UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Offensive efforts from Moriah Murray and Gracie Merkle with a combined 49 points guide Penn State to a 90-68 win over Bucknell in the 2024-25 season opener. Murray set career highs with eight 3-pointers and 28 points and Merkle notched her 20th double-double of her career with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Penn State improves its non-conference home court winning streak to 12-straight games dating back to Dec. 21, 2022.
Redshirt-sophomore Murray was as efficient as she was dominant while leading the Lady Lions to the win, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc on her way to smashing her previous career highs of 18 points and four 3-pointers. While it was Murray getting the job done from the outside, it was Gracie Merkle doing the work down low. She recorded a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds in addition to leading the interior defensive effort with four blocks. Grace Hall joined the pair in double-figures with 13 points, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Two other players made stellar first impressions in their debuts for Penn State. Graduate guard Gabby Elliott poured in nine points, while freshman Talayah Walker scored seven points thanks in large part to a perfect 5-for-5 showing from the foul line.
Turning defense into offense proved to be a big key for the Lady Lions as they scored 33 points off 22 Bucknell turnovers. That included 12 steals, led by Elliott, Murray, and Tamera Johnson with three apiece. Despite having just five less turnovers than the Bison, the Lady Lions mitigated the damage by allowing just eight points off their 17 miscues.
Penn State easily won the rebounding battle by a 44-32 margin. Elliott and Walker played a key role in that effort with six boards apiece. Just as important, the Lady Lions turned 17 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points. Merkle cleaned up on the offensive glass with nine offensive rebounds herself. That was just two less than Bucknell had as a team.
Bucknell piled up 12 3-pointers in a losing effort. Reese Zemitis hit four from long range and finished with a team-high 12 points. Anna Kunzwiler and Sophia Sabino finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Penn State opened the game with a 10-0 run on its way to a 33-15 lead after the opening quarter of play. Murray opened the run with a 3-pointer and capped it with another make from beyond the arc. Sandwiched in between were baskets by Elliott and Merkle. The Lady Lions later used another 10-0 run to take a 22-6 advantage with 3:39 left on the clock. The second double-digit run started with 3-pointers by Johnson and Alli Campbell. Murray and Merkle followed with layups. Murray had 16 points in the first quarter alone and went 4-of-5 from long range, including a 3-pointer on Penn State’s final possession to complete the scoring. The Lady Lions shot 58 percent (11-19) from the field and 75 percent (6-8) from beyond the arc.
Second Quarter
The second quarter was much more closely contested as Bucknell found its shooting touch to out-score Penn State 20-18 in the frame and cut its deficit to 51-35 at the half. The Bison got as close as 12 at 44-32 only to watch as Penn State’s Walker responded with a personal 5-0 run to put the Lady Lions back up 17. Bucknell’s Sabino followed that with a 3-pointer with 41 seconds remaining in the half, but Penn State again countered. This time it was Merkle hitting a layup with just two seconds left on the clock to send the Lady Lions to the locker room with a 16-point lead.
Third Quarter
Bucknell continued its hot shooting in the third quarter and also continued to chip away at Penn State’s lead, out-scoring the Lady Lions 22-16 to cut its deficit to 10 (67-57) heading in to the final quarter. The Bison shot 50 percent (11-22) from the field and 40 percent (4-10) from long range. Penn State’s lead ballooned to 19 with a layup and a free throw by Merkle just 17 seconds into the quarter. The lead was still at 18 with 3:37 left in the quarter after a 3-pointer by Murray. Bucknell closed the quarter strong with an 11-3 advantage over the final 3:23 of play. Zemitis hit a pair of 3-pointers for Bucknell during that stretch. Kunzwiler added one trey with 15 seconds showing on the clock. The Lady Lions’ lone points in the final three minutes came on a pair of free throws by Grace Hall and one free throw by Gabby Elliott.
Fourth Quarter
Six different players scored as Penn State dominated the final quarter with a 23-11 advantage. Murray led the way with six points on two more 3-pointers, while Merkle was right behind her with five points. The Lady Lions used their third double-digit run of the game to pull away for good, scoring 12 straight points. The run, which included points by six different players, started with a layup by Grace Hall to put her team up 76-62 with 6:44 remaining in the game. Murray then came through with a steal on Bucknell’s ensuing possession, which resulted in a layup by Johnson at the other end. The Lady Lions again scored off a turnover on its next bucket as Elliott recorded a steal and drained a 3-pointer at the other end to make it 81-62. Campbell tacked on a jumper, and Murray hit a 3-pointer less than a minute later to complete the run and give Penn State an 86-62 lead with under four minutes to play. The lead didn’t dip below 20 the rest of the way.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The Lady Lions improve their non-conference home court win streak to 12 consecutive, the fifth longest spurt in program history dating back to Dec. 21, 2022.
- This is the second straight season facing Bucknell in season opener in the Bryce Jordan Center.
- Murray posted a career high 28 points, 16 of them coming in the first quarter. The redshirt sophomore totaled eight three-pointers, the second highest single-game three-point record in school history.
- Merkle recorded her 20th career double-double and first at Penn State with 21 points and 13 boards including nine on the offensive end. She collected four blocks on the defensive end.
- Hall also put up career high numbers with 13 points on four-of-five shooting from the field.
- Campbell compiled six assists to one turnover while adding seven points to the board.
- Elliott nearly reached double figures, scoring nine points to go with three assists and three steals
- Penn State compiled 33 first quarter points, their first 30-plus-point quarter since putting up 30 in the fourth quarter against Iowa on Feb. 8, 2024.
- The Lady Lions forced 22 turnovers and converted 33 points from that defense.
- Penn State won the rebound battle 44-32 and outscored the Bison 36-20 in the paint.
UP NEXT
The Lady Lions host the Canisius Griffins on Thursday, Nov. 7. Tip time is set for 6 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center.