Former WPIAL hoop stars Kalin, Marisa come through in clutch for Duquesne, Penn State

Bill Beckner
Friday, Dec. 4, 2020 6:01 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 4, 2020 6:01 p.m.

Go Ad-Free Today!

David DeNoma | Duquesne athletics

Pine-Richland grad Amanda Kalin is a member of the 2019-20 Duquesne women’s basketball team.

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review

Peters Twp.’s Makenna Marisa scores past Garnet Valley’s Madison McKee during the PIAA Class 6A girls state championship game Friday, Mar. 22, 2019, at Giant Center in Hershey.

Amanda Kalin and Makenna Marisa were exceptional talents when they played basketball in the WPIAL.

They were all-around players who could shoot it, drive it and defend it — Kalin at Pine-Richland and Marisa at Peters Township.

But they also had something else in common: They both were clutch.

Their big-play ability with games on the line has carried over to the college level, and it was on display on consecutive nights this week in thrilling victories for Duquesne and Penn State.

Kalin, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, put back a second-chance opportunity to beat the final buzzer Wednesday night as Duquesne eked past St. Francis (Pa.) in overtime, 69-67, at DeGol Arena.

Duquesne set up an inbounds play and got the ball to Kalin, who drove from the right wing. She had her shot partially deflected, but tipped in the miss for the win.

The highlight was No. 3 on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.

Checking in at No. 3 on @SportsCenter Top 10…

Watching this on repeat all day ?@AmandaKalin x #SCTop10#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/c4lRqnV4Tj

— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) December 3, 2020

Marisa, meantime, delivered a buzzer-beater of her own, scoring on a layup to cap a 70-69 victory for the Nittany Lions (3-0) over Rhode Island Thursday night at Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State trailed 69-68 with three seconds to play.

The 5-foot-11 sophomore guard corralled a loose ball near the foul line and zipped down the lane for the go-ahead score.

3-0 feels GOOD ?@makenna_marisa's buzzer beater seals 70-69 win over Rhode Island!

Recap ➡️ https://t.co/YbQaQhXKtD#IgniteThePRIDE pic.twitter.com/MQwLntG6q6

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) December 4, 2020

Kalin finished with a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds for the Dukes (1-1).

She started all 31 games last season and averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Marisa tied a career high with 17 points. She started 29 of 30 games last season, producing 9.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

As a senior, she led Peters Township to a perfect 30-0 season.