Tag: Alexa Williamson

Lady Lions lose heartbreaker to Michigan in Big Ten Tournament

Penn State women’s basketball saw its season come to a close in a close loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament.

The realization that the season is over is always a tough pill to swallow. That pill becomes even larger when the loss comes at the buzzer.

Penn State closed their regular season on a slide, losing seven games in a row. But none of the regular season games matter when it comes to tournament play. It’s just about winning one game at a time and advancing.

The Lady Lions managed to do that in their first game of the tournament. They beat Minnesota and set up a showdown with the Michigan Wolverines in the second round.

It was a tight game from start to finish, but ultimately Penn State lost the game 63-61.

Senior guard [autotag]Makenna Marisa[/autotag] had a contested look to extend the game, but the shot hit the front rim as the buzzer sounded. This was the end to a flurry of points with two minutes left as the Lady Lions erased a nine point deficit.

Ultimately the comeback fell just a bit short.

It was a tough way for Marisa’s career to end. She was a two time All-Big Ten selection by the media and was looking to get her team into the tournament for the first time since 2014.

She finished the game with a game high 16 points and seven assists. Her fellow guard [autotag]Leilani Kapinus[/autotag] also scored 16 points along with five assists and seven rebounds. Senior forward [autotag]Alexa Williamson[/autotag] finished her career with 12 points in the game.

Four Michigan Wolverines finished in double figures. Senior forward [autotag]Emily Kiser[/autotag] and sophomore guard [autotag]Laila Phelia[/autotag] scored a team high 13 points.

After falling short in the Big Ten Tournament, the NCAA Tournament dreams for the Lady Lions are officially over. It’s to be seen if they’ll be invited to the WNIT or WBI Tournaments to continue their season.

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Penn State women win opening game in Big Ten Tournament

Penn State women’s basketball wins first Big Ten tournament game since 2018.

It’s been a tough season for the Penn State Lady Lions.

In a loaded Big Ten conference, they finished the season with a 13-16 overall record and 4-14 in conference play. They closed the regular season with seven losses in a row, earning them the 13th seed in the tournament.

The Lady Lions did receive good news at the end of February when senior guard [autotag]Makenna Marisa[/autotag] was voted first team all-conference by the media. Averaging 17 points, four assists and four rebounds this season secured her second all-conference honor.

For a struggling team, the conference tournament can be a fresh start. The records are wiped out and all that matters is winning one game per day.

Penn State took advantage of this fresh start on Wednesday, beating Minnesota 72-67 in the opening game of the tournament.

Marisa led the team with 22 points, shooting just under 50%. Three other starts joined her in double figures. Underclassmen guards [autotag]Shay Ciezki[/autotag] and [autotag]Leilani Kapinus[/autotag] scored 16 and 11 points respectively, while fellow senior [autotag]Alexa Williamson[/autotag] added 11 as well.

This was a dominate effort for the Lady Lions. They never trailed in the game and led by 18 at one point. They also hit 49.1% of their shots and forced Minnesota into 22 turnovers.

[autotag]Mara Braun[/autotag] was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points. [autotag]Amaya Battle[/autotag] was the only other Golden Gopher to join Braun in double figures with 16 points.

Penn State now faces the fifth seeded Michigan Wolverines on Thursday. This will be a rematch of the early January game in Ann Arbor that saw the Lady Lions lose by 10.

The game will air on Big Ten Network 25 minutes after the conclusion of Michigan State and Nebraska on Thursday, March 2.

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