UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women’s basketball secures an 85-82 win over USC on Wednesday night inside Rec Hall. The Lady Lions improve to 11-17, 4-13 Big Ten while USC drops to 17-11, 9-8 Big Ten. Penn State honored seniors Amiya Evans and Vitória Santana prior to the contest.
Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller surpassed the 1,000-career point mark in her sixth consecutive 30-point scoring performance. The Silver Spring, Md. native posted 40 points, marking a career high in addition to a new personal best seven three-pointers. She also contributed six assists and three steals. Redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle added 15 points on an efficient seven-of-eight shooting from the floor. Freshman forward Nyla McFadden recorded 10 points on four-of-five shooting from the field and two-of-two shooting from the charity stripe. The rookie also led the team with nine rebounds.
As a team, the Lady Lions produced 62.0% shooting from the floor and 57.9% shooting from three-point range. This marks their second-straight game Penn State shot above 50% from the floor and from beyond the arc.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
USC got out to an early 6-0 lead after a pair of three-pointers. McMiller set Penn State in motion offensively with a three of her own. The Trojans added a bucket before both teams took a trip to the free throw line where Amiya Evans made both of her shots and USC made one. McFadden took a hard drive to the basket for a layup, but the Trojans had a response with a mid-range jumper. Tèa Clèante narrowed the score to 13-9, but USC responded with a set of points on its next possession. McMiller drained her second shot from long range which was quieted by one on the opposite end. Merkle added another basket ahead of the media break, bringing the score to 18-14 in favor of the visitors. The Trojans used a Penn State miscue to convert their next shot from beyond the arc. McMiller took open space to bank her third triple of the quarter, but again the Trojans had one to match. McMiller put up two points before a series of missed offensive opportunities for both squads. USC utilized an offensive rebound to put back a layup and PSU did the same with a three-pointer out of the hands of Murray to decrease the margin to six points. McMiller converted a last-second jumper to finish out the first stanza with USC ahead 26-24.
Second Quarter
The Trojans put the first seven points on the board in the second frame. McFadden pulled up for a jumper to decrease the deficit to seven points. McMiller drained her fourth three of the contest to cut the margin to four before a sequence of turnovers for both teams. USC strung together seven-straight points to take its first double-digit lead of the quarter. McMiller earned a trip to the charity stripe where she made one of her two shots. She drained her next three-point basket to decrease the deficit to 40-33. McFadden and Merkle extended an 8-0 run for PSU to bring the score to 40-37. USC broke its scoring drought with a shot from beyond the arc with under a minute to play in the first half. McMiller added one more bucket, but USC earned three free shots to close out the first quarter up 46-39.
Third Quarter
Merkle got Penn State going in the third frame with a layup under the rim. USC added its ninth triple of the contest which McMiller answered with one of her own as she surpassed the 1,000-career point threshold. The Trojans added seven points in consecutive fashion to extend their margin to 12 points. Clèante broke the Lady Lion dry spell with a corner three. After a USC free throw, the teams traded baskets. Evans made a free shot and Santana drained a three-pointer to cut the margin to four points. A big Penn State rebound after a missed three from USC allowed McMiller to drain a shot from way beyond the arc to narrow the score to 59-58 at the conclusion of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
USC made a free throw before Merkle leveled the score at 60-60 to open the final stanza. The Trojans netted a shot from beyond the arc to recapture the lead, but McMiller’s long jumper kept the margin at one. A trip to the charity stripe allowed the visitors to widen their margin to three before the teams exchanged buckets. McFadden drained both her free throws to decrease the gap to one and a layup for Merkle allowed PSU to take its first lead of the contest. USC quickly recovered with a triple to send the lead back to the visitors until Merkle added another basket to knot the score at 70-70. After a free throw for the Trojans, the squads traded buckets until Penn State strung together five-straight points. McMiller drove to the basket for a layup and Moriah Murray drained a corner three to widen Penn State’s lead to 77-73 at the 2:51 mark. USC made one of its two free shots before McMiller used a mid-range jumper to surpass her career high in points. The Trojans could not convert, forcing them to foul over the final minute. Amidst seven PSU free throws, USC added two three-pointers and a layup, but PSU came out with an 85-82 victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
USC at Penn State
February 25, 2026
Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.)
- McMiller surpassed the 1,000-career point mark. She is on track to climb the Penn State record books in points scored by a sophomore in a single season. McMiller currently sits fourth in points scored in a sophomore campaign with 623 points.
- McMiller posted her sixth-straight 30-point scoring performance, matching Caitlyn Clark’s streak in 2023-24. Her 40-point performance and seven made threes are both career bests.
- Merkle recorded her 24th double figure scoring outing of the season.
- McFadden met the 10-point mark for the fifth time in her rookie campaign.
- Penn State shot above 60.0% from the floor for the second consecutive contest and shot above 50.0% from both the field and from three-point range.
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