This Sunday, the WVU women’s basketball team will be heading to State College, Pennsylvania, to take on Penn State.
Currently, the Mountaineers sit at 7-1 overall, with their only loss coming against No. 13 NC State.
So far this year, two players have stuck out that have helped contribute to the successful start of the year for WVU — fifth-year guard Madison Smith and sophomore guard JJ Quinerly.
Smith currently leads the team in points per game with 14.4 while shooting 40% from the field and 32% from the three-point line.
Quinerly is right behind Smith in scoring, as her 10.5 points per game are second on the team. She is also second on the team in steals with 18 and assists with 19.
As a team, WVUs defense is one of the best in the country. Their scoring defense ranks 3rd nationally with 48.5, and they are ranked 8th in the country in turnovers forced with 25.12 per game.
The Nittany Lions will enter this matchup with an overall record of 7-3.
The team was on a roll at the beginning of the year, winning their first seven games. However, recently they could not find themselves in the winning column as they have lost three straight.
Loses to Virginia, Minnesota, and Indiana have slowed down their momentum, but despite the recent skid, some players have stuck out.
Senior guard Makenna Marisa is averaging 18.0 points per game and has 44 assists, leading the team in both categories.
Another bright spot for Penn State is redshirt sophomore guard Leilani Kapinus.
She is currently second on the team averaging 10.7 points per game, while also being first in steals with 34 and second on the team in assists with 30.
Historically WVU has not matched up well against Penn State. Since their first matchup in 1976, they have an overall record of 6-24.
This game will take place in the Bryce Jordon Center at 4:00 pm and can be viewed on BIG+.
Photo Credit: Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
