Tag: 2024 WBIT

Furious comeback comes up short as Penn State Lady Lions fall to Villanova in WBIT semifinal

The Penn State women’s basketball team saw its season end with a hard-fought loss to Villanova in the WBIT semifinal round.

Despite a heroic effort by [autotag]Leilani Kapinus[/autotag], Penn State was unable to keep its women’s basketball season going for one more game. The Lady Lions fell to Villanova in a seminal matchup in the Women’s Basketball Invitational tournament in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Monday afternoon. Penn State’s 58-53 loss to the Wildcats brought a tough ending to a season in which the program took some big steps forward overall.

Kapinus led the Lady Lions with 18 points in a defensive battle with Villanova. The Wildcats had three players score in double figures for a much more balanced offensive attack, led by a 21-point effort by Lucy Olsen. Kapinus nearly brought Penn State all the way back in the fourth quarter alone, but she received a helping hand from [autotag]Ashley Owusu[/autotag] as well. Owusu hit a three-point shot with five seconds remaining in the game to bring the Nittany Lions to within three points.

Villanova outscored Penn State by one point in each of the first two quarters of the semifinal matchup to hold a two-point lead at halftime. The Wildcats created some separation after halftime with a 17-9 advantage on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Penn State chipped away in the fourth quarter and outscored Villanova by five points, but it was just enough of a hole that was too big to climb out of for the Lady Lions.

Penn State’s season ends with a 22-13 record, an improvement of 8 wins from the previous season. ending the season with a loss will be tough to take, but the Lady Lions have improved their win total each of the last few seasons and the program does appear to be heading in a positive direction once again, which should bring some sense of optimism for the 2024-25 season.

Villanova will now get a chance to play for the first WBIT championship in NCAA history. The Wildcats will face the winner of Monday’s other semifinal matchup between Illinois and Washington State. The WBIT championship will be played on Wednesday evening. There is no third-place game.

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NCAA WBIT Tournament: Broadcast and stream info for Penn State vs. Mississippi State

No. 1 Penn State takes on Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the WBIT.

The Penn State Lady Lions have advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA WBIT after defeating Belmont 74-66. Junior guard [autotag]Leilani Kapinus[/autotag] scored her 1,000th career point, and [autotag]Makenna Marisa[/autotag] led the Lady Lion offense with 18 points. This Thursday, both players will be needed when Penn State takes on Mississippi State at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The Bulldogs finished seventh in the SEC with an 8-8 conference record, but they boast two 14+ point per game scorers in JerKaila Jordan and Jessika Carter.

The Lady Lions, on the other hand, offer up five double-digit scorers led by grad transfer [autotag]Ashley Owusu[/autotag] with 17.7 points per game. Penn State is 14-4 at home and will look to continue that success Thursday evening against Mississippi State.

A win would put the Lady Lions into the WBIT semifinals and book them a trip to Indianapolis. On April 1, they would take on the winner of No. 1 Villanova and Saint Joseph’s.

Penn State vs. Mississippi State Women’s Basketball

  • Date: Thursday, March 28
  • Time: 6 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN+
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

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Penn State Lady Lions advance in WBIT with win over Belmont

The Penn State Lady Lions are moving on to the quarterfinals of the WBIT after a win on Monday night.

The women’s college basketball season will continue with one final home game for the Penn State Lady Lions. Penn State prevailed over Belmont by a score of 74-66 on Monday evening in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State trailed Belmont by three points at halftime but turned in a strong third quarter to take the lead and held off Belmont in the fourth quarter for the win. [autotag]Makenna Marissa[/autotag] led the Lady Lions with 18 points and [autotag]Ashley Owusu[/autotag] added 16 points. [autotag]Leilani Kapinus[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayla Oden[/autotag] each scored in double figures as well with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Kapinus led the team with 7 rebounds.

Penn State will now host Mississippi State in the quarterfinal round of the WBIT on Thursday evening. A victory over the SEC program would send Penn State to Indianapolis for the semifinal of the postseason tournament. The winner of the Penn State-Mississippi State game will meet the winner of Thursday night’s matchup between Villanova and Saint Joseph’s on Monday, April 1.

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NCAA WBIT Tournament: Broadcast and stream info for Penn State vs. George Mason

No. 1 Penn State takes on George Mason in the opening round of the WBIT

For the Penn State Lady Lions, it’s not the NCAA Tournament but postseason basketball. After a successful regular season with the best record since the 2016-17 season, Penn State was one of the first teams out of the NCAA Tournament to take on the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament.

Penn State will host George Mason on Thursday, March 21. The Patriots finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 conference with a 14-4 record and lost to No. 5 Duquesne in the A10 Tournament about ten days ago. George Mason is led by senior guard Sonia Smith, who averages 15.2 points per game.

Penn State is one of four No. 1 seeds in the tournament, joining James Madison, Villanova, and Washington State. The Lady Lions’ scoring leader is grad transfer [autotag]Ashley Owusu[/autotag], averaging 17.7 points per game. Forward [autotag]Makenna Marisa[/autotag] drops 13.3 ppg while shooting 38% from the 3-point line.

As a team, Penn State shoots 49% from the field and 37.5% from the 3-point line, while George Mason only shoots 39% from the field. On paper, this matchup sets up nicely for the Lady Lions, who own a tremendous offense, but it is March, and anything can happen.

Should Penn State take down the Patriots, they will host the second-round matchup against the Ball State and Belmont winner. If Penn State makes it to the Final Four of this tournament, it will head to Indianapolis for the semifinals (and potentially the finals) to be played in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Penn State vs. George Mason Women’s Basketball

  • Date: Thursday, March 21
  • Time: 6 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN+
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

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Penn State Lady Lions receive no. 1 seed in new WBIT

Lady Lions are one of the four no. 1 seeds in a brand new NCAA postseason basketball tournament.

While it may not have been the ultimate goal for the Penn State women’s basketball team, the Lady Lions are playing in the postseason this year. Penn State was selected to be the top seed in this year’s Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament and will host George Mason in the first round.

Penn State was not selected to play as an at-large team in this year’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament following their blowout loss to Iowa in the Big Ten tournament. Penn State was also passed over for a spot in the women’s NIT. So instead, the postseason will continue as the Lady Lions participate in the first-ever WBIT.

The WBIT is sponsored by the NCAA and teams hosting games will not have to foot the bill as they did in the past with the women’s NIT. Penn State is one of four no. 1 seeds in the tournament, joining James Madison, Villanova, and Washington State. Miami was slated to be a no. 1 seed but declined the invitation (James Madison took its place). In all, there are 32 teams in the WBIT. The top 16 teams were seeded by overall performance from the regular season and the remaining 16 teams were placed based on geography as the primary factor. Illinois is the only other Big Ten team in the WBIT this year.

Penn State will host George Mason on Thursday, March 21. Should Penn State win, they will then host the second-round matchup against the winner of a game between Ball State and Belmont. If Penn State should make it to the Final Four of this tournament, they will head to Indianapolis for the semifinals (and potentially the finals) to be played in Hinkle Fieldhouse. If the no. 1 seeds hold, Penn State would face Villanova in the Final Four of the WBIT.

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