UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball closes out homestand with a Sunday afternoon matchup against Illinois The Lady Lions (7-9, 0-45Big Ten) and the Fighting Illini (13-3 3-2 Big Ten) are set to face off at 2 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center with coverage on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State is in search of its first conference win of the season while Illinois looks to bounce back from a two-game slide.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Illinois
- Date: Sunday, January 11, 2025 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Bryce Jordan Center
- Live Stats | Watch: Big Ten Network | Notes | Radio
- Admission: Ticketed
LAST TIME OUT
- The Lady Lions fell to no. 9 Michigan 105-65 on Thursday night.
- Michigan extended to a commanding lead in the first quarter that Penn State was unable to climb back from.
- Gracie Merkle, Kiyomi McMiller and Nyla McFadden recorded double figure scoring. Merkle posted a team high 18 points on nine-of-11 shooting from the floor. McMiller recorded 15 points in addition to seven assists and five rebounds. McFadden notched her second double-digit scoring performance of the season with 10 points. She shot a perfect four-of-four from the charity stripe and two-of-two from three-point range.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING ILLINI
- Illinois is 13-3, 3-2 Big Ten. The Fighting Illini are on a two-game slide with losses to no. 24/19 Michigan State and no. 19/19 Ohio State. Prior to the pair of losses, Illinois secured a big win over no. 7/6 Maryland.
- Four Fighting Illini average double figure scoring: Berry Wallace (18.1), Gretchen Dolan (14.2), Cearah Parchment (11.7) and Maddie Webber (11.4).
- Parchment owns two Big Ten Freshman of the Week nods and Destiny Jackson has earned the honor once. Dolan and Wallace have secured a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll throughout the season.
- As a team, the Fighting Illini are the number one free throw shooting percentage squad in the nation (83.1).
- Last season, Illinois finished 22-10, 11-7 Big Ten. The team made a run in the NCAA Tournament, earning a win over no. 23/22 Creighton in the first round and losing to no. 5/5 Texas in the second round.
PENN STATE – ILLINOIS SERIES
- Penn State leads the all-time series against Illinois 40-19.
- The Fighting Illini own the most recent three victories.
- The Lady Lions are 19-5 in games played in Happy Valley against the Fighting Illini.
- In last season’s meeting, Gracie Merkle recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
- There have been 25 contests between the squads with 10-or-less-point differential.
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 16 games, Merkle ranks first in the nation in field goal percentage (75.1) and ninth in field goals (136). She is also sixth in the conference points per game (18.8).
- McMiller ranks 15th in the nation in field goals (131) and third in field goal attempts (300), ranking fifth and first across the B1G consecutively in those categories. She sits fifth in the conference in points per game (18.9).