UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball returns to action to face Minnesota in its second consecutive nationally televised contest on Saturday, Dec. 28. The Lady Lions conclude the 2024 year with a conference match up at Minnesota. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network with tip time set for 4 p.m. ET inside Williams Arena.
GAME INFORMATION
vs Minnesota
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Minneapolis, Minn. | Venue: Williams Arena
- Live Stats | Watch: Big Ten Network | Notes | Radio
- Admission: Ticketed
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State battled in a tightly contested match up at Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 15. Despite leading heading into the final quarter of play, Kansas used an 11-2 surge in the last minutes of the game to complete the comeback. The final score was 68-65 in favor of the Jayhawks,
- The thriller inside Allen Fieldhouse consisted of nine lead changes and seven tie scores.
- Tamera Johnson achieved a statistical milestone in the contest, notching her 1000th career point in the fourth quarter.
- Gracie Merkle produced her 26th career double-double and seventh of the season using 22 points and 12 rebounds.
- Moriah Murray contributed 16 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc, shooting at a four-of-seven clip.
- Alli Campbell logged a personal best 15 points to go along with six boards and six assists, marking her sixth game producing six-or-more passes this season.
- The Lady Lions shined in a few statistical categories, outrebounding the Jayhawks by a 38-32 margin. PSU also outshot Kansas from the field by a 45-38% clip.
LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS
- Merkle ranks 26th in the country in total points (244) and third in the conference. She also sits third in the B1G in points per game (20.3). Merkle is 10th in the nation in field goals made (101) and sixth in field goal percentage (66.9). Her seven double doubles ranks her ninth in the country and third in the Big Ten.
- Moriah Murray sits 16th in the Big Ten in points per game (15.0) and 17th in total points (180). She is sixth in the country in three pointers (44) and fifth in three pointers per game per game (3.67).
- Alli Campbell is ranked fourth in the conference in assists (59) and fifth in assists per game (4.9).
- Penn State is 18th in the nation in total assists (214) and sits 12th in assists per game (19.2). The team is third in the conference in total assists and ranks third in assists per game.
- The team ranks 13th in the country in shooting percentage from the field (48.9) and third in the Big Ten.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
- Minnesota is 12-1 to start the 2024-25 campaign, including a perfect 8-0 record inside its home arena.
- The Golden Gophers’ only loss has come in conference play, losing to no.25/rv at the time Nebraska on the road in Lincoln. Before this loss, they had won 10-straight games to open the season.
- Minnesota ranks fourth in the nation in assist to turnover ratio at a 1.87 margin. It also has the second-best scoring defense, holding opponents to just 49.8 points per game.
- Mara Braun leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. Annika Stewart and Grace Grocholski also average double-digit scoring with 11.7 and 10.3 points per game each respectively.
- Minnesota posted a 20-16 overall, 5-13 conference record in 2023-24. After advancing to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers suffered a loss to Michigan. The Maroon and Gold went on to play in the WNIT, advancing all the way to the Championship where they lost to Saint Louis.
PENN STATE – MINNESOTA SERIES
- The Lady Lions own the all-time series at a 32-25 margin.
- PSU has won the most recent three games after a four-game slide in the series from 2021-23.
- Penn State is 10-13 in games played on Minnesota’s home court.
- In the most recent contest, the Blue & White handled the Gophers, winning by way of a 90-34 final score. This marked the Lady Lions largest margin of victory in a conference game last season (56) and added its lowest opponent point total since 2022. Penn State held Minnesota to just 20% shooting from the field and 18.2% shooting from long range. PSU added 28 assists while nearly tripling up the opposition’s field goal percentage, shooting 59.6% themselves.
- There have been two overtime contests in the series history. One coming in 1994 with the Lady Lions coming away victorious and most recently in 2022 with Minnesota earning the win.
- On Dec. 28, 2001 against Minnesota, Kelly Mazzante broke PSU’s single-game scoring record, posting 49 points in the Lady Lions win.