ORLANDO, Fla. – Sparked by a 28-point, 11-rebound double-double from redshirt sophomore center Gracie Merkle, the Penn State women’s basketball team improved to 6-0 through six games for the second time in the last three years. The Lady Lions booked a 74-59 win over the Marshall Thundering Herd from State Farm Field House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Thursday night in PSU’s opening game of the inaugural State Farm WBCA Showcase.
The Blue & White improved to 6-0 following an impressive win in their first contest away from the Bryce Jordan Center, remaining unbeaten through six contests for the second time in the last three seasons. PSU also came away with its third-straight win over Marshall in the all-time series, with the Lady Lions owning a 3-0 differential since the first meeting of the two programs in 2016. The Blue & White have now beaten Marshall by 15 points or more in all three meetings in the all-time series. Following the defeat Thursday night, the Thundering Herd move to 1-4 overall with a Saturday afternoon showdown against Tulsa on deck at the State Farm WBCA Showcase.
Penn State’s defense was swarming all night long, as the Lady Lions held Marshall to a meager 28% shooting night from the field paired with a 6-for-32 showing from long range, limiting the Thundering Herd to 19% shooting from long range. PSU was dominant down low throughout Thursday night’s battle, outscoring Marshall in the paint by a stark 42-20 differential. Penn State added a 46-40 win in the rebounding competition and utilized an impressive 21 offensive rebounds to dominate the battle for second-chance scoring opportunities, 19-8. The Blue & White also came away with statistical victories in both assists and steals, showcasing the team’s solid guard play on the night.
On an individual basis, Merkle’s performance stole the show with a 28-point night on a blisteringly efficient 11-for-14 outing from the field. The Mount Washington, Kentucky native mustered a double-double for the second-straight game and third time overall in the 2024-25 season, adding her third-highest rebounding tally of the year with 11. Graduate guard Alli Campbell poured in a season-high 12 points, a single point shy of her career high against Fairfield from 2022, knocking in a pair of 3-pointers with five rebounds and three assists to round out an impressive all-around performance.
Redshirt junior forward Grace Hall contributed her first double-digit scoring performance since opening night, logging 10 points off the bench with a 5-for-9 performance from the field and four rebounds. Graduate forward Tamera Johnson booked seven points, while guards Moriah Murray and Jayla Oden both contributed six apiece en route to Penn State’s sixth victory of the season and third-straight win by double figures.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Marshall came away with the opening tip, but both teams failed to score on their respective opening possessions. The Thundering Herd were effective on the offensive boards early on, but the Lady Lion defense held strong to keep Marshall off the scoreboard. Over four minutes passed before either squad was able to scratch points on the board, with Marshall connecting on a banked-in 3-pointer from the left wing to take an early 3-0 advantage. PSU capitalized on a baseline out-of-bounds opportunity on the ensuing possession for their first score, but Marshall earned a trip to the line moments later, converting at a 1-for-2 rate. A pair of physical makes down low from Merkle and a left-wing mid-range jumper from Campbell amounted to a 6-0 PSU run to take an 8-4 edge at the media break. The Herd rattled off back-to-back fastbreak buckets out of the brief intermission, but a right-corner triple from Campbell and 2-for-2 trip to the stripe from Oden led the Blue & White to a 13-8 lead after 10 minutes of work.
Second Quarter
Merkle continued her impressive play in the paint with an offensive board and perfect trip to the line after drawing a Marshall foul on the opening possession of the period. PSU utilized stingy perimeter defense to protect against a volume-shooting Marshall squad, with Johnson adding a spin-move layup in the paint to extend Penn State’s lead to 17-8. Baskets fell both ways over the next minute and a half, but hard work from Merkle on the weak-side glass culminated in an and-one bucket, which she converted for the old-fashioned 3-point play. Another dominant offensive possession from Merkle followed by a fastbreak score from Hall helped balloon the Lady Lion lead to 26-13 with just over five minutes left in the half. Marshall added a mid-range jumper on the other end, and PSU replied with a straight-away triple from Johnson, but a 4-0 stretch from the Herd prompted a Lady Lion timeout with just over four minutes to go, leading 29-19. Both teams exchanged free throws over the next few minutes, but a crafty play from Oden followed by another bucket from Merkle powered Penn State to a 37-24 lead at the half.
Third Quarter
The Thundering Herd buried a straight-away 3-pointer to open the second half and the Blue & White replied with a 1-for-2 trip to the free throw line, but both offenses ground to a halt over the next few possessions. The Lady Lions called on the ever-reliable Merkle to break the scoring drought, with Steele finding Hall for a baseline jumper a few possessions later to make it a 42-27 ball game for PSU with just over six minutes in the frame. Campbell found Merkle on a baseline out-of-bounds play on the next possession, with Johnson nailing a mid-range jumper moments later to make it a 9-0 Lady Lion run over a four-minute stretch to force a Marshall timeout with 5:06 to go and Penn State leading 46-27. Out of the media break, Campbell buried a left-wing mid-range jumper to extend the PSU run to 11-0, but the Thundering Herd sank a pair at the stripe to halt the Lady Lion momentum. A block and board from Campbell provided a fastbreak layup for Hall down the other way, and Murray sank her first triple of the game from the left corner to give Penn State a 54-31 edge. Free throws fell for both squads over the final minute of the quarter, culminating in a 21-point PSU advantage through three, 54-33.
Fourth Quarter
Marshall started the fourth quarter with a right-corner 3-pointer off an offensive board, but paint buckets from Merkle and Hall pushed the Blue & White to a 22-point advantage. The Thundering Herd continued to shoot the ball from long range, connecting on a pair of triples, a fastbreak layup and a 1-for-2 trip to the line to punctuate a 9-0 scoring run and force a Lady Lion timeout with 6:41 to play. Murray buried her second 3-pointer of the night out of the break to stabilize Penn State on both ends of the court. Marshall added yet another 3-ball, but Merkle bodied her defender on back-to-back possessions and added an and-one opportunity to give Penn State a 66-48 lead. Both offenses capitalized on opportunities inside the arc over the next three minutes, but the Lady Lions were able to maintain their 20-point edge largely throughout. Marshall utilized a bevy of free throw opportunities to cut into Penn State’s dominant differential, but the Lady Lions were able to come away with the 74-59 win in their first game away from the Bryce Jordan Center this season.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State vs. Marshall
November 21, 2024
State Farm Field House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Orlando, Fla.)
- The Lady Lions extended their opening win streak to six consecutive victories, their seventh time beginning a season 6-0, two of which came under the direction of head coach Carolyn Kieger.
- Merkle continued her streak of surpassing the double-digit mark for the sixth-straight game, totaling 28 points. She also notched her third double-double of the season and second in a row with 11 rebounds. Merkle’s 20-plus-point outing is her fifth of the season and third consecutive.
- Campbell produced her first double figure scoring outing of the season using 12 points.
- Hall put forth 10 points, her second double-digit performance of the campaign.
- Penn State outscored Marshall 42-20 in the paint.
- This was Penn State’s first game away from Happy Valley this season.
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