UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball faces off against USC on Wednesday, Feb. 25 for Senior Night presented by the Penn State Alumni Association. The meeting between the Lady Lions (10-17, 3-13 Big Ten) and the Trojans (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) is slated for 6 p.m. inside Rec Hall with coverage on B1G+.
Penn State will honor two seniors, Amiya Evans and Vitória Santana, and five managers prior to tipoff at approximately 5:42 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. USC
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Rec Hall
- Live Stats | Watch: B1G+ | Notes | Radio
- Admission: Ticketed
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State earned its second consecutive win on Saturday, Feb. 21 with an 87-78 victory over Rutgers in Jersey Mikes Arena. The Lady Lions improved to 10-17, 3-13 Big Ten.
- The Scarlet Knights pulled out to an early lead, but the Lady Lions battled back to level the score in the last minute of the first stanza and take the lead after 10 minutes. Rutgers kept the margin to single digits until PSU pulled ahead by 11 points at the 6:58 mark in the third quarter. The Scarlet Knights narrowed the margin to four in the final period but big buckets from Kiyomi McMiller and Gracie Merkle in addition to late free throws allowed the Lady Lions to prevail.
- McMiller produced her fifth consecutive 30-point outing while matching her career high 37 points. The sophomore became the first women’s basketball player to compile five-straight 30-point outings since Caitlyn Clark in 2023-24 (Clark owns six-straight). She put up numbers on all ends of the court including eight assists, five steals, four rebounds and two blocks.
- Merkle secured her 23rd double figure scoring outing of the season with 26 points, marking her ninth 20-plus-point performance of the season and 30th of her career. She shot 10-of-16 from the floor in addition to grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
- Nyla McFadden had an effective game, posting nine points on perfect shooting from all three scoring levels: two-of-two from the field, one-of-one from three-point range and four-of-four from the free throw line. She also grabbed five rebounds and dished three assists.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
- USC is 17-10, 9-7 Big Ten this season. Prior to their loss to Ohio State on Sunday, the Trojans had won six-straight contests including a ranked win over no. 8 Iowa. USC also owns ranked wins over no. 9 NC State, no. 21 Washington and no. 20 Nebraska.
- Jazzy Davidson leads the Trojans offensively, averaging 18.0 points per game. Kara Dunn (15.6), Kennedy Smith (11.2) and Londynn Jones (10.2) average double-digit scoring as well.
- Davidson owns three USBWA National Freshman of the Week nods and seven Big Ten Freshman of the Week titles. She earned a spot on the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List earlier this year.
- The Trojans began the season ranked no. 18 in the Associated Press Poll and fourth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll. USC climbed to the number eight spot in week two before beginning to drop. In week 10, the team fell out of the national rankings.
- Davidson ranks ninth in the conference in points per game (18.0) and fourth in field goal attempts (452). As a team, the Trojans sit first in the Big Ten and fifth in the country in blocks per game (6.1).
- Last season, the Trojans finished with a 30-4, 16-1 Big Ten record. After securing the Big Ten regular season title, USC fell to UCLA in the conference tournament championship. The Trojans went on a run in the NCAA Tournament to the Elite 8, where they lost to eventual national champions UConn.
PENN STATE – USC SERIES
- USC leads the all-time series, 5-1. The Trojans won the first meeting between the squads as a member of the Big Ten Conference last season.
- The teams have not faced in Happy Valley since the first meeting in 1980, also the only win the Lady Lions own in the series. PSU defeated USC 91-80 on Jan. 6, 1980.
- Penn State and USC have faced once in the NCAA Tournament in 1980, once at the Winston Tire Classic in 1983 and once at the Baha Mar Showcase in 2023.
LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS
- Merkle ranks first in the nation in field goal percentage (73.3) and 26th in field goals (200). She is also fifth in the conference points per game (19.3).
- McMiller ranks fifth in the nation in field goals (243) and first in field goal attempts (539), ranking second and first across the B1G consecutively in those categories. She sits fourth in the conference in points per game (21.6).
- Murray is third in the Big Ten in three pointers per game (2.59) and in three pointers (70).