UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Two 20-plus-point efforts from Kiyomi McMiller and Gracie Merkle were not enough in Penn State’s 76-72 loss to Rutgers on Sunday afternoon in Rec Hall. The Lady Lions fall to 7-12, 0-8 Big Ten while the Scarlet Knights improve to 9-9, 1-6 Big Ten.
McMiller led the offensive effort for Penn State with her game-high 27 points on 54.5% shooting from the floor while adding 11 boards and five assists. Merkle continued her efficient season, making 63.6% of her baskets from the field with 70.0% free throw shooting to combine for 21 points. Both McMiller and Merkle have scored in double figures in the most recent nine and seven games respectively. Nyla McFadden (five) McMiller (five) and Moriah Murray (four) all dished out four or more assists. McFadden, Maggie Mendelson and Tèa Clèante all added a pair of steals and McMiller recorded a game-high 11 boards.
FIRST QUARTER
Rutgers struck first in the opening frame with a three-pointer after a Penn State turnover on the initial possession. McFadden answered quickly with a three of her own for the first Lady Lions points of the contest. After a block from Merkle and a steal by McFadden, Murray was able to score in the paint to stop a five-point run from the Scarlet Knights. Merkle made both of her attempts from the free throw line to cut the early disadvantage to three and a fast break layup by McMiller cut the deficit further. McMiller picked up a second-straight basket, again on a defensive rebound, to put the Lady Lions in the lead for the first time in the contest. A three-point play for Rutgers led to a 10-2 run that was only broken up by a set of points from Merkle. A jumper from McMiller and another bucket down low from Merkle helped the Lady Lions keep pace with the Scarlet Knights, but Rutgers owned a 22-17 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
SECOND QUARTER
A defensive struggle in the first minute and a half led to Murray grabbing the first bucket of the second stanza with a jumper from the charity stripe. Viktoria Ranisavljevic converted a four-point play after a hard foul on her corner three to stop the scoring drought with a McMiller three and a putback from Vitória Santana forcing a Rutgers timeout. An and-one from McMiller continued to put the pressure on the Scarlet Knights as the Penn State deficit decreased to two. Santana and Ranisavljevic each secured a point from free throws for the final Penn State points of the half, as the Blue & White found themselves down 33-35 headed into the third frame.
THIRD QUARTER
The Lady Lions struck first and fast in the second half. Merkle notched the opening bucket in the paint and McFadden’s layup on the fast break secured the lead for the second time on the afternoon for Penn State, forcing Rutgers to call its second timeout. A steal from Clèante led to a contested layup for McFadden and another steal by Clèante created a walk-in bucket for McMiller. Merkle notched two from the charity stripe to add to the Penn State advantage with a block from Mendelson into a jumper from McMiller adding further to the Lady Lion lead. Rutgers would grab three-straight buckets, but a step back jumper from McFadden stopped the bleeding for Penn State. After a Scarlet Knights three, Merkle converted one of her free throw attempts to tie the game up at 48-48. She added a another bucket to recapture the lead for the Lady Lions. McMiller answered a Rutgers layup with one of her own and Murray made a basket from beyond the arc to keep momentum in Penn State’s favor. The Blue & White finished the third stanza up, 55-52.
FOURTH QUARTER
A pair of free throws earned Rutgers the first points of the fourth frame, but Merkle answered with a bucket in the paint. Four free throws and a trio of layups from Rutgers led to a seven-point run that ended after a McMiller jumper and another close-range basket from Merkle tied the game back up. The Scarlet Knights engaged in an 11-2 run that created an eight-point deficit at the two-minute mark. McMiller added seven more points down the stretch including a step-back three, but it wasn’t enough to climb back, finalizing the Rutgers victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
- McMiller and Merkle both recorded double digit scoring on the afternoon, they have now done so in 18-of-19 outings throughout the 2025-2026 campaign.
- McMiller recorded 20+ points for the ninth time this season.
- Merkle surpassed 20 points for the seventh time this season and third in a row.
- McMiller recorded a double-double for the second time this season with 27 points and 11 boards.
- There were seven score ties and eight lead changes throughout the contest.
- The Lady Lions shot better from the field (45% to 41%) and outscored the Scarlet Knights in the paint (42-30).
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