EAST LANSING, Mich. – Despite a strong 3-point shooting performance from redshirt sophomore guard Moriah Murray, the Penn State women’s basketball team dropped an 82-61 decision to the No. 21/22 Michigan State Spartans inside the Breslin Student Events Center Wednesday night.
Following Wednesday evening’s result in East Lansing, the Lady Lions dropped back to .500 overall on the season with an even 10-10 record through the first two thirds of the 2024-25 campaign, pairing that mark with a 1-8 ledger in Big Ten Conference competition. The nationally ranked Spartans continued their stretch of success in league action this season, improving to 16-3 overall and 6-2 against conference competitors just under halfway through the league slate. After the 57th all-time meeting of the two squads, Michigan State edged closer to Penn State’s lead in the series, with the Lady Lions moving to 31-26 all-time against the Spartans.
Long-range scoring was the highlight of the evening for the Lady Lions, with the Blue & White shooting the three with efficiency against a stout MSU perimeter defense. PSU finished the night shooting 52.4% from long range, connecting on 11-of-21 attempts from distance to secure the best 3-point shooting night of the 2024-25 campaign. Murray was the centerpiece of the Lady Lion offense in East Lansing, with the Dunmore, Pennsylvania, native managing a Big Ten career-best 24 points on a career-high tying eight 3-point buckets. The Lady Lion sharpshooter booked her highest scoring performance since logging an identical 24 points against Georgia during the WBCA showcase back on November 23 in Orlando. All 12 Penn Staters that saw game action on Wednesday night mustered at least one field goal make, including three additional Lady Lions with 3-point makes in graduate guard Gabby Elliott, junior guard Vitoria Santana and freshman guard Jill Jekot.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Spartans hauled in the opening tipoff and missed a triple on their opening possession of the night, with Murray responding moments later with a triple to give the Lady Lions an early 3-0 advantage. After two minutes of play, MSU was able to capitalize on a PSU turnover to connect on a layup the other direction and added another bucket their next trip down the floor to take the lead for the first time. Murray buried a sweet triple at the 6:31 mark, but the Spartans rattled off a 10-3 run over the next two minutes to take a 17-9 lead at the media break. Out of the short intermission, Oden buried a fastbreak layup and each squad exchanged tallies back and forth over the next three minutes, with MSU leading 21-13 with 1:03 left in the frame. Another Spartan basket just before the break saw the Spartans carry a 23-13 advantage through the first period of action.
Second Quarter
Hall got the second quarter started with a jumper from mid-range, but back-to-back buckets from the Spartans saw the home squad pull ahead by a 12-point margin. Merkle got things rolling in the painted area for PSU, and Elliott made it a 3-0 Lady Lion reply with a split trip to the stripe, but Michigan State’s offense kept up the momentum with two more baskets to make it 31-18 at the second quarter media timeout. Each offense ground to a halt over the next few minutes, but triples by Murray and MSU kept the differential at 13 points. The Spartan 3-pointer that countered Murray’s bucket set off a 10-3 run over the final three minutes of the first half, guiding Michigan State to a 41-24 advantage through 20 minutes of competition.
Third Quarter
Merkle opened the second half for the Blue & White with a physical bucket in the painted area, but a quick reply from distance on the right wing by Michigan State saw the Spartans maintain their first-half momentum. The Michigan State 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 scoring run that forced Penn State into a timeout trailing 52-26 with 7:32 remaining in the period. Another bucket from distance by Murray briefly saw PSU regain some momentum, but back-to-back triples and a layup down low saw MSU rattle off an 8-0 scoring run just before the media timeout to take a 60-29 lead. A fastbreak score by Walker and paint buckets from Johnson and Campbell saw the Lady Lions book a 6-0 response, but Michigan State regained control with a left corner 3-ball and fastbreak layup to make it 65-35 with 2:31 to go in the frame. Walker took advantage of an MSU turnover with less than a minute to play and connected on a fastbreak score to make it 65-37 in the Spartans’ favor heading into the final period.
Fourth Quarter
Michigan State opened the final 10 minutes with a triple to balloon the lead beyond 30 points, but the Blue & White sustained one of their longest scoring stretches on the evening moments later with a 6-0 run aided by yet another triple from Murray. MSU rattled off a pair of paint baskets in reply followed by a driving layup to mark a 6-0 response right back, marking a 74-43 Spartan edge with just over six minutes left. Scoring kept rolling in bunches on both ends of the floor, with the Blue & White booking a 5-0 scoring run thanks to a triple from Santana and a pair of free throws from Rust, but neither team managed a sustained run over the next few minutes. PSU continued to battle over the remaining three minutes of action, with Murray hitting multiple long-range buckets toward the end of the frame, but the Spartans were able to close the book on an 82-61 victory in East Lansing.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State at No. 21/22 Michigan State
January 22, 2025
Breslin Student Events Center (East Lansing, Mich.)
- Penn State falls to 10-10 overall, 1-8 Big Ten on the 2024-25 campaign with the loss this evening.
- This contest against no. 21/22 Michigan State marked the Lady Lions’ fourth consecutive top 25 match up within the last 10 days.
- Murray recorded her second consecutive game with multiple three pointers, totaling eight on the evening. She posted eight threes for the second time this season. Murray was the only Lady Lion to reach double figure scoring with 24 points. Her 24 points marked her fifth game with 20-plus-points this year.
- Penn State outshot Michigan State from three-point range at a 52%-48% margin.
- Merkle led the squad in rebounding for the 14th time this season, grabbing six boards throughout the contest.
- The Lady Lions totaled 23 points from subs off the bench.
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