UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In the first game at Rec Hall in the 2026 calendar year, the Penn State Lady Lions (7-9, 0-5 Big Ten) fell to the No. 9 Michigan Wolverines (13-2, 4-1 Big Ten), 105-65, on Thursday evening.
Redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle and sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller led the way on the offensive front for the Lady Lions. Merkle, the nation’s leader in field goal percentage, finished as Penn State’s top scorer with 18 points on the night with an 81% finish from the field with a team-high seven rebounds. McMiller made half of her shots against Michigan, shooting seven-of-14 to combine for 15 points and rounded out with seven assists and five boards. Both McMiller and Merkle have scored at least 10 points in all but one game this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Lady Lions lost possession after the opening tipoff but held the Wolverines scoreless for the first minute and a half. A layup from freshman guard Tèa Clèante put Penn State on the board in the opening frame. Michigan then went on a 15-0 run and forced a timeout from Penn State at the 3:24 mark of the first quarter. The Wolverines picked up another layup before a contested three from Clèante ended the scoring drought for the Lady Lions. McMiller would add a jumper, and Merkle converted a layup for back-to-back strikes by Penn State. Vitòria Santana’s layup off a McMiller steal pushed the Lady Lions into double digits in the last seconds of the opening stanza. Still, the Wolverines held the advantage through the first 10 minutes of play, 25-11.
Second Quarter
McMiller kicked off the second quarter by driving to the bucket for a quick layup thanks to an assist by Santana. Merkle secured six points in the middle of the frame thanks to back-to-back buckets and another layup off a fast break, with Santana converting another fast break opportunity shortly after beyond the arc. Moriah Murray notched her first points of the contest after a hard foul in the paint gave her two points and an and-one. Merkle continued her scoring spree down low with a trio of made baskets, but it wasn’t enough as an 8-0 Michigan run in the last minute of the second frame would keep the score in the Wolverines’ favor, 58-31.
Third Quarter
McMiller opened the second half with a long range contested three followed by Murray going two-for-two from the charity stripe. A McMiller rebound off a missed Wolverine layup led to a fastbreak score in the opposite direction by Clèante. McMiller continued to be all over the offensive end of the court by posting a layup to end a 12-0 run by Michigan with Murray converting both of her attempts from the charity stripe shortly after. Merkle closed out the frame with a bucket in the paint, but the Wolverines stayed out in front, 81-44.
Fourth Quarter
Merkle started the fourth with her ninth bucket of the evening. Shaelyn Steele earned her first point of the evening from the free throw line and Nyla McFadden secured a bucket from beyond the arc to highlight a quick six points by Penn State. Steele grabbed another bucket in between two sets of free throw opportunities by Michigan and McMiller added another jumper to surpass double-digit scoring. Steele secured pair of free throws and back-to-back McMiller midrange jumpers pushed the Lady Lions over the 60-point threshold. McFadden closed out the fourth quarter for Penn State with a three and a pair of free throws that ended the game, 105-65 in favor of Michigan.
POSTGAME NOTES
- McMiller has now scored at least 10 points in 15 out of 16 games played this season. Merkle has done the same at a similar efficiency, she has scored double-digits in all but one game this season.
- Despite the loss, Penn State still leads the all-time series by a 32-23 margin.
- Penn State is now 17-8 in games played against Michigan in Happy Valley.
- McFadden scored 10 points for the second time this season and in her career, her performance against Michigan marks the first time she has notched two or more threes in a single game.
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