Women’s Basketball Set for Televised Road Tilt at MichiganWomen’s Basketball Set for Televised Road Tilt at Michigan

Women’s Basketball Set for Televised Road Tilt at Michigan

The Lady Lions face off against the Wolverines on Saturday, Feb. 22 on BTN

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball hits the road this weekend to take on the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, Feb. 22. Tip time inside the Crisler Center is set for noon with the game being nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.

GAME INFORMATION

at Michigan

LAST TIME OUT

  • Penn State hosted Wisconsin in its 19th annual Play 4 Kay game benefitting Pink Zone. There were over 200 breast cancer survivors in attendance with 1,620 years, nine months and 15 days of survivorship total.
  • The Lady Lions lost a tough 75-68 battle to Wisconsin, despite seven lead changes and six tie scores throughout the contest.
  • Gracie Merkle secured her third-straight double-double with 28 points and 12 boards. This marked her 12th 10-plus-point and 10-plus-rebound outing of the season and 21st double figure scoring performance.
  • Gabby Elliott also posted double figure scoring for the sixth consecutive game with 12 points. She also grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists.
  • Penn State was dominant in the paint and on the glass, outscoring Wisconsin 38-28 in the paint and outrebounding the Badgers 35-30.

LAST TIME AGAINST MICHIGAN

  • Penn State only saw Michigan in the 2023-24 season once, during its annual Pink Zone game. It was its largest attended game of the season with 4,745 fans including 200-plus breast cancer survivors.
  • Michigan came away with a 80-75 win which sparked a six-game slide for the Lady Lions after a six-game win streak in the contests prior.
  • This was PSU’s first game without their starting point guard last year and now Director of Player Development Tay Valladay.
  • Four Lady Lions scored in double figures: Ashley Owusu (18), Leilani Kapinus (15), Shay Ciezki (13) and Makenna Marisa (11).
  • Penn State shot 50.9% from the field and out worked Michigan in points in the paint while also outrebounding the Wolverines.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES

  • Michigan is 18-8, 9-6 in the Big Ten this season, with its most recent game ending in an 85-77 loss at no. 21 Maryland. Prior to the defeat, the Wolverines had won four-straight conference games.
  • Four Michigan Players average double figure scoring: Olivia Olsen (16.4), Syla Swords (15.3), Jordan Hobbs (13.2) and Mila Holloway (10.3).
  • Swords has garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors three times this season, most recently on Feb. 10 after averaging 17.0 points, 5,0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in Michigan’s two road wins at Nebraska and no. 20 Michigan State.
  • Olsen has also been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice this season, the most recent time on Feb. 3 after averaging 24.0 points and 7.0 boards through two games including a 30-point outing.
  • The Wolverines have the 23rd-best scoring offense in the country, averaging 78.6 points per contest. They also lead the Big Ten in three point percentage defense, holding opponents to just 27.6 shooting from long range.
  • Last season, Michigan finished 20-14 overall and 9-9 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines made a run in the Big Ten Tournament, advancing to the semifinals where they lost to Iowa. After earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament, Michigan lost to Kansas in overtime to end its season.

PENN STATE – MICHIGAN SERIES

  • Penn State leads the all-time series with Michigan, 32-21, but the Wolverines have won the most recent nine meetings dating back to 2017.
  • The Lady Lions are 14-10 in games played in Ann Arbor.
  • There have been three overtime games in the series history, Penn State victorious in all. Two of the contests took place in 1998 and the third in 2010.

LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS

  • Merkle ranks 13th in the Big Ten in total points (404). She also sits 15th in the B1G in points per game (15.5). Merkle is fourth in the country in field goal percentage (66.7) and first in the conference. Her 12 double-doubles ranks her fourth in the Big Ten.
  • Moriah Murray is 26th in the country in three pointers (67) and ranks first in the Big Ten in that category. She also sits second in the conference in three pointers per game (2.58) and first in three-point attempts (176).
  • Alli Campbell is ranked sixth in the conference in assists per game (4.2) and 11th in the conference in assists (97).
  • Penn State is 18th in the nation in total assists (459) and sits 20th in assists per game (17.7). The team is fourth in the conference in total assists and ranks fourth in assists per game.