NASSAU, Bahamas.– Penn State women’s basketball secured an 83-67 win over San Diego State in the second game of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. The Lady Lions climbed back from an early deficit in the first quarter to capture the lead, which they did not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. Three PSU players reached the double figure scoring mark in the victory including Gracie Merkle with 26, Kiyomi McMiller with 19 and Nyla McFadden with 10
Redshirt-junior Merkle recorded her third consecutive 20-plus-point outing with 26 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field. The 6-6 center also posted her 35th career double-double with 12 rebounds. Sophomore McMiller extended her double figure scoring stretch to six games, adding 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Freshman McFadden had a breakout performance with 10 points to go with five rebounds, four steals and two assists.
As a team, the Lady Lions forced 18 turnovers and compiled 14 steals, freshman Tèa Clèante led the way with five steals. Penn State dominated the glass by a 45-32 margin including 17 offensive boards. For the sixth-straight game, the Lady Lions outscored their opponent in the paint, 48-22.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Lady Lions began the game with back-to-back points to take an early lead but San Diego State responded with a six-point stretch of its own to capture the lead. The scoring period for the Aztecs was spurred from a four-point play following a foul on a three-point shot by PSU. The Lady Lions managed to tie it at 6-6 but SDSU added another set of six points to widen the gap to 12-6. Consecutive layups for Merkle and McFadden narrowed the margin to two. The teams traded baskets to keep the deficit the same until McMiller’s steal allowed the Lady Lions to string together back-to-back points using two shots at the charity stripe to tie the score at 14-14. San Diego State got off two shots from beyond the arc while PSU added two points in between to keep the lead with the Aztecs, but a 6-1 run for PSU to end the quarter gave Penn State 22-21 lead after 10 minutes of game time.
Second Quarter
The Lady Lions picked right back up following the break, adding another four points to their lead. The Aztecs contributed two points, but two-straight three-pointers out of the hands of Moriah Murray and Viktoria Ranisalvjevic widened the margin to 32-23. SDSU managed to convert two points before Penn State ignited a 7-0 scoring stretch to build its lead to 39-25. The Aztecs put across a pair of points after a Penn State miscue, but PSU had four consecutive points to SDSU’s one to close out the first half with a lead 43-28 edge.
Third Quarter
The Lady Lions ballooned their lead to 19 points to begin the second half, utilizing a put-back-basket from Merkle and a pair of free throws for McMiller. The squads traded points before the Aztecs strung together four to narrow their deficit to 49-34. PSU compiled four consecutive points of its own after a steal and score for McFadden on the fast break, forcing SDSU to use a timeout. The Aztecs added two points out of the break, but Penn State tallied six-straight scores led by McFadden’s on both ends of the court, to extend to a 59-36 advantage. The Aztecs cut the margin by five but Murray had the answer for PSU with a shot from beyond the arc. Similarly, SDSU drained one from three-point range to lessen the gap to 64-44. Five-straight points allowed the Lady Lions to pull ahead by 23, but the Aztecs pulled together two-straight makes to close the quarter with a 67-48 score.
Fourth Quarter
Merkle had the first basket of the final quarter, but San Diego State was heating up from behind the arc. The Aztecs drilled three baskets from three-point range amidst six points for the Lady Lions. Steele got in on the action from long range, securing her first three-pointer of the day. The teams exchanged opportunities at the charity stripe throughout the three-minute mark in the game at a 81-64 scoreline. San Diego State added three points while the Lady Lions put up two over the final minutes of the contest enroute to a 83-67 Penn State victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State vs. San Diego State
November 24, 2025
Atlantis (Nassau, Bahamas)
- Merkle and McMiller continued their double figure scoring stretches to six-straight games reaching the 10-plus-point margin. This was Merkle’s 51st double-digit scoring outing of her career and McMiller’s 24th.
- Merkle’s double-double is her 35th of her career and third of the season.
- The Lady Lions have outscored their opponent in the paint each game this season.
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