EVANSTON, Ill. – A back-and-forth afternoon of basketball resulted in a Lady Lions 69-63 loss to Northwestern on the road. Despite a trio of Penn State players in double figure scoring, as well as five lead changes and six tie scores, PSU could not overcome the deficit down the stretch. The Lady Lions fall to 10-14, 1-12 Big Ten while Northwestern improves to 8-14 overall, 1-10 Big Ten.
Freshman Talayaha Walker led the Lady Lions in scoring with 14 points, marking her sixth game reaching double figures this season. Redshirt-sophomore Gracie Merkle notched her 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 boards. Graduate Gabby Elliott also posted double-digit scoring numbers for the 16th time this season, with 13 points. Elliott also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists and compiled three steals. As a squad, the Lady Lions were dominant on the glass, outrebounding the Wildcats 46-31, 14 of which were offensive boards. Penn State was also productive in the paint, outscoring Northwestern by a 42-28 clip.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Lady Lions grabbed the opening tip off and converted a basket on their first trip down the court. The teams traded baskets as well as missed opportunities on their respective offensive ends, with neither team able to string together back-to-back points. The defensive battle was knotted at 6-6 into the media timeout. Santana drained a three out of the break, giving PSU the advantage but the Wildcats had an answer on the other end of the court. The Lady Lions finally compiled back-to-back points as a result of four layups from Santana and Merkle. Northwestern managed to get a two-point basket and a pair of free throws on the board before Walker went to coast-to-coast at the buzzer for the final layup of the quarter, giving Penn State a 19-12 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
Northwestern got the scoring started in the second stanza, but Walker had the quick answer on PSU’s offensive end. After a series of miscues for both Penn State and Northwestern, the Wildcats cut into the Lady Lions’ lead using a shot from beyond the arc, moving the score to 21-16. NU added another two points in back-to-back fashion, but Jayla Oden worked her way to the basket for a pair of points. Two consecutive two-pointers for the Wildcats drew the margin to just a 23-22 advantage for Penn State, forcing PSU to call a timeout. Elliott pushed the advantage back to three points, driving to the basket but the Wildcats responded with two-straight shots of their own to take their first lead of the game at 26-25 with three and a half minutes remaining in the period. The Lady Lions could not convert on their next offensive opportunity, but defense proved essential on the other side of the court with Grace Hall coming up with a massive block. Another duo of baskets for Northwestern allowed them to take a 30-25 lead. PSU broke the 8-0 Wildcats run with a turnaround jumper from Elliott to pull back within three. Neither team was able to make a shot fall in the final minute until another buzzer beating layup from Walker to bring the score to 30-29 with NU ahead at the half.
Third Quarter
After a long delay in action due to a video review out of the halftime break, Northwestern finally broke the drought over a minute into the quarter with another two points. Another two minutes passed before either team scored, the Wildcats finally the ones to add more points extending their lead to 34-29 with just under six minutes to play, forcing PSU to use a timeout. Merkle broke Penn State out of its dry spell, notching a layup out of the break. Walker converted another basket for the Lady Lions on their next possession, allowing PSU to creep within one. A pair of shots from the free throw line extended the Northwestern advantage but Moriah Murray had the answer from long range to tie the score at 36-36. A series of consecutive turnovers and missed offensive opportunities were eventually quieted by a basket from Elliott to recapture the lead. The Wildcats completed a three-point play to move back into the lead, but PSU had the answer with a three-point play on the opposite end. Northwestern knotted the score at 41-41 with just under a minute to play which is where the score remained after a series of missed shots and turnovers.
Fourth Quarter
Northwestern grasped the momentum in the early seconds of the final stanza with two loud three-point baskets. A shot a piece from the charity stripe from Merkle and Oden chipped at the early deficit. The foul on Northwestern’s offensive end allowed the Wildcats to add one more point. A long offensive possession for PSU was diverted by a turnover, allowing NU to add back-to-back baskets, extending its lead to 52-43. Another miscue on the offensive end for PSU gave the ball back to the Wildcats allowing them to add to a 6-0 run and extend the margin to 11 points. Northwestern drew a foul on their end of the court, adding one more point to its advantage. PSU added points to the board, using a layup from Merke. The home team had the response on the next possession putting up two more points to grab another 12-point lead with just under five to play. Walker drew a foul on PSU’s offensive end, draining two shots from the free throw line. Despite a valiant effort in the final four minutes to bring the margin from 12 down to as few as three points with the Lady Lions nailing a series of layups, Northwestern’s free throw shooting down the stretch was too much for PSU to climb back from, making the final score 69-63.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State at Northwestern
February 9, 2025
Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)
- This game marked the 55th meeting between the Lady Lions and the Wildcats and NU’s first win since 2022.
- There were five lead changes and six tie scores throughout the contest.
- Merkle reached double figure scoring for the 19th time this season and 42nd time in her career with 13 points. This was her fourth game in a row scoring 10-or-more points. Merkle also notched her 10th double-double of the season with 12 boards.
- Elliott put up 13 points, marking her fourth consecutive game scoring double-digit points and 16th of the year. She also grabbed seven boards, four assists and three steals.
- Walker produced her sixth 10-plus-point outing with 13 points
- The Lady Lions outrebounded the Wildcats 46-31 including 14 offensive boards.
- Penn State outscored Northwestern 42-28 in the paint.
FOLLOW THE LADY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women’s basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the Lady Lion women’s basketball team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @PennStateWBB.