WHO: Penn State Lady Lions (16-6 overall, 7-4 Big Ten)
WHEN: 8:00 PM CT (Thursday, February 8)
WHERE: Carver Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
TV: Big Ten Netowrk
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network
ONLINE: https://www.foxsports.com/live
MOBILE: https://www.foxsports.com/live
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaWBB | @IowaonBTN

Each year, there are numerous injuries that change the course of a team’s season for the worse. This year, Penn State has had the opposite—a notable return from injury has significantly improved the Lady Lions’ season outlook.

Ashley Owusu returned from injury on January 14th in Penn State’s game at Rutgers. Going into the game, the Lady Lions sat 10-5 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten. They were firmly on the Big Ten Tournament bubble.

Since Owusu’s return, Penn State has gone 6-1, with a lone 5-point loss to Michigan on Saturday. The Lady Lions now project as an 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN’s Bracketology, and would need a big collapse to miss the Tournament. The Lady Lions are also tied for 4th in the conference standings, and should finish no worse than 7th given that they’re currently three games ahead of the teams tied for 8th.

While Penn State has looked much better since Owusu’s return, they also haven’t played a particularly difficult schedule in that stretch. There best results were home wins over Nebraska and Maryland, and an away win at Minnesota. The Maryland game was a blowout, but Shyanne Sellers left early with an injury. Penn State beat Minnesota without Mara Braun.

Before Owusu’s return, Penn State’s best non-conference win was over 12-10 Kansas. The Lady Lions also played #5 Ohio State, #10 USC, and #14 Indiana in close games (all losses) on a neutral site or on the road.

All statistics for this preview are from HerHoopStats.

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Owusu is a 6’0" guard averaging 18.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and 4.3 apg. She shoots 56.7% on 2-point attempts and 34.6 % from distance. Before transferring to Penn State, she spent a year at Virginia Tech and three years at Maryland. At Maryland, she was an AP third team All-American in her sophomore year. Owusu has fallen off the last couple seasons, but seems to be regaining her sophomore form this year.

5’11" guard Makenna Marisa has been Penn State’s leading scorer the past few seasons. With Owusu in the fold, she hasn’t scored quite as much, but is still a major threat. She averages 15.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, while shoots 53.7% inside the arc and 43.2% from beyond the arc.

5’7" guard Shay Ciezki has become a very good scoring threat in her own right. She averages 14.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.8 apg on 49.1% shooting on 2-point attempts and 40.4% on 3-point attempts.

Finally, 5’10" guard Leilani Kapinus is Penn State’s best perimeter defender. She averages 10.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, and 2.2 spg. Kapinus is shooting 67.3% on 2-point shots and 45.9% on 3-point tries.

Penn State plays at one of the fastest paces in the country. The Lady Lions average 78.2 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks 12th nationally.

Offensively, Penn State averages 86.7 points per game, which ranks 4th nationally. Penn State's strong scoring average is powered by good shooting percentages. The Lady Lions are shooting 56.1% on 2-point attempts (8th nationally) and 41.1% on 3-point attempts (3rd). While those numbers are strong, Penn State also has some weaknesses. The Lady Lions only grab 30.7% of available offensive rebounds, which ranks 196th. They also average 16.8 turnovers per game, which ranks 229th.

Penn State’s quick tempo and offensive focus comes at the expense of its defense. The Lady Lions surrender 69.2 points per game, which ranks 275th nationally. They've allowed teams to shoot 45.1% on 2-point tries (168th) and 31.4% from distance (202nd). On the positive end, Penn State generates 10.0 steals per game (35th) and 4.2 blocks per game (50th). The Lady Lions also average 19.6 fouls per game, which ranks 316th.

Given that Iowa and Penn State both like to score and play fast, this game is likely to be a high-scoring shootout.

Contain Penn State’s three-point shooting. Outside of the Kansas State home game, Iowa’s offense hasn’t been contained for a full game. Penn State’s defense probably won’t cause Iowa’s offense too many difficulties. If it doesn’t, Penn State will have to outscore Iowa to win.

If Penn State is going to outscore Iowa, three-point shooting will likely play an important role. The Lady Lions are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and each of their starting guards shoots well from three.

If Iowa can keep Penn State at or below its season average from three, its offense will probably be enough to secure the win at home. If Penn State has a good shooting night, then Iowa could be in danger.