UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women’s basketball falls to Arizona State 74-60 on Tuesday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lady Lions drop to 6-3, 0-1 Big Ten while the Sun Devils remain undefeated at 11-0, 0-0 Big 12.
Turnovers plagued both teams in the contest, combining for a game total of 66. A trio of Lady Lions reached the double figure scoring mark including Gracie Merkle and Kiyomi McMiller who each produced double-digit scoring for the eighth consecutive game with 17 and 12 respectively. Shayla Smith recorded her most points of the campaign with 12 on five-of-six shooting from the field including two-of-two from three-point range. She was also the only Lady Lion to not commit a turnover while compiling two rebounds and two steals. As a team, Penn State totaled 17 steals with Shaelyn Steele posting five of them, while McMiller and Tèa Clèante had three each. PSU out rebounded the Sun Devils 39-35 and outscored ASU in the paint by a 32-24 margin.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Penn State took the opening tipoff, but its first bucket didn’t come until a Merkle layup at the 9:13 mark. Arizona State got on the board with a jumper, knotting the game at two. A deep shot from McMiller was quickly negated by a Gabby Elliott jumper, but Clèante’s layup gave the Lady Lions the lead back. Merkle added another set of points to increase the lead to four and that lead held until a Sun Devils jumper with 6:16 to go. A steal from Steele capped a Penn State scoring drought that lasted over two minutes. She sank the and-one, giving Penn State an 11-6 lead. Elliott added another layup, but Amiya Evans turned a rebound into an easy bucket for PSU. Moriah Murray made the game’s first three-pointer after another ASU bucket, expanding the lead to 16-10 for Penn State. The score held until a media timeout with 2:25 remaining in the quarter. Elliott continued her streak by sinking a three-pointer, cutting the Arizona State deficit in half. McMiller added a layup and neither team found the hoop the rest of the way, giving Penn State an 18-13 lead through ten minutes.
Second Quarter
Merkle got the scoring started in the second frame following a series of turnovers for both teams. The Sun Devils responded with a basket to spark 11-straight points for the visitors as they took a 24-20 lead at the media timeout. The Sun Devils tacked on their run with another three-pointer to widen the gap to seven. Turnovers continued to trouble the Lady Lions, allowing ASU to build a 33-20 lead while holding PSU scoreless for 14 minutes of game time until Merkle added two points at the end of the stanza.
Third Quarter
Arizona State continued to extend its advantage in the third quarter, finishing its offensive opportunities while halting Penn State defensively to climb to a 41-22 score. Murray silenced the run with a shot from beyond the arc to chip at the lead, but ASU responded with a three-pointer on the other end. McMiller added a basket before the Lady Lions conceded five-straight points, allowing the Sun Devils to create a 22-point margin. Both teams drained their next set of free throws to maintain the same deficit. Arizona State converted a basket from a forced turnover on defense for two consecutive possessions to balloon its lead to 26 points. A pair of shots from the charity stripe in conjunction with a three-point play for Merkle decreased the gap by five. The Sun Devils added two points from free throws while PSU added one to create a 22-point margin. A jumper for ASU added to the lead but Smith closed out the quarter with a shot from long range to cut the score to 59-38.
Fourth Quarter
Penn State scored the first five points of the final period using points from two forced turnovers from McMiller with a layup and Smith with her second three-pointer. The Sun Devils snuck in two baskets that were broken up by two free shots from Steele who converted both shots, but Arizona State countered with another jumper. Neither team found the net until after the 4:57 media timeout, with Smith adding a layup out of the break. She added another layup to eclipse the 10-point threshold before a McMiller basket got the Lady Lions within 14. Arizona State responded by making two free throws, but Smith tacked on two points. McMiller added an easy layup after a Murray steal, making it 67-55 for the visitors at the 2:16 mark. The Sun Devils made both of their free throws, but Merkle drew a foul and converted both of her attempts from the charity stripe. The next points came following an Arizona State timeout at 1:04. ASU made two more foul shots, prompting a Lady Lions timeout. Nyla McFadden sunk one foul shot, which led to Arizona State taking its second timeout. The Sun Devils closed the game with three free throws while Merkle added the last shot of the game to finalize a 74-60 final score in favor of the visitors.
POSTGAME NOTES
Arizona State at Penn State
December 9, 2025
Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.)
- Merkle and McMiller extended their double figure scoring streak to eight consecutive games.
- Smith recorded a career best 12 points on five-of-six shooting as the only Lady Lion to not commit a turnover.
- The Lady Lions compiled 17 steals in addition to 24 points off of turnovers.
- Penn State out rebounded its opponent for the sixth-straight contest
- The teams combined for 66 turnovers.
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