Five Penn State women’s basketball players received Big Ten postseason honors announced by the conference on Tuesday.
Guards Makenna Marisa, Ashley Owusu, Leilani Kapinus, Tay Valladay and Shay Ciezki each received conference recognition.
Marisa and Owusu were both named to All-Big Ten second teams — Marisa by the media and Owusu by the conference coaches. Marisa received honorable mention from the coaches and Owusu earned honorable mention from the media.
Marisa, a fifth-year senior, earned postseason honors for the third consecutive year. She has averaged 13.7 points per game and set several notable marks this season, including becoming just the seventh Lady Lion to score 2,000 career points. She ranks fourth on the program’s all-time scoring list, and recorded her 500th career assist in the regular season finale win against Minnesota.
Owusu, a graduate student, leads Penn State in scoring with 18 points per game and assists with 4.07 per game. She also reached a few milestones in 2023-24, surpassing 1,500 career points and 500 career assists.
Kapinus, a junior, was selected to the conference All-Defensive Teams by the media and coaches for the second consecutive year, as well as an All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media. She leads the Lady Lions in rebounding with 6.6 per game, blocks with 1.17 per game and steals with 2.14 per game. Kapinus also averaged 11.1 points per game.
Valladay, a graduate student, earned honorable mention from the media and is Penn State’s Sportsmanship Award winner. Prior to suffering a season-ending injury in early February, Valladay averaged 11.5 points, 2.33 assists and 1.19 steals per game
Ciezki, a sophomore, was named honorable mention by the media after a regular season in which she was the Lady Lions third leading scorer with 12.8 points per game. She is one of the conference’s top three-point shooters, ranking in the top six for three-point percentage and shots made.
Penn State returns to action at 6:30 p.m. EST on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The No. 7 seed Lady Lions will meet No. 10 seed Wisconsin at the Target Center in Minneapolis, with the game airing on the Big Ten Network.
