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Lady Lions Basketball Fall at Home on Senior Day

Penn State made a late push at a comeback but ultimately fell at home during Senior Day.

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Lady Lions Basketball
Purdue Boilermakers guard Cassidy Hardin (5) defends the shot of Penn State Nittany Lions guard Shay Ciezki (4) during the NCAA women’s basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue won 86-62. © Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK Pupsuwbb022223 Am07637

Penn State Lady Lions basketball (13-16, 4-14 Big Ten) closed out the regular season on a sour note, falling to Michigan State (15-13, 7-10 Big Ten) 80-65 at home on Senior Day.

After a difficult season, the Lady Lions missed an opportunity Saturday to improve their seeding for the Big Ten tournament. Missing out on a first-round bye, Penn State now awaits Sunday’s result to determine its fate.

Cold Start in the First Half

The Lady Lions started the game cold, going 1-10 to start the first quarter. As a result, Michigan State used an 8-0 run to jump out to an early 11-3 lead. Shay Ciezki drained a three with under 10 seconds remaining in the first to pull the score within five. But bad transition defense allowed the Spartans to run the length of the floor for an easy layup, and the Lions trailed 23-14 after one quarter.

Unfortunately, it was more of the same in the second quarter. The Lions went scoreless for over two minutes, allowing the Spartans to gain a commanding 35-19 lead halfway through the quarter.

Penn State could not get out of its own way. The Lions turned it over 13 times in the first half, including eight second-quarter turnovers. Penn State shot an abysmal 33% from the field in the first half.

Meanwhile, the Lions allowed the Spartans to shoot 43%. Penn State had no answers for Kamaria McDaniel and DeeDee Hagemann, who each had 10 points in the half. The Lions trailed 43-30 going into halftime.

Too Little, Too Late

Whatever Carolyn Kieger told the Lions during halftime, it appeared to have worked on the offensive end of the floor. Penn State opened the second half with 12 quick points to trail 53-42 with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter. Michigan State did its best to reestablish control, but a late three-pointer from Ciezki brought the game within 10 going into the final quarter.

The Lady Lions continued to use the deep ball to pull themselves back into this game. A three from Chanaya Pinto made the score 61-55 with 8:05 remaining. Going into the final five minutes, the Lions were shooting 50% from the field for the half, including 57% from three. It was then Michigan State’s turn to go cold, shooting 36% and 27%, respectively, for the half.

However, it was ultimately too little, too late for the Lady Lions. Michigan State went on an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 72-57 with under two minutes remaining. This last push proved to be too much, and the Lady Lions closed out their regular season with an 80-65 loss at home.

Standout guard Makenna Marisa had an uncharacteristically poor performance on Saturday. Marisa scored only two points on 1-11 shooting. With three rebounds, Marisa fell just shy of the five she needed to reach 500 for her career. Marisa will go into the Big Ten tournament looking to become the second Lady Lion to record 1,750 points, 500 rebounds, and 400 assists for their career.

The biggest bright spot in the game for Penn State was Ciezki. The freshman had 27 points, surpassing her previous season high of 21. She did so on 10-19 shooting, including seven made three-pointers.

What’s Next for Lady Lions Basketball?

The Lady Lions now await their spot in the Big Ten tournament, which kicks off on Wednesday.

With a win, Penn State could have been seeded as high as 10th. This would have given the Lady Lions a first-round bye. However, the loss now ensures that the Lions will take the floor in day one action. Penn State will now be seeded either 12th or 13th, pending the results of the Minnesota and Purdue game Sunday.

At this point, all the Lady Lions can do is wait.



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Penn State legend Michael Mauti takes shot at Jay Paterno, defends Penn State fans

One of the best to ever wear the Blue and White took a shot at Jay Paterno this afternoon.

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Penn State legend Michael Mauti Jay Paterno
October 6, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Michael Mauti (42) during the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Since former Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry left the program on Wednesday, there have been more rumors and suspected reasons for his departure than one can count. One of the leading rumors is that Shrewsberry left due to the Nittany Lions’ failing NIL program, which he cited as an issue back in December. Today, Jay Paterno — a PSU trustee and the son of legendary football coach Joe Paterno — fired back at fans, insisting that Penn State University met every NIL demand that Shrewsberry asked for. Penn State legend Michael Mauti thinks otherwise.

Not long after Jay Paterno made his public statement on Penn State’s NIL funding, one of the greatest to ever wear the Blue and White came in to defend Penn State fans and alumni. Here is what the two notable Nittany Lion names had to say to one another.

Penn State lagend Michael Mauti defends Nittany Lion fans, takes shot at Jay Paterno

Early this morning, Jay Paterno had this to say about the rumors surrounding Penn State University’s NIL funding:

Fact: Dedicated Penn State fans/community & met every basketball NIL request. The latest increase exceeded in just 2 days. That’s how Penn State Alumni responded. Those spreading any counter-narrative only hurt the program’s coaching search & future.”

This was likely in direct response to Penn State fans making public calls against the school’s NIL funding, which was largely sparked by Micah Shrewsberry’s statements in late 2022.

“It’s about what you want as a program and what you’re happy with,” Shrewsberry said. “If we have a little bit more that we’re offering to our guys, or that we’re doing for our team in NIL, that top 30 class is probably top 15 in the country. Just one or two more guys.

“I can’t speak for everybody, but I would say of 14 teams in the Big Ten, we’re probably 14. Maybe 13,” Shrewsberry said. “So it’s just about who we want to be as a program. What are we willing to say is going to be our standard?”

Jay Paterno’s words were not received kindly by Nittany Lion fans, or Penn State legend Michael Mauti, who publicly fired back at Paterno, stating that, “The response from dedicated alumni is the result of you and your cronies’ definition of ‘meeting every basketball’s NIL request.’ How can continue to spit this garbage? You continue to undermine the progress and efforts being made to genuinely align and unify PSU.”

He followed up by saying, “@PennStateAlums and @GoPSUsports community deserve the best. We need all hands on deck, not a few guys brokering behind closed doors using words without deeds. Your input on this matter is toxic and your relevancy has expired in this era of collegiate athletics.”

Jay Paterno is yet to respond, but so far, Mauti’s statements have been met with thunderous applause from the Penn State community.



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Jay Paterno fires back at NIL rumors sparked by Micah Shrewsberry’s comments

Jay Paterno, a Penn State trustee, fired back at the rumors being spread surrounding Penn State’s NIL funding and the basketball team.

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Jay Paterno Penn State basketball

STATE COLLEGE, PA — The Penn State basketball team lost its head coach, Micah Shrewsberry, earlier this week when he opted to take the Notre Dame job. Since then, there has been a whirlwind of rumors surrounding his reasons for leaving — one of the top ones being that Penn State lacked NIL funding. On Saturday, Penn State trustee Jay Paterno — son of legendary football coach Joe Paterno — fired back at these rumors, stating that they are untrue and hurt the program.

Jay Paterno fires back at NIL rumors following Shrewsberry’s departure

The rumors surrounding Penn State’s issues with NIL are nothing new; however, after Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame, his warning about NIL at Penn State became the talk of the town.

“It’s about what you want as a program and what you’re happy with,” Shrewsberry said. “If we have a little bit more that we’re offering to our guys, or that we’re doing for our team in NIL, that top 30 class is probably top 15 in the country. Just one or two more guys.

“I can’t speak for everybody, but I would say of 14 teams in the Big Ten, we’re probably 14. Maybe 13,” Shrewsberry said. “So it’s just about who we want to be as a program. What are we willing to say is going to be our standard?”

This morning, Jay Paterno had his own thoughts on the matter, stating, “Fact: Dedicated Penn State fans/community & met every basketball NIL request. The latest increase exceeded in just 2 days. That’s how Penn State Alumni responded. Those spreading any counter-narrative only hurt the program’s coaching search & future.”

This is the first time that we have seen anyone really push back against the narrative that Penn State has lacking NIL funding. We will see how this shakes out, though it is good to see someone confirm that the basketball team was given the NIL that it asked for to compete — hopefully, this attracts a solid new head coach for 2023-24.



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FAU to Elite 8: is Dusty May too good for Penn State Basketball?

FAU has gone on a historic run to the Elite 8 this season. But does the Owls’ on-court success put Dusty May out of reach for the Penn State basketball coaching job?

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Penn State basketball, Dusty May, FAU, Elite 8
Mar 23, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Dusty May watches from the sideline in the game against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

State College — Penn State faces a crossroads as it searches for its new basketball coach. Should it make an internal hire, shoot for a savvy veteran, or snag an up-and-comer from the mid-major level? Ultimately, the decision will shape the course of Penn State basketball for years to come. Already a hot name in coaching circles, Dusty May has shot up short lists as his FAU Owls have made a historic run to the Elite 8 this season. But as FAU continues to have on-court success, does this now make May unattainable in the Penn State coaching search?

Dusty May is already one of the most accomplished coaches in FAU history

Dusty May has experienced remarkable success in his first five years as a head coach. Previously serving as an assistant at Florida and Louisiana Tech, among other stops, May was hired to run the FAU program in 2018. Admittedly a tough challenge, May has already made the Owls a consistent winner. He recorded 30 D-1 wins by his second season on campus, becoming the fastest coach in program history to attain that milestone. May is also the only FAU coach to have four consecutive winning seasons.

This season has been the most successful year in FAU history by far. The Owls finished the regular season 28-3 and won a regular season conference title for the first time in nearly 15 years. At 20 games, FAU had the third-longest winning streak in Conference USA (C-USA) history. With a C-USA record 18 conference wins, FAU was ranked for the first time ever this year. Not surprisingly, Dusty May was named C-USA Coach of the Year earlier this month.

Has FAU’s Elite 8 run put May out of reach for Penn State basketball?

Tougher competition in post-season play has not stifled May’s success. FAU made the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in program history this season. A No. 9 seed in the East Region, the Owls have defeated Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Tennessee en route to the school’s first-ever Elite 8 berth. FAU will play No. 3 seed Kansas State Saturday night for the right to go to the Final 4.

As FAU keeps winning, the nation has now taken note of May. May has been a rumored candidate for several other head coaching positions. This includes Notre Dame before Micah Shrewsberry accepted the opening. In addition to Penn State, May has recently been tied to the Texas Tech coaching search.

But if FAU keeps winning, will Penn State basketball still be able to make a viable pitch to Dusty May? While he reportedly swung for the fences to keep Shrewsberry, we still don’t know how committed AD Pat Kraft is to turning Penn State basketball into a consistent winner moving forward. In his departing message to Shrewsberry, Kraft noted that Penn State is “already moving forward in a search for a new head coach and will identify and appoint a tremendous coach, teacher, and person who will take us to unprecedented heights.”

While the sentiment is there, it now comes down to brass tax. Penn State must invest in recruiting resources, facilities, and NIL opportunities to make the basketball program a consistent winner. Fans have shown that they will support basketball wholeheartedly when given the chance. 

It’ll take investment for any coach with a proven history of success to commit to the Nittany Lions long-term. It will require some upfront costs. But it’s an investment that will see a return in due time.

So, no, I don’t think Penn State basketball should be out of the running to court Dusty May, even if FAU continues its historic March Madness run. In my mind, only one thing can prevent Penn State from getting the coach it wants — itself.



Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics.

For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

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