Penn State women’s basketball (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten) dominated Rutgers (6-13, 0-6 Big Ten) 94-80 to secure the 1,000th win in program history.

A fluid and selfless Penn State offense was a key factor in today’s win and a historic afternoon. Ashley Owusu made her debut in the Penn State uniform and did not disappoint, totaling 18 points, five assists, and five rebounds.

How It Happened

Rutgers was the first to get the ball through the net off a defensive rebound. Ali Brigham and Leilani Kapinus answered quickly moments later with their own shots.

AB said go long Leilani #LionMentality pic.twitter.com/QaE1K5Ido4

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 14, 2024

Taylor Valladay sunk a three for the Lady Lions and with another layup from Brigham, Penn State was on a consecutive nine-point scoring streak. Owusu, a graduate transfer from Maryland and Virginia Tech, entered the floor after the media timeout for her first debut as a Lady Lion. She threaded Shay Ciezki under the basket for another two points.

WELCOME Ash #LionMentality pic.twitter.com/KkcQLF3swO

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 14, 2024

Valladay hit her second three of the day and the score came to 14-6 for the Lady Lions. Off of the bench, Chanaya Pinto put up a solid layup. The Penn State offense appeared to be working cohesively and in unison, even with an away Rutgers crowd. With nine buckets made so far, the Lady Lions also had racked up nine assists.

Makenna Marisa charged to the basket for an and-one, making her foul shot to widen the gap to 24-12. The Scarlet Nights answered quickly with a three-pointer. Out of transition with a steal from Valladay, Penn State added another two. Rutgers got the last shot of the buzzer, and the first quarter came to a close 29-17.

Two Rutgers foul shots marked the opening of the second quarter. The Scarlet Knights attempted to continue to chip away at the score and Pinto halted this with a lethal two-hand block.

Marisa secured two much-needed threes from the top of the key. The Lady Lions continued to share the ball well and look for each other down the court.

Step back and SWISH

Makenna Marisa…#LionMentality pic.twitter.com/ByeLPGpXIP

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 14, 2024

Destiny Adams produced well for Rutgers, and with a few minutes left in the second quarter the score held at 36-24. At this point, she had already owned half of the points for her team.

Owusu made her official debut with a solid three-point jumper. As the game progressed, she began to get more comfortable and back in her rhythm of gameplay. The back-and-forth game picked up for both teams with shots from all across the court.

The first half came to a close with the Lady Lions holding the largest lead of the game, 45-30.

Rutgers opened up the third quarter with a layup off of transition, closely followed with a three-point jumper that forced head coach Carolyn Kreiger to call a timeout.

Even after the timeout, Penn State remained sloppy in the third quarter. Racking up a few turnovers almost instantly, it opened the door for Rutgers to build some momentum.

Penn State allowed Adams to have a show-out performance in her home state as she continued to work in the third quarter toward a career-high. Nonetheless, Rutgers continued to struggle against the press and turn the ball over.

Owusu puts up a beautiful shot to break the drought cycle. She hit double digits moments later, and one wouldn’t be able to recognize that she hasn’t played in over a year. It’s easy to say that Owusu got the Lady Lions back in their groove.

Alli Campell and Pinto connected and put up a beautiful two down the center of the lane. Campbell strikes again moments later with a big three for Penn State.

"WHAT A FEED!" @alli_campbell21 → @Pinto__Chanaya#LionMentality pic.twitter.com/uQHFnuwumw

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 14, 2024

Marisa went to the line after the media timeout and sunk both of her foul shots. Regardless of the score, the Scarlet Knights continued to find good looks and shots to take. It failed in comparison to the valiant effort of the Lady Lions, as Marisa nailed another three and helped keep her team far in the lead.

Off of a steal from Owusu and an offensive rebound, the Lady Lions moved the ball around swiftly and set Owusu up for another three.

"STEPBACK. CASH." #LionMentality | @Ashleyyowusu15 pic.twitter.com/g3Mlm1vluw

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 14, 2024

Rutgers got the last shot of the game with a three from the side, making it 66-53 with 10 minutes left to play.

Campbell set off the fourth quarter with a bang for the Lady Lions, as she dished out an easy layup. She was hot in the fourth quarter as she received a quick thread from Owusu and added another two to the board.

More shots from Brigham, Valladay, and Owusu propelled Penn State to a 79-57 lead with a little over six minutes left to play. Valladay got off a funky shot right before the shot clock expired, producing a set of giggles and laughs from the Penn State bench.

WOW. @forevertay3#LionMentality pic.twitter.com/zyF6uoK81G

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 14, 2024

Ciezki put up her first three of the game which Rutgers answered with a few more baskets of their own. Kieger put in some of her younger talent with a few minutes remaining in the game.

As the clock wound down, history was made for a historic program. Penn State secured the win 94-80 over Rutgers, and celebration erupted amongst Lady Lions fans as they reached their 1,000 program win.

Takeaways

• Owusu’s first performance back in over a year was nothing short of incredible. She put up double digits and played selflessly. Her chemistry with her fellow teammates was refreshing, and the energy that she brought to the court could be just the push that the Lady Lions need to continue with the rest of conference play.
• The Penn State offense was in peak form this afternoon. With every player sharing the ball and looking for their fellow teammates, the Lady Lions were able to put up a high amount of points. This also allowed many different players to score and add some stats to their names, and for their team.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions take the court again for their THON game at home this week on Thursday, January 18. The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. Folks can catch the game streamed on the Big Ten Network.