UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State heads back to the state of Illinois for the second time this week for a Thursday night contest against rv Illinois. Tip time in the State Farm Center is set for 7 p.m. ET. as the Lady Lions search for their 300th program Big Ten win.
GAME INFORMATION
at Illinois
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2025 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Champaign, Ill. | Venue: State Farm Center
- Live Stats | Watch: B1G+ | Notes | Radio
- Admission: Ticketed
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State dropped a conference road game to Northwestern, marking the Huskies first Big Ten win of the season on Sunday.
- There were five lead changes and six tie scores throughout the contest.
- Gracie Merkle posted her 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds. This was her fourth consecutive double figure scoring outing.
- Gabby Elliott also produced 13 points, marking her fourth straight game with 10-or-more points as well. She also grabbed seven boards, dished out four assists and compiled three steals.
- Talayah Walker was the final Lady Lion in the trio of double-digit scores, putting up 14 points to lead the team.
- Penn State was dominant on the glass, outrebounding Northwestern by a 46-31 margin.
- PSU also outscored the Huskies 42-28 in the paint.
LAST TIME AGAINST ILLINOIS
- Penn State and Illinois only faced once in the 2023-24 campaign with the Illini coming away with a 86-71 win in Happy Valley.
- Three Lady Lions scored in double figures in the contest: Ashley Owusu (15), Makenna Marisa (14) and Ali Brigham (10).
- Despite the loss, several milestones were achieved. Owusu surpassed 500 career assists and Marisa played in her 135th game at Penn State, the most of any Lady Lion.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING ILLINI
- Illinois is 19-5 overall, 9-4 in the Big Ten as one of the hottest teams in women’s college basketball this season. They have been in and out of the rankings themselves but the Fighting Illini own three ranked wins over Florida State, Iowa and Maryland.
- Illinois has won its last five consecutive games.
- Five Fighting Illini average double figure scoring: Kendall Bostic (15.9), Genesis Bryant (14.8), Adalia McKenzie (12.8), Makira Cook (11.9) and Gretchen Dolan (10.5).
- Bostic also averages double digit rebounding (11.2), leading the conference and ranking sixth in the nation in rebounds per game. She also ranks first in the B1G in defensive rebounds and total rebounds, ranking second and sixth respectively in the country. Her 16 double doubles sits her atop the conference and third nationally.
- As a team, Illinois has the second-best free throw percentage (80.8) nationally and best in the Big Ten.
- Bostic was named a McClain Award Top 10 candidate as announced in February.
- Bryant has garnered three Big Ten Player of the Week nods throughout the course of the 2024-25 campaign. She was also placed on the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Watch list ahead of the season.
- Cook earned a spot on the Naismith Player of the Year Watch List as well as the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Watch List at the beginning of the season.
- Last season, Illinois finished with a 19-15 overall and 8-10 conference record. After losing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Maryland, the Fighting Illini earned a bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament. Illinois was the Inaugural WBIT Champions after defeating five teams throughout the tournament.
PENN STATE – ILLINOIS SERIES
- Penn State leads the all-time series by a 40-18 margin with Thursday’s meeting being the 59th between the squads.
- The series dates back to 1986.
- Illinois is PSU’s third most played Big Ten opponent in program history.
- The Fighting Illini own the most recent two victories in 2023 and 2024.
- The Lady Lions are 14-11 in games played in Champaign.
LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS
- Merkle ranks 13th in the Big Ten in total points (361). She also sits 16th in the B1G in points per game (15.0). Merkle is fourth in the country in field goal percentage (66.7) and first in the conference. Her 10 double-doubles ranks her fifth in the Big Ten.
- Moriah Murray is 19th in the country in three pointers (65) and ranks first in the Big Ten in that category. She also sits second in the conference in three pointers per game (2.71) and first in three-point attempts (167), ranking 19th and 23rd nationally in those respective categories.
- Alli Campbell is ranked fifth in the conference in assists per game (4.4) and eighth in the conference in assists (96).
- Penn State is 18th in the nation in total assists (428) and sits 21st in assists per game (17.8). The team is fourth in the conference in total assists and ranks fourth in assists per game.