The Guru Report: Penn State Edges Norfolk State to Take Season Opener

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

In a contested game involving the only local team playing Wednesday night, Penn State got off to a winning start at home in the Bryce Jordan Center beating Norfolk State 67-61.

In the old days this might have been considered an underperformance by the Lady Lions but as year four got under way in the Carolyn Kieger era its a launch against a team picked by Howard in the MEAC that returns all its starters.

The Spartans also came into the contest of off delivering a thumping at home to Virginia University of Lynchburg 125-19.

So credit to PSU for taking a lot of points off the board of the opposition, who likewise deserves credit for staying competitive with a squad believing now is the year to begin moving up the standings of the Big Ten.

“Thank God I don’t have any stats right now because that was ugly,” Kieger said at the outset of her postgame press conference. “They’re a good squad and this will look like a good win at the end of the year. We have a lot to clean up but it’s good to learn lessons during Ws.”

After Monday’s loaded slate nationally and locally, things quieted down for a few days though a lot of noise was made Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio, where Ohio State, 14th in the Associated Press preseason woman’s poll, shocked No. 5 Tennessee forcing the Lady Vols into 29 turnovers on the way to an 87-75 victory.

In another game between two powers from mid-major conferences out west, Colorado State, picked third in the Mountain West, defeated visiting West Coast Conference third-placed pick BYU 82-62.

No. 2 Stanford Wednesday delivered its second straight slam at home of a huge underdog, this time 104-40 over CSU Northridge.

Likewise No. 25 Michigan at home routed Delaware State 83-30 while No. 12 North Carolina also at home took at lopsided 91-59 win over Jackson State, who will be playing a quality non-conference schedule to tune up its defense of the SWAC championship.

In the Penn State triumph, all-Big Ten honoree Makena Marissa poured 24 points, shooting 8-for-16 from the field while grabbing 11 rebounds. Spartan star Deja Francis scored 13.

Taniyah Thompson added 15 points, while Temple transfer Alexa Williamson had six points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes.

Early in the fourth quarter Penn State forged a 10-point lead 53-43 which held a bit till Norfolk moved within six at the seven minute mark.

Norfolk State’s Makoye Diawara connected from deep as the Spartans moved within a point 60-59 with 1:43 left in regulation.

The home team’s defense made the difference over the final minutes with Williamson scoring an o-bucket for a 64-59 lead with 52 seconds left.

Francis with a pair of foul shots kept the visitors alive 64-61 with 44 seconds left, but that was to be Norfolk State’s final points while Chanaya Pinto hit one of two foul shot opportunities and Makenna shut the door with a layup with seven seconds left.

Penn State is back home Friday night hosting Fairfield, which had a successful debut Monday for new coach Carly Thibault DuDonis, the daughter of WNBA Washington Mystics coach Mike Thibault as the Stags took their opener 62-52 at Brown. Callie Cavanaugh had a career high 36 points.

Looking Ahead

Thursday night gets a bit more busy, locally at 6 p.m. Drexel, the CAA preseason favorite, unveils the new-look Daskalakis Athletic Center when the Dragons host Rider, which will be coming in from a tough opening home loss Monday to NJIT on a night when the Broncs retired recent star Stella Johnson’s number. Flohoops will air the game.

La Salle  tries to rebound from an opening loss at Howard visiting Sacred Heart at 7 p.m. on the NEC Front Row network while Penn opens its season on the road at 7 on the ESPN+ platform visiting Marist, which took an opening night home beating from Villanova.

Delaware off its opening win on the road to start the Sarah Jenkins era at 7 p.m. hosts Columbia, the second pick in the Ivies, which won at Memphis Monday night.

Nationally, Tennessee opens at home at 6:30 p.m. om the SECN+ network attempting to avenge its opening loss when reigning Atlantic10 champion Massachusetts visits.

Friday night’s major national attraction is in College Park, Md., where the Terrapins will be hosting No. 1 and reigning NCAA champion South Carolina. The telecast will include the revelation of the WNBA four-team in order draft lottery for next spring as well as the finalists for the next class of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

If that sounds early, you’re right, with the elected inductees named on Thanksgiving.

The ceremony in Knoxville, Tenn., is being moved from its traditional early June date to April 29, which allows more participation by the WNBA. Last June, Becky Hammon was unable to attend her induction due to a game and the former New York/San Antonio star now on the sidelines went on in her first year to lead the Las Vegas Aces to a WNBA title over the Connecticut Sun.