UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women’s basketball defeats Northwestern 81-71 in 20th anniversary Pink Zone contest inside Rec Hall on Sunday afternoon in front of 201 breast cancer survivors and 3,074 fans. The Lady Lions rise to 9-17, 2-13 Big Ten while the Wildcats fall to 8-17, 2-12 Big Ten. In the first-ever pink game in historic Rec Hall, Penn State earns its first Pink Zone win since defeating no. 24/25 Michigan in 2017.
Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller led the Lady Lion offensive effort with her fourth consecutive 30-point performance of the campaign. She posted 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the floor in addition to 12 rebounds, marking her third double-double of the season. Redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle followed suit with her eighth double-double of the year. She combined for 19 points on eight-of-13 shooting and 11 boards. Redshirt junior guard Moriah Murray recorded 14 points with 12 of them coming from beyond the arc. As a team, the Lady Lions outscored the Wildcats in the paint by a 40-22 margin and out-rebounded Northwestern by a 45-28 clip.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Lady Lions got off to a 10-3 start. After Tèa Clèante scored the first basket of the contest, Northwestern added a shot from beyond the arc. Penn State proceeded to put up eight-straight points led by Murray and McMiller with a pair of triples. The Wildcats added another basket before Merkle made one of her two free shots to extend the PSU lead to 11-5. NU hit its second three of the contest which was quieted by a Penn State steal-and-score to spark a 7-0 stretch during which the Lady Lions took an 18-8 lead. Each team added two baskets to maintain the 10-point margin. The Wildcats added one more free throw to close out the first quarter with 22-13 PSU advantage.
Second Quarter
Murray began the scoring in the second frame with a shot from three-point range. Merkle followed that up with a layup at the rim to balloon the Lady Lion lead to 27-13. McMiller continued the Penn State scoring stretch with a driving layup and Amiya Evans added two from the charity stripe to finish off a 9-0 PSU run and widened the gap to 18 points. The Wildcats added their first points of the frame with a three-point play. Murray drained her third three-pointer of the day to extend Penn State’s lead to 34-16 at the 4:41 mark. Northwestern took back-to-back trips to the free throw line to cut into the deficit. McMiller converted both of her free shots next to create a 16-point lead for the Lady Lions. Northwestern added a last-second long jumper to chip at the margin with just over three minutes on the clock. Neither team scored for the remainder of the quarter finalizing a 36-22 PSU lead at the half.
Third Quarter
Merkle got the offense started in the third frame with two-straight baskets at the rim. McMiller got in on the action with two points on the fast break. Northwestern got its first point off a free throw which was followed by a three-pointer for the team in purple. The squads traded points with McFadden driving to the basket on a fast break. Northwestern converted five-straight points, but Penn State responded with the same. Merkle added a second-chance basket and Clèante drained one from beyond the arc. The Cats added back-to-back threes, forcing PSU to utilize a timeout. McMiller put up a pair of points before Northwestern replicated on its next possession. McMiller added a layup between five free throws for the Wildcats to cut the score to 53-44. McMiller drained a turnaround jumper and converted her ensuing free throw following a foul on the shot. Northwestern put together five consecutive points to decrease the margin to seven. McMiller had the last shot of the quarter to create a 58-49 Lady Lion lead after three periods.
Fourth Quarter
Merkle started the fourth quarter with a layup to bring Penn State back to a double-digit advantage over Northwestern. The Wildcats brought the ball back to their side of the court where they scored five points after a pair of turnovers from the Lady Lions. McMiller got the ball back for Penn State and scored a layup, but Northwestern answered with another three-pointer to bring the score to 62-57 in favor of Penn State. Merkle made one of two free throws before NU followed that with a layup of its own to bring the margin to four: the closest it’s been since the early minutes of the first quarter. Murray scored her fourth three of the game as Penn State engaged in a 6-0 run during which Evans made a layup and Merkle had one free shot. Northwestern continued to close the gap as the Wildcats scored five unanswered, but Penn State scored on two free throws made by Murray and one by McMiller. Penn State was able to maintain its lead in the last minute of the fourth quarter after seven free throw shots between McMiller and Cleante. The Lady Lions earned an 81-71 win inside Rec Hall on Sunday.
POSTGAME NOTES
Northwestern at Penn State
February 15, 2026
Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.)
- McMiller captured her 25th double-digit scoring effort of the season and her 40th double figure scoring performance of her career. She has scored 20-or-more for the 14th time this season, the 25th of her career and has now scored 30-plus points in four consecutive appearances. She also notched her third double-double of the campaign and sixth of her career.
- Merkle recorded her 22nd double figure scoring performance of the season and the 66th of her career. The Kentucky native secured her eighth double-double of the year and 40th of her career.
- Murray achieved double figure scoring for the 10th time during her redshirt junior season. She also posted four made three-pointers for the 23rd time in her career.
- PSU outrebounded Northwestern, 41-28, more than doubling the Wildcats offensive boards.
- Penn State led nearly wire-to-wire, holding onto the advantage for 39 minutes compared to Northwestern’s 24 seconds.
- The Lady Lions held the Wildcats to nine points in the second quarter. This is the second time this season that Penn State has held an opponent to single digit scoring in a full quarter, with the first against San Diego State University in the third quarter.
- Penn State improves to 43-13 in its all-time series against Northwestern.
- The Lady Lions earn their first Pink Zone win since defeating no. 24/25 Michigan on Feb. 25, 2017.
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