UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite the Lady Lionss coming back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Oregon came out with a 63-61 win over Penn State on Thursday evening. The Lady Lions move to 9-7 overall, 0-5 Big Ten while the Ducks improve to 12-4 overall, 3-2 Big Ten.
Indiviudally, graduate guard Gabby Elliott, graduate guard Alli Campbell and freshman guard Talayah Walker produced double figure scoring outings to lead the Lady Lions to a near comeback. Elliott scored 26 points, her ninth time scoring in double figures this season and fourth time in a row. She shot 10-of-17 from the field including four-of-six from three-point range. Campbell put up 13 points to go with six boards and four assists. Walker cracked double-digits with 10 points while also grabbing six rebounds. Redshirt-sophomore center Gracie Merkle led the team in rebounds with 11 and contributrd four points as well. As a team, Penn State exceeded in several categories. The Lady Lions outshot the Ducks from beyond the arc by a 40-18% clip and from the free throw line by a 75-67% margin. Penn State won the rebound battle 38-24.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Oregon got on the board first with four consecutive points before the Lady Lions cracked the scoreboard with a jumper from Campbell. The Ducks then extended their lead using six unanswered points, forcing Penn State to use its first timeout. The Lady Lions were unable to convert on the ensuing possession, allowing Oregon to bolster its lead to 10 points. PSU found its rythym on offense and defennse with just over four minutes to play, stringing together four-straight points after producing a stop on defense. The teams traded baskets before the Talayah Walker nailed the Blue & White’s first three-points basket of the evening to close the score to 16-11 in favor of Oregon. The Ducks managed four more points to Penn State’s two for the remainder of the stanza to seal the first quarter score at 20-14 with the visiting team ahead.
Second Quarter
Oregon opened the quarter with a loud shot from beyond the arc but Jayla Oden drained her two shots from the charity stripe in response. Two quick, no score possessions were followed by a driving layup from the Ducks to spark an 8-0 bringing their advantage to 31-16. The Lady Lions responded with eight consecutive points of their own led by Elliot, scoring six points including a signature three, a put-back jumper and a driving layup to close the margin to 31-25 with just over a minute left in the first half. After a five minute stretch of game time that Oregon was unable to score, a shot from beyond the arc gave the visitors a nine-point lead. Campbell made both of her shots from the free throw line to cut the margin to seven at the half wth a score of 34-27.
Third Quarter
For the third quarter in a row, Oregon got in the scoring column first with six unanswered points stretching over the first three minutes of game time. Elliott finally converted for Penn State with a solo layup to narrow the margin to 40-29 but the Ducks immediately respinded with four more points to extend their advantage to a 15-point differencial. Elliot nailed her second three-pointer of the day to chip but once again Oregon had the answer on the other end of the court. The Ducks drained a shot from long range to grab a 17-point advantage but Elliott responded with a three of her own and her third of the day. A stop on the defensive end allowed the Lady Lions to string together a pair of scores with Talayah Walker adding two more points for PSU. After Oregon put across a basket, Cambell and Gracie Merkle added two more points apiece to narrow the margin to 10 points at a 51-41 score. The teams traded baskets before a foul on both ends of the floor. The Ducks only utlizied one free throw while Elliott made both of hers, bringing the score to 54-45 to end the third stanza.
Fourth Quarter
Elliott began the final quarter hot, sinking her fourth three pointer of the day to close the gap to six points for the first time since the second period. The Penn State press forced a turnover on the ensuing position to allow Campbell to draw a foul and add one more point to PSU’s total. A stop on defense was followed by another pair of shots from the line, Hall nailing one of the two to draw four points away from Oregon. The Lady Lions’ defense forced a turnover on the defensive end following, forcing the Ducks to call a timeout with 54-50 on the scoreboard. Elliott had the next points for Penn State, closing in on two points away from a tie game. Hall had the pull-ahead three point shot to put the Lady Lions in the lead for the first time in the game. Oregon finally got in the scoring column with under five minutes to play in the game to recapture the lead. The teams traded the lead five more times over the last few minutes until Gracie Merkle tied the score with 1:40 to play. After consecutive missed shots from both teams, the Ducks had the ball in their hands with 4 seconds on the clock and managed to drain the final shot of the game to take the lead for the final time. PSU had one more opportunity but couldn’t convert with one second remaining, making the final score 63-61 in favor of Oregon.
POSTGAME NOTES
Oregon at Penn State
January 9, 2025
Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.)
- Penn State dropped to 9-7 overall and 0-5 in Big Ten Conference play following Thursday’s game, while Oregon improved to 12-4 and 3-2 in the league.
- Following the first all-time meeting of the two programs, Oregon moved to 1-0 in the series against the Lady Lions.
- The Lady Lions won the rebounding battle for the 13th time in the 2024-25 season, moving to 9-4 when doing so this year. Penn State hauled in 38 rebounds against 24 boards for the Ducks, with a 15-8 differential on the offensive glass.
- Penn State finished with three student-athletes in double figures, including graduate guards Gabby Elliott and Alli Campbell.
- Elliott, a native of Detroit, Michigan, finished with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, her 39th career game in double figures and ninth since transferring to Penn State. Elliott finished as the game-high scorer.
- The Altoona, Pennsylvania, native Campbell logged 13 points, cracking double digits for the ninth time in her collegiate career. It was also her second-straight game in double figures at the halftime break.
- Freshman guard Talayah Walker finished as a plus-22 +/- with 10 points and six rebounds, cracking double digits for the third time in her collegiate career.
- Redshirt junior forward Grace Hall hit her first 3-point basket of the season in the fourth quarter to give the Lady Lions a 55-54 lead with 5:09 to play in the game.
- Redshirt sophomore Gracie Merkle cracked double digits in rebounding with 11 boards split between nine defensive rebounds and two more on the offensive end. Merkle had 10-or-more rebounds for the ninth time in the 2024-25 season.
- This was the first meeting in program history against Oregon.
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