Penn State Lady Lions earn another non-conference win, beat Central Connecticut State 101-73

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Coming off a historic 119-43 win over Saint Francis, the Penn State women’s basketball squad looked for another offensive onslaught in their final non-conference game of the regular season.

Without their star guard Makenna Marisa, the Lady Lions played confident basketball in the early minutes. Chanaya Pinto struck first for the Lady Lions as she drove inside for a layup. Central Connecticut State would quickly respond on a Meghan Kenefick jump shot, tying the game at two apiece.

The 7:27 mark in the first quarter proved to be a turning point for the Lady Lions as Shay Ciezki drained the Lady Lions' first three-pointer, making it a 9-2 game. This three-pointer would be the start of something special.

The Lady Lions were on fire from beyond the arc throughout the first half as the three-ball accounted for 51 percent of the Lady Lions' first-half points. A run midway through the first quarter was powered by talented redshirt freshman Moriah Murray as she drained three consecutive three-pointers for the Lady Lions.

Despite the impressive offensive streak from Murray, it was ultimately the sophomore Ciezki who led the Lady Lions in the first half as she shot 9-for-11 with 22 points.

The Blue Devils pulled together some offensive streaks as well, connecting on five consecutive field goals during one sequence in the second quarter. Sophomore Samora Watson was the leading scorer for Central Connecticut State in the first half with 10 points. Watson would later tack on 18 in the second half, finishing as CCSU’s leading scorer with 28 points.

Central Connecticut State showed some grit in the third quarter, scoring the first six points of the half and compiling an 11-2 scoring run. That start was only a sign of things to come as the Blue Devils outscored Penn State in the third quarter 23-20.

The Blue Devils continued to play competitive basketball into the fourth quarter, but the team’s efforts were overshadowed by the stellar blue and white offense. A Ciezki three-pointer set the Lady Lion point total to 90 while a Kylie Lavelle layup proved to be the icing on the cake as Penn State broke the 100-point mark in their second straight game.

Ciezki would continue her stunning performance for the Lady Lions, scoring 18 in the second half and 40 overall. Ciezki’s 40 points are even for the third most in a single game in Lady Lion history and it is her career high.

As a team, Penn State made even more history with 15 three-pointers, the new single-game record for the program. Along with Ciezki and Murray, Leilani Kapinus and Tay Valladay made contributions beyond the arc.

By the game’s conclusion, Penn State shot 55.7 percent from the field while CCSU shot 43.5 percent. The Lady Lions tallied 48 points in the paint compared to 36 such points for the Blue Devils.

With the 101-73 win, the Lady Lions are now 9-3 on the season as the Blue Devils fell to 2-10. Penn State will hope to ride the momentum from their last two victories as they take on Michigan State next Saturday, Dec. 30, at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Isaac Hallock is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email idh5055@psu.edu