Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482664
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ponents shot 43.3 percent overall and 36.4 percent from 3-point range, with PSU finishing 12th and 14th in those two categories, respectively. A tenacious and versatile defender, Kapinus has the potential to bring those numbers down. She ranked fourth in the Big Ten in steals (59) and sixth in blocks (33) last season, her first year of action after sitting out with an injury as a true freshman. "We need to be a better defensive team, and she's taken that personally," Kieger said. "She's going to run the show for us on the defensive end." Other key players include Thomp- son, a first-team All-American Athletic Conference choice as a junior at East Carolina, and Ciezki, the nation's No. 56 overall recruit in the 2022 class accord- ing to ESPN Hoopgurlz. Also, the Lady Lions will get to see redshirt sophomore Alli Campbell in action after the Notre Dame transfer missed last season with an injury. FRONTCOURT Penn State is hoping to get more scoring from its forwards to comple- ment Marisa and Kapinus. After the two guards, no one averaged more than 8.4 points last year. Camden, a 6-foot-3 senior, could provide that spark. She is coming off a sophomore season in which she av- eraged 6.1 points and has reportedly impressed during the team's offseason workouts. "Anna Camden has been shooting lights-out for us this offseason and continues to be our captain, our leader, and our culture driver," Kieger said. In addition, Penn State has a proven post player returning in super senior Johnasia Cash. The 6-2 forward aver- aged 13.7 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds two seasons ago but missed the 2021-22 season for undisclosed reasons. "We're just thrilled to have her ath- leticism, length, speed and competitive spirit back with our team," Kieger said. Also back is 6-foot-4 junior Ali Brigham, who was third on the team with 8.4 points per game in her first season at PSU after transferring from George Washington. The Lady Lions need more rebound- ing after ranking 13th in the Big Ten. Only one Penn State player ranked among the conference's top 20 re- bounders, and it was Kapinus with an average of 5.7 per game to place 19th. ■ PENN STATE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER NO. NAME POS. YR. HT. HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL/PREVIOUS SCHOOL 0 Ivane Tensaie G So. 5-7 Roseville, Minn. Concordia Academy/North Dakota State School of Science Averaged 20.8 points and 4.7 assists and was named the National Junior College Athletic Association's Freshman of the Year last season. 1 Ali Brigham F Jr. 6-4 Franklin, Mass. Franklin Played in 28 games with 17 starts in her first season after transferring to Penn State from George Washington. 2 Aicha Dia F Fr. 6-1 Montreal, Quebec Dawson College Helped Team Canada finish fifth at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup. 3 Ymke Brouwer F R-Fr. 6-0 Zurich, Switzerland United School of Sports Sat out her true freshman season with an injury. 4 Shay Ciezki G Fr. 5-7 Lancaster, N.Y. St. Mary's Scored 51 points in the Class A state title game for St. Mary's earlier this year. 5 Leilani Kapinus G R-So. 5-10 Madison, Wis. James Madison Memorial Started all 29 games as a redshirt freshman for the Lady Lions, averaging 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. 10 Chanaya Pinto F Sr. 6-1 Maputo, Mozambique Escola Secundaria de Carcavelos/Oregon Transferred in from Oregon, where she spent one season after beginning her college career at Northwest Florida State College. 11 Anna Camden F Sr. 6-3 Downingtown, Pa. The Shipley School Made 20 starts as a junior, averaging 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds. 12 Kayla Thomas F So. 6-3 Beltsville, Md. Emerge Christian Academy Played in 18 games as a true freshman, averaging 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds. 20 Makenna Marisa G Sr. 5-11 McMurray, Pa. Peters Township Enters her senior season ranked 25th in school history with 1,244 career points. 22 Alli Campbell G R-So. 6-0 Altoona, Pa. Bellwood-Antis/Notre Dame Totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds in six games during her lone season at Notre Dame before missing her first season at Penn State due to an injury. 23 Taniyah Thompson G Sr. 5-11 Hamden, Conn. Hamden/East Carolina Averaged 18.5 points to rank second in the American Athletic Conference in scoring last year. 24 Alexa Williamson F Gr. 6-1 Houston, Pa. Chartiers-Houston/Temple Played in 103 games, collecting 788 points, 504 rebounds and 92 blocks, in four seasons at Temple before transferring to Penn State. 33 Johnasia Cash F Sr. 6-2 McKeesport, Pa. McKeesport/SMU Ranked third in the Big Ten with an average of 8.8 rebounds per game during the 2020-21 season.