UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Led by a double-double from redshirt sophomore center Gracie Merkle and a pair of double-digit scoring performances from redshirt sophomore guard Moriah Murray and freshman guard Talayah Walker, the Penn State women’s basketball team rolled to their second-straight 100-point performance in a 100-55 win over the Monmouth Hawks Sunday afternoon inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
PSU recorded its fifth-straight victory to open the 2024-25 campaign, rising to 5-0 overall while outscoring opponents by a 32.8-point margin in that stretch. The Blue & White extended their historic non-conference home winning streak in Sunday’s result, rattling off 16-straight wins against non-conference foes inside the BJC dating back to the program’s last loss in those situations on December 21, 2022. Following the third all-time meeting between the Hawks and Lady Lions, PSU improved to 3-0 since the first all-time meeting of the two programs in 1982. In defeat, Monmouth fell to 0-4 overall heading into a 5:30 p.m. (ET) meeting at Sacred Heart on November 21.
The Lady Lions crossed the century mark for the second consecutive game, accomplishing that feat for the first time since booking 119 and 101 against Saint Francis and Central Connecticut State a season ago on December 17 and 20. Before last season’s back-to-back 100-point performances, the Lady Lions had not booked back-to-back 100-point scoring games since 2012. In the final box score, Penn State out-shot Monmouth by a 53% to 37% differential from the field and surpassed them by a 38% to 17% margin from 3-point range. PSU dished out 22 assists and swiped away 18 steals, also nearly doubling the Hawks in terms of points in the paint with a 50-26 win in the category.
On an individual basis, Merkle contributed her second double double as a Lady Lion and 21st such performance of her career with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The Mount Washington, Kentucky, native was an efficient 9-for-13 from the floor, adding six offensive boards and a pair of blocks. Murray, a native of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, poured in a game-high 23 points with a 7-for-15 performance from the field with all seven of those makes coming from 3-point range. Murray matched her career high in steals with a trio of swipes, also adding the third block of her collegiate career with a pair of assists and a rebound.
Walker, a native of Odenton, Maryland, smashed her career high scoring total in her fifth collegiate basketball game, tallying 18 total points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field in addition to her first collegiate 3-point make. Walker poured in a career-high seven rebounds with two blocks and a steal on the defensive end of the court. Additionally, redshirt junior forward Grace Hall and junior guard Vitoria Santana came through with eight points, while graduate guard Alli Campbell logged seven points in the dominant Lady Lion result.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Merkle controlled the opening tip for the Lady Lions, with Oden getting the scoring started on the ensuing possession with a straight-away 3-pointer. Solid work on the defensive glass for PSU helped keep Monmouth scoreless in the early going, but a mid-range jumper from the right corner got the Hawks on the board a little under three minutes in. The Lady Lions looked to settle in as Walker earned a trip to the line, nailing both before Penn State would tack on three more thanks to a triple from Murray on the right wing. Murray would bury another 3-pointer just before the media break, with PSU leading 11-4 through the first four minutes of play. Hall connected from mid-range to keep the momentum rolling, but the squads would exchange buckets over the next few minutes to keep things within 10. Commanding defense highlighted by three straight blocks from Murray and Walker preserved the PSU lead, closing the opening period with an 18-6 advantage after Campbell splashed a mid-range jumper before the break.
Second Quarter
The Lady Lions got things going down low to start the second quarter, as Merkle buried a short-range jumper, but Monmouth replied with a layup in a baseline out-of-bounds situation. Oden was successful on a lightning-quick driving layup, and Campbell impressed with a sweet reverse layup moments later, but the Hawks delivered a 5-0 scoring run to cut the Lady Lion lead back to 10 points. Penn State snapped back with a 6-0 run of its own capped off by a steal and score from Elliott, forcing a Monmouth timeout with 5:48 to play in the period with PSU boasting a 32-16 edge. Following the Hawk timeout, Monmouth rattled off a 6-0 scoring run, but a 9-0 reply for the Blue & White aided by buckets from Walker, Hall and Merkle ballooned the PSU lead to 19. Buckets fell both ways down the stretch, but triples on consecutive offensive possessions from Murray helped Penn State carry a 47-26 lead into the halftime intermission.
Third Quarter
Penn State started the third period of play with a bang-bang play down low from Merkle, which she converted into a layup on the first possession of the half. Monmouth replied with a layup moments later, but a right corner triple from Murray and put-back layup from Merkle amounted to a 5-0 Lady Lion scoring run. A 2-for-2 trip to the line for the Hawks stymied the PSU run temporarily, but the Blue & White battled back with a 7-0 scoring run highlighted by a personal 5-0 stretch for Merkle before another Monmouth timeout with 5:04 to go in the period cemented a 61-30 Penn State advantage. Out of the intermission, Penn State expanded the run to 11-0 with a jumper from Hall followed by a put-back from Walker to take a 35-point lead at 65-30. Monmouth was able to cut the edge back to 31, but the Blue & White closed the third quarter out with a 72-38 differential on the scoreboard.
Fourth Quarter
The Lady Lions opened the fourth quarter with stifling effort on the defensive end, which carried over to a hard-fought and-one opportunity for Merkle to grant Penn State the first three points of the period. Both squads were successful in their offensive opportunities as the quarter approached the midway point with Penn State and Monmouth going back and forth over 10 possessions. With 4:54 to play in the fourth, a whistle necessitated the final media break of the contest with PSU maintaining an 86-49 edge. Campbell went 1-for-2 at the line out of the break and Monmouth responded with a layup down low, but a step-back 3-pointer from Santana in the left corner put PSU above the 90-point threshold. Buckets went both ways as time continued to wind down, but an and-one layup from Santana expanded the Lady Lion edge beyond 40 points. Penn State closed the game on an 8-2 scoring run, with a 2-for-2 trip to the stripe from Rust, guaranteeing the 100-55 result.
POSTGAME NOTES
Monmouth at Penn State
November 17, 2024
Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.)
- Penn State continued its non-conference home court unbeaten streak, extending to 16 consecutive non-conference wins at home, tying the current school record which occurred from 2005-2008.
- Murray recorded her fourth double figure scoring outing and second 20-plus-point performance with 23 points, 21 coming from beyond the arc. She also continued her perfect free throw shooting percentage, extending to 14-for-14.
- Merkle scored in double figures for the fifth straight game, becoming the only Lady Lion this season to score above 10 points in every contest. She also recorded the 21st double-double of her career and second of the campaign using 20 points and 12 rebounds.
- Walker posted the highest plus-minus on the team (26), using effective stats all over the court. She recorded 18 points, her first double figure scoring outing at the collegiate level, seven boards, two assists and one steal.
- The Lady Lions produced their best assist-to-turnover ratio of the season using 22 assists and a season low 15 turnovers.
- Penn State’s 22 assists mark its fifth-straight game putting up 20-ore-more passes. On the other side, the team forced 28 turnovers and converted 35 points from those errors.
- The Lady Lions outscored the Hawks 50-26 in the paint.
- The 100-55 victory is Penn State’s second consecutive 100-plus-point game of the season.
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