UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball is set to make its return to the Byrce Jordan Center for the first time in the 2025-26 campaign to host Nebraska. The Lady Lions clash with the Cornhuskers on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.
The Blue & White looks to improve to a 7-1 after its most recent win over Yale on Sunday while also tallying its first conference win of the season. Nebraska will attempt to remain undefeated with a win in Happy Valley.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Nebraska
- Date: Saturday, December 6, 2025 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Bryce Jordan Center
- Live Stats | Watch: B1G+ | Notes | Radio
- Admission: Ticketed
LAST TIME OUT
- PSU earned an 82-64 win over Yale on Sunday, Nov. 30. Despite a lead change in Yale’s direction in the second quarter, the Lady Lions battled back to recapture the advantage at the end of the first half.
- Three Penn State players scored in double figures including sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller (19), redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle (18) and redshirt junior guard Moriah Murray (18).
- McMiller and Merkle both reached the double-digit scoring mark for the seventh consecutive game. Merkle shot nearly perfect from the field, going nine-of-10 from the paint to go with eight rebounds. McMiller led the team in assists for the seventh-straight game with six in the outing.
- Murray used four three-pointers enroute to her 18 points in addition to four steals, four rebounds and two assists.
- As a team, the Lady Lions outscored the Bulldogs 52-36 in the paint. PSU also forced 24 turnovers and converted 18 points from those miscues. The Lady Lions compiled 15 steals marking their fifth game of the season posting 13-plus-steals.
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS
- Nebraska is 8-0 to begin the 2025-26 campaign as one of just 19 squads that remain undefeated. As a result, the Cornhuskers are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and WBCA top 25 national polls. They are also 15th in the first NET ranking of the season that was published on Dec. 1.
- Sophomore Britt Prince leads the team in scoring, averaging 21.4 points per game which is 15th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten. She also ranks seventh across women’s college basketball in field goal percentage (65.4) and sits second in the B1G behind Merkle. Prince was named to the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Watch List ahead of the season.
- Junior Jessica Petrie and sophomore Amiah Hargrove also average double figure scoring, posting 12.3 and 10.8 points per game respectively.
- Natalie Potts was named to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List for her redshirt sophomore season.
- As a team, the Cornhuskers own the second-best field goal percentage in the country, shooting at a 54.0 clip from the field. They are also 10th in both assists per game (20.5) and points per game (89.4).
- Last season, Nebraska finished with a 21-12 overall record, going 10-8 in conference play. The Cornhuskers made a run in the Big Ten Tournament to the quarterfinals where they lost to UCLA and followed suit losing to Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
PENN STATE – NEBRASKA SERIES
- Nebraska owns the all-time series 12-9 with meetings dating back to 1993.
- The teams have traded wins in the most recent four meetings with Nebraska earning the most recent victory in the 2024-25 campaign.
- The Lady Lions are 6-3 in home games against the Cornhuskers.
LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS
- Merkle finished the 2024-25 campaign ranked third in the nation and first in the conference in field goal percentage (.670). Among power 4 players, she ranked first in field goal percentage, 15th in double-doubles (13), 20th in rebounds per game (8.6) and 23rd in blocks per game.
- Moriah Murray sat 21st in the nation in three pointers per game (2.63) and second in the B1G in 2024-25.
- As a team, the Lady Lions ranked 14th in the nation in assists per game (17.7) and fifth in the Big Ten last season.
- After seven games, Merkle ranks first in the nation in field goal percentage (74.0) and seventh in field goals (74). She is also ninth in the country and second in the conference points per game (23.0).
- McMiller ranks 25th in the nation in field goals (61) and 20th in field goal attempts (134), ranking sixth and third across the B1G consecutively in those categories.
- Murray is ninth in three pointers per game (3.29) and 17th in three-point percentage (48.9), ranking first across the conference in each category.
- As a team, the Lady Lions are seventh in the country in field goal percentage (51.9) and 11th in three-point percentage (38.8), ranking third and second in the Big Ten in those categories respectively. PSU has the 15th-best scoring offense across the nation (86.0) and ranks eighth in assists per game (20.6).