Penn State University Women's Basketball's Ciezki's Seven Triples Lead Lady Lions to Thrilling 89-80 Victory Over Cowgirls

The Lady Lions secured their fifth-straight victory to open the season, matching their 5-0 start from last year while booking a pair of wins over power-five opposition. On Monday night, Penn State women's basketball had an 89-80 win over the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship opening game at the Baha Mar Convention Center.

PSU is now 2-0 against teams that competed in last year's NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament after downing OSU and St. John's in addition to logging a win over the reigning WNIT champion Kansas Jayhawks last week.

Sophomore guard Shay Ciezki's career high-scoring night of 27 points pushed Penn State women's basketball to the win over the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. Penn State's gauntlet of point scores, with six reaching double figures for the third time this season, persisted in the tournament's opening game. The Lady Lions connected on 48% of their field goal attempts and 45% of their long-range tries.

Keys To Victory

The key to the contest was portrayed in Penn State's ability to convert defense into offense. The Lady Lions forced 25 turnovers at the hands of the Cowgirls and converted 29 points off that defensive effort.

Ciezki, a native of Buffalo, New York, tallied a career-high 27 points in the contest while also matching her personal high seven three-point baskets made. Her 18 second-half points led all scoring in the game and led the team to 10 total buckets from beyond the arc. Graduate guard Tay Valladay also impressed from deep, sinking two of three from range. She finished with a season-high 16 points while adding a game-high five steals.

Senior Ali Brigham was a threat on the inside, producing a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds in the forward's 30th double-figure outing. Chanaya Pinto (11), Makenna Marisa (10), and Jayla Oden (10) rounded out the six Lady Lions scoring ten or more points.

Six Penn State players cracked double digits for the third time this season: Ciezki (27), Valladay (16), Brigham (14), Pinto (11), Marisa (10) and Oden (10).

The Lady Lions produced 26 points off the bench, marking their fifth game with at least that many. The team converted defense into offense, scoring 29 points off 25 Oklahoma State turnovers.

Leaderboard

There were eight lead changes and five tie scores throughout the game.

Ciezki surpassed her career-high points with 27 on the night, including seven triples, tying her personal best. Her 7-of-13 shooting from deep led her one shy of cracking into the top-five of single-game-three-pointers.

Valladay was effective on both sides of the ball, scoring a season-high 16 points and meeting her career-high five steals. The graduate student also contributed three assists and two rebounds.

Marisa scored in double figures for the fifth-straight game to open the season.

Brigham produced her first double-double of the season and second of her career. She went seven-for-12 from the field for 14 points to earn her 30th double-digit performance in a Lady Lion uniform. Pinto scored 11 points, shooting a perfect seven-of-seven from the free-throw line.

The Lady Lions are set for their first ranked match-up of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 22, when they take on no. 8 USC. Tip-off in the Baha Mar Convention Center is set for 9 p.m.