UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball’s Gracie Merkle collects her third-straight Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll nod after a dominant night in Penn State’s overtime win against Drexel last week. The 6’6 center put up 31 points and 11 rebounds, marking her fourth-straight double-double.
The Kentucky native played an instrumental role in the Lady Lions’ overtime victory last week, accounting for 31 of their 86 points on 64.7% shooting from the field. She also grabbed 11 rebounds, six of them on the offensive end. While Merkle’s shooting from the field was elite, her percentage from the charity stripe with made free throws in key moments were significant. She shot 9-of-11 from the line, with three coming in overtime including the three-point-play that allowed Penn State to take the lead for the final time.
Merkle’s 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting bumped her total field goals made this season to 69, ranking her first in the conference and sixth in the country. She also sits at second in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation in field goal percentage (64.5%). The Kentucky native’s fifth double-double of the season and fourth in a row against Drexel is good for second in the conference and sixth in the country.