sophomore guard wasn’t invisible during the game and still scored 15 points, but Penn State used other options early to supplement Ciezki as she scored five points in the first half.
• Brigham, Valladay, and Kapinus all had terrific performances throughout the game. Brigham, who’s been consistent in the paint all season, notched 17 points, while Valladay shone with 16 points and three steals after her 32-point game against Michigan State. Kapinus was consistent from beyond the arc and on defense, recording 14 points, nine rebounds, and six steals.
• Penn State’s won past games because it got off to a fast start early and cruised the rest of the contest. This time, the Lady Lions gave Northwestern a bit of a lead before taking control of the game. They were still leading and in control by halftime and held that lead through the rest of the game.

What’s Next?

Penn State hits the road to face Indiana at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 10. The game will be broadcast on BTN+.