COLUMBIA, S.C. – Penn State women’s basketball drops road contest at no. 3 South Carolina, 95-55 on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Lions fall to 6-4, 0-1 Big Ten while the Gamecocks improve to 9-1, 0-0 SEC.
Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller led the team in scoring, posting 22 points marking her 10th-straight game reaching the double-digit mark. Freshman guard Shayla Smith recorded her second consecutive game with double figure scoring in her first collegiate start. She added a personal best 13 points in addition to nine rebounds. Redshirt-junior center Gracie Merkle grabbed nine rebounds to go with nine points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Despite a stop for the Lady Lions on the opening SC possession, a turnover in transition allowed the Gamecocks to take a 3-0 lead using a shot from beyond the arc. PSU got on the board using a layup from Smith, but the home team responded with a set of points on their end. Merkle gave the Lady Lions another two points that were answered by South Carolina responded with five consecutive points to take a 10-4 advantage. Another layup from Smith decreased the deficit to 10-6 until the Gamecocks added two more points using an offensive board. A pair of shots from the charity stripe allowed SC to widen its lead to 14-6. The teams traded baskets with Murray adding her first three-pointer of the contest in the sequence to pull Penn State within seven at the media timeout at a score of 18-11. The Gamecocks recorded six unanswered points out of the break to increase their lead to 24-11 at the one-minute mark. Smith’s three-point play inched Penn State within 10 points, but a trip to the free throw line extended the margin to 25-14 at the conclusion of the first stanza.
Second Quarter
Merkle got Penn State going offensively in the second frame using a put-back-basket. McMiller built on the sequence with a midrange jumper out of an offensive board from Amiya Evans. The Gamecocks gained a point from the charity stripe, but Smith had the answer on the other end with a floating jumper. The Lady Lions extended their scoring stretch following a basket from Smith to narrow the score to 27-22. The Gamecocks had answer with three back-to-back layups to extend their advantage to 33-22. Out of the media timeout, the teams traded baskets between defensive stops on both sides to elevate the score to 37-24. SC sank a shot from long range to create a 14-point deficit, but a three-point play for McMiller following a foul on her layup lessened the margin to 11 points. A forced turnover by the Lady Lion defense allowed McMiller to find a three-pointer, yet the Gamecocks had a response with a three of their own. McMiller converted a basket under the hoop to guide PSU within nine points, but three free throws for South Carolina grew its lead to 46-34 at the end of the second stanza.
Third Quarter
The Gamecocks sparked a 9-0 run out of halftime to balloon their lead to 55-34, forcing Penn State to call an early timeout. Out of the stoppage, Merkle added a bucket followed by a shot from the free throw line to decrease the deficit to 55-37. After one made free shot, SC converted a steal-and score in addition to another free throw. Another set of forced turnovers allowed the Gamecocks wide open looks at the basket to create a 65-37 lead for the home team. Tèa Clèante found her first points of the day using a three-pointer, but South Carolina responded with two on its end. The Gamecocks continued their offensive dominance, creating a 10-0 run. Vitòria Santana drained a three-pointer to lessen the gap to 75-43 at the end of the third frame.
Fourth Quarter
South Carolina added the first points of the final stanza, tallying six-straight. Merkle found a basket after grabbing the offensive board. McMiller completed a three-point play following a free throw for SC. After calling a timeout, the Gamecocks added two points to their total. Penn State put up four-straight points out of the hands of Evans and McMiller to draw the score to 83-52, but SC had an answer on its next trip down the court with eight consecutive points of its own. McMiller drained a shot from three-point range that was quieted by a score from the home team on the other end. South Carolina added two more points to finish out the 95-55 victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State at South Carolina
December 14, 2025
Colonial Life Center (Columbia, S.C.)
- Smith added her second consecutive game reaching the double-digit mark while making her first collegiate start.
- McMiller continued her double figure scoring streak to 10-straight games with her fifth 20-plus-point outing of the season and 16th of her career. She has also led the Lady Lions in assists in every contest this season.
- The Lady Lions out-rebounded the Gamecocks 51-43.
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