UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite a dominant performance from redshirt sophomore Gracie Merkle and an electric fourth-quarter comeback attempt, the Penn State women’s basketball team ultimately dropped an 82-73 decision to the No. 14/14 Maryland Terrapins inside Rec Hall Wednesday night.
Following a heartbreaking result in the Lady Lions’ second consecutive Return to Rec matchup, the Blue & White dropped to 10-12 overall on the year with a 1-10 ledger against Big Ten Conference foes. Penn State looks ahead to the month of February and its return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday, February 5, when PSU challenges B1G-newcomer Washington in a 6 p.m. (ET) matchup. Maryland, meanwhile, improves to 17-4 overall and 7-3 against league competitors following Wednesday’s action in Happy Valley. The contest between PSU and Maryland marked the 38th all-time meeting of the two schools in women’s basketball, with the Terrapins rising to 23-15 in the series with PSU.
As a team, Penn State was resilient throughout Wednesday night’s affair and capitalized on physicality on both ends of the floor to challenge the nation’s 14th-ranked women’s basketball program. PSU came away with a win in the rebounding battle by a 30-24 margin highlighted by a domineering 19-5 differential in offensive rebounding opportunities. Merkle was dominant on the offensive end of the floor against the Terrapins, pouring in a Big Ten career-best 24 points on an impressive 11-for-13 shooting performance from the field. Merkle, a native of Mount Washington, Kentucky, additionally poured in seven boards highlighted by five on the offensive end in addition to two assists, a block and a steal. Graduate guard Gabby Elliott had a resurgent performance in the second half of play, finishing with 23 points with all coming in the third and fourth quarters. The Detroit, Michigan, native shot 9-for-16 from the floor and additionally contributed six rebounds and two assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Maryland hauled in the opening tip and capitalized with a layup and triple on the ensuing possession to rattle off a quick 5-0 start to Wednesday night’s matchup in Rec Hall. A Lady Lion turnover the next time down the floor allowed Maryland to set things up offensively and hit a near-side triple to make it an eight-point advantage. Merkle put an end to the Terrapin opening run with a physical layup through contact in the paint, but a 7-2 response from Maryland made it a 15-4 contest with 5:59 to go in the frame. Merkle found the bottom of the net with a paint bucket the next trip down the floor, but an 8-1 finish from Maryland to close the opening quarter gave the Terrapins a 23-7 advantage through 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
Hall connected with Merkle on the first Lady Lion possession of the second quarter to get things started down low for the Blue & White, and Maryland rattled off some back-and-forth scoring opportunities against PSU. A dominant stretch saw Merkle tally PSU’s first eight points of the period to make it 28-15 just over three minutes into the frame, but each team continued to capitalize inside the 3-point arc to keep it a 13-point game with just over four minutes left in the first half. Trailing 32-19 at the media break, Merkle’s dominant offensive stretch continued and the Blue & White continued to claw back to pull within 11, but Maryland was able to ramp things up offensively to close the opening stanza of Wednesday’s matchup with a 41-24 lead.
Third Quarter
The Terrapins got the third quarter started with a pair of field goal makes inside the arc, but a mid-range jumper from Hall helped get the Lady Lions started offensively in the second half. Maryland answered back with a paint jumper, but a triple by Hall followed by a layup down low from Merkle marked off a 5-0 scoring run for the Blue & White. An and-one opportunity for Maryland was answered by a layup from Merkle, but a triple by the Terrapins kept Maryland in command of the lead. Baskets fell both directions on either side of the third quarter media timeout, with Maryland leading by a 60-41 differential with 1:56 to play in the frame. The Blue & White locked in on both ends of the court as the period wound down, embarking on an emphatic 8-0 scoring run to close the period and make it a 13-point affair heading into the fourth quarter after a pair of Terrapin free throw makes.
Fourth Quarter
Elliott battled through contact for a physical second-chance scoring opportunity to get things rolling for PSU in the fourth quarter and earned an and-one opportunity off a Terrapin turnover to seize the momentum for the Lady Lions. The Penn State defense was ferocious following a Maryland timeout, registering back-to-back steals with back-to-back buckets to pull within five points of the lead. After PSU started the fourth on an electric 8-0 scoring run, Maryland answered back with a tally in the paint, but Terrapin turnovers continued to plague the visitors as Rec Hall came alive midway through the period. An elbow jumper helped Maryland preserve their precarious advantage, but another giveaway answered by an Elliott straight-away triple made it a one-possession game. Buckets fell both directions as the drama continued to unfold in PSU’s cross-campus home, but a 7-0 scoring run by Maryland saw the Terrapins begin to pull away. The Lady Lions were not done yet, as Elliott earned an and-one trip to the line to make it 75-69 at the 2:19 mark, but the Terrapins were able to negate the PSU pressure down the stretch and come away with an 82-73 result in Happy Valley.
POSTGAME NOTES
No. 14/14 Maryland at Penn State
January 29, 2025
Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.)
- Penn State forced 23 turnovers on Maryland and converted 27 points from its defense.
- The Lady Lions battled back from 21 points late in the second half to bring the score back within two.
- PSU totaled 19 offensive rebounds. Merkle and Elliott grabbed five apiece and Tamera Johnson grabbed four.
- Merkle put up 24 points marking her 17th double figure scoring outing of the season and second in a row. She also led the team in rebounding for the 16th time this season.
- Elliott posted 23 points, her 14th double digit scoring outing of the season and third 20-plus-point performance.
- The team compiled 12 steals, Talayah Walker led the charge matching her career best of four.
- PSU outscored Maryland in both the third and fourth quarter.
- The Lady Lions outscored the Terps 48-34 in the paint.
- Penn State dished out 20 assists, solidifying its 10th 20-plus-assist game of the campaign.
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