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UNIVERSITY PARK -- The Penn State women's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament on Thursday night, thanks to a 92-87 win over Mississippi State at the Jordan Center.
Ashley Owusu led the way with 24 points and teammate Makenna Marissa added 22 points, while Bellwood-Antis graduate Alli Campbell came off the bench to add 10 points, one rebound and one steal.
Penn State will play Villanova on Monday in the semifinals at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. If the Lady Lions win, they will play for the title on Wednesday in a game that will air on ESPN2.
The Lady Lions improved to 22-12 overall and booked their most victories in a single season since the 2013-14 roster turned in 24 wins. PSU booked its third straight win and sixth victory in the last seven games, with the only loss coming against eventual Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa in the quarterfinals of the league's postseason event.
In defeat, Mississippi State closed out its campaign at 23-12 Penn State extended its lead over the Bulldogs in the all-time series at 2-0.
PSU shot the ball at a 58 percent clip against the Bulldogs, connecting on 32-of-55 shot attempts with a 5-for-15 mark from deep. At the charity stripe, the Lady Lions were exemplary, shooting with 96% efficiency from the line after connecting on 23-of-24 attempts.
The Lady Lions thumped Mississippi State on the defensive glass by a 23-16 margin and managed to outscore the Bulldogs by a 46-40 margin in the painted area. The Lady Lions were electric in their fast break opportunities, outpacing MSU by an 18-11 tally in the transition game.
Owusu came up clutch when it mattered most for the Lady Lions, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter. She shot 7-for-13 overall and 10-of-11 from the line in addition to contributing four assists and three rebounds. Marisa closed out her Jordan Center career by dropping her 43rd career 20-point game to go with four assists and three boards.
The Lady Lions opened the game with a defensive stand followed by a fastbreak bucket by Pinto on an assist from Marisa. Both squads traded scores in the ensuing moments, but a left corner triple from Marisa gave PSU an early 6-2 advantage. Mississippi State rattled off an 8-0 reply aided by a pair of 3-pointers, surging ahead by a 10-6 tally, but an Owusu step-back mid-range jumper halted the Bulldog advance just before the media timeout.
Trailing by an 11-8 margin out of the break, Marisa got PSU rolling once again with a driving layup through the lane, but both squads exchanged baskets over the next few minutes culminating in a 20-19 Bulldog advantage. The Lady Lions rattled off five unanswered points over the last 90 seconds, but a Mississippi State layup before the end of the frame gave the Bulldogs a 22-21 edge through 10 minutes.
Mississippi State opened the second with a layup down low, but a foul line jumper from Marisa kept it a one-point game. Both squads continued to battle over the next three minutes with neither team able to gain any separation, but a sweet mid-range jumper from the left wing by Campbell followed by a second-chance triple by Ciezki gave Penn State a 32-28 lead with 5:41 left on the clock. Out of a Bulldog timeout, Mississippi State hit a 3-pointer from the left corner, but an Oden driving bucket kept PSU in control. Penn State separated Bulldog free throws with a pair of successful layups, but Mississippi State closed the half out with back-to-back buckets to deadlock the score by a 38-38 tally at the intermission.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with a trip to the charity stripe, but a multitude of buckets in the paint exchanged by both squads preserved the tied score. A quick 5-0 rally from the Bulldogs on the offensive end saw Mississippi State take a 47-42 advantage, but Owusu reciprocated with a successful trip to the free-throw line that cut the lead back to three. Baskets came in abundance in both directions, but a Kapinus and-one knotted the game up once again at 51 points apiece. Leading by a two-point margin out of the media timeout, both teams traded trips to the line over the next three minutes, culminating in a tied ballgame at 59-all. A tough drive and gritty and-one make from Owusu put Penn State up three, and a mid-range jumper from Ciezki gave the Lady Lions a 64-59 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Campbell beat the shot clock with a left corner 3-pointer on Penn State's first possession of the final frame, and Marisa added a right corner triple to spark an 8-2 Lady Lion run to open the fourth.
After a Bulldog bucket attempted to stymie the PSU momentum, Owusu rattled off back-to-back paint jumpers to give the Lady Lions a 13-point advantage. Mississippi State hit a 3-pointer from the right wing just before a Lady Lion timeout and drilled another from the right corner on the other side of the break.
A pair of Marisa free throw makes made it a nine-point game, the Bulldogs rattled off five unanswered points to bring the contest back within two possessions. Owusu roared to life offensively in the next possession, drilling an and-one jumper from the elbow. MSU got it back within three, but a merciless block from Kapinus and bucket from Lavelle put Penn State up five with 90 seconds to play. The Bulldogs replied with a layup down low moments later, but Owusu drilled another and-one bucket to ice the game.
The Lady Bulldogs got 36 points from Jerkaila Jordan to go with 21 from Jessika Carter.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (87): Jordan 12-27 10-13 36, Carter 8-9 5-5 21, Powe 1-7 0-0 3, Park-Lane 1-8 0-0 3, Rogers 0-4 0-0 0, Barnum 4-7 1-2 12, Sheppard 4-5 0-0 8, Montague 1-2 2-2 4, Brown-Hagger 0-0 0-2 0. Totals: 31-71 18-22 87.
PENN STATE (92): Owusu 7-13 10-11 24, Marisa 6-6 8-8 22, Kapinus 4-7 1-1 9, Pinto 1-2 2-2 4, Brigham 2-5 0-0 4, Campbell 4-4 0-0 10, Ciezki 3-4 0-0 7, Lavelle 3-4 0-0 6, Oden 1-5 2-2 4, Hall 1-2 0-0 2, Murray 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 32-55 23-24 92.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Mississippi State 22 16 21 28 - 87
Penn State 21 17 26 28 - 92
3-point goals-MSU 7-22 (Jordan 2, Powe, Park-Lane, Barnum 3); PSU 5 (Marisa 2, Campbell 2, Ciezki). Rebounds: MSU 29 (Carter 8); PSU 26 (Kapinus 5). Assists: MSU 16 (2 tied with 3); PSU 20 (2 tied with 4). Technical fouls: Carter, Hall. Attendance: 1,823