UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite placing four student-athletes in double figures in the scoring column, the Penn State women’s basketball team dropped a tough, 82-71, decision to the Washington Huskies inside the Bryce Jordan Center Wednesday evening.
The result in Happy Valley brought the Penn State overall season record to 10-13 paired with a 1-11 mark against Big Ten Conference competitors in the 2024-25 campaign. Washington, meanwhile, snapped a three-game losing skid against the Blue & White and improved to 14-9 overall this season and 5-6 in the program’s first season as a B1G member institution. Penn State and Washington met for the fourth time in each program’s history, with the Huskies picking up their first all-time victory. The Lady Lions owned each of the last three contests, with the most recent matchup coming in November of 1996.
Penn State’s offense was effective in multiple spots throughout the game, shooting well above 50% from the field with a 29-for-52 performance on the night. On the defensive end of the court, the Blue & White forced a striking 25 opponent turnovers and won the battle for points scored off turnovers, 22-18. Graduate guard Gabby Elliott led the way individually for PSU, dropping 17 points with six rebounds and two assists in 39 minutes of action Wednesday night. Off the pine, freshman guard Talayah Walker contributed 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field with six free throw makes to her credit. Senior guard Jayla Oden added 14 points of her own, while redshirt sophomore Gracie Merkle poured in 11 points on a 100% shooting night from the field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Penn State brought in the opening tipoff and wasted little time getting things going with Merkle down low, as the Lady Lion post worked for a physical layup in the painted area. Washington answered back with a mid-range jumper in their first possession, and both teams continued the early attacking opportunities with successful layup attempts the next time down the floor. Turnovers began to plague both teams toward the middle portion of the frame, but a 5-0 run for the Blue & White gave the home squad an 11-7 lead. The Husky offense replied in earnest with consecutive 3-pointers and a hook shot in the paint to rattle off an 8-0 run and take a 15-11 with 3:12 to go in the first. After a brief timeout, Washington made it an 11-0 run with a triple straight away, but a basket from Merkle halted the Husky momentum. The opening quarter closed largely in back-and-forth fashion, but a 5-0 stretch from Washington over the final moments made it 26-15 after 10 minutes of work.
Second Quarter
Washington kept the offense rolling with a triple, but a quick reply from Elliott on a driving layup kept the PSU offense engaged. Baskets fell both directions in the ensuing moments, but a jumper from Oden sparked a 10-2 Lady Lion scoring run that brought Penn State back within six points of the lead. A Husky jumper looked to slow down Penn State’s impressive scoring stretch, but a hard-earned second-chance bucket from Walker continued the Lady Lion stretch. A brilliant driving layup through the lane by Hall brought the Blue & White within four points of a deadlocked affair, but a long-range bucket from straight away temporarily saw UW regain the momentum. A foul on a 3-point attempt benefitted Elliott just before the break, with the graduate Penn Stater burying all three tries to make it a dramatic 38-34 ball game with 20 minutes remaining in the contest.
Third Quarter
The Huskies got the second half of action started with a mid-range jumper to take a six-point lead, but a fastbreak bucket from Oden helped push the tempo and bring the Lady Lions back within three points of the deadlock. A lightning-quick 5-0 run from Washington ballooned the advantage up to 45-37, but a solid stretch of work from Merkle helped keep the game well within reach for the Lady Lions. Back-to-back buckets in the painted area from the PSU center made it a five-point game with 4:22 to go in the third, but a triple from the right wing by Washington kept the visitors firmly in the lead. Makes by Oden and Elliott were offset moments later by a triple and fastbreak paint score by the Huskies, making it a nine-point game with 2:01 to go. A personal 6-2 scoring run from Walker over the waning moments kept the Blue & White within five, but a buzzer-beating mid-range tally from the Huskies made it 59-52 through three periods.
Fourth Quarter
The Huskies got the final 10 minutes of action started with a long-range make, but a fastbreak driving layup from Elliott kept things within single digits. UW replied with another triple to take the lead beyond double figures, and a bucket in the paint by the Huskies made it a 67-55 ballgame with just over six minutes remaining. Washington embarked on a 9-2 scoring run to take firm command of the lead, and despite the Lady Lions rallying late to crank out a hard-fought 8-0 scoring run over the next minute, Washington was able to maintain its composure and come away with the 82-71 Big Ten victory Wednesday night in Happy Valley.
POSTGAME NOTES
Washington at Penn State
February 5, 2025
Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.)
- The Lady Lions celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day as well as 60 Years of women’s sports at Penn State.
- Penn State and Washington had not met for a contest since 1996 prior to tonight’s game.
- Elliott produced 17 points marking her 15th double-digit scoring outing of the season and third in a row. Her perfect shooting from the free throw line is her second time shooting at a perfect mark from the charity stripe.
- Oden’s 14 points marked her eighth time surpassing the 10-point mark this year. She also dished out five assists and compiled six steals, marking a career high.
- Walker reached the double figure mark for the fifth time throughout her rookie campaign with 17 points in the contest. She put up productive numbers from the field shooting at a six-of-nine clip.
- Merkle produced 11 points, her 18th time in double figures this season. She shot perfect from the field, going five-of-five.
- The Lady Lions forced 25 turnovers on Washington, matching its most turnovers in a game this season. PSU converted 22 points from its defense.
- PSU shot 56% from the field, its second-best field goal shooting percentage this season.
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