Lady Lions Welcome No. 12/13 Michigan StateLady Lions Welcome No. 12/13 Michigan State

Lady Lions Welcome No. 12/13 Michigan State

Penn State women’s basketball celebrates Black History Month and DEI in contest

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball returns to Happy Valley to take on no. 12/13 Michigan State on Saturday, Feb. 7 for its seventh nationally ranked matchup of the campaign. The Lady Lions (8-15, 1-11 Big Ten) look to win their second consecutive conference game while the Spartans (19-4, 8-4 Big Ten) look to bounce back from a two-game slide. Tip off inside historic Rec Hall is slated for 1 p.m. with coverage on B1G+.

GAME INFORMATION

vs. no. 12/13 Michigan State

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 | Time: 1 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 first conference win of the season at Purdue on Wednesday night. The Lady Lions downed the Boilermakers 85-82 in overtime.
  • The game saw 14 lead changes and 13 tie scores throughout the night.
  • Neither team owned more than a five-point lead at any time during the contest.
  • Kiyomi McMiller led the Lady Lions on offense with her second 30-point scoring performance of the season. She had 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting in addition to a career high nine assists and five rebounds.
  • Gracie Merkle added her 20th double figure scoring outing of the season in her return to the court with 19 points. She shot six-of-seven from the floor and seven-of-10 from the free throw line. The redshirt junior center also posted a season high 20 rebounds marking the first Lady Lion to grab 20-plus boards since Nikki Greene had 20 against Cal State Northridge on Nov. 24, 2012. This was also her seventh double-double of the season and 39th of her career.
  • Moriah Murray produced her 12th performance with five-plus three-pointers, totaling 15 points all from beyond the arc.
  • Tea Cleante rounded out the double figure PSU scorers with 10 points.
  • As a team, Penn State was effective in all three levels of scoring. The Lady Lions shot 51.9% from the floor, 56.3% from three-point range and 78.6% from the free throw line.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

  • Michigan State is 19-4, 8-4 Big Ten this season. The Spartans own ranked wins over no. 15/14 Ole Miss at the Cherokee Invitational back in November, a win over no. 23/23 Washington in Seattle and a win over no. 24 Nebraska.
  • MSU is on a two-game slide with losses to no. 9/9 Michigan and no. 22/19 Maryland most recently, both defeats coming on its home court.
  • The Spartans began the season ranked no. 23 and have climbed to their highest ranking of the year this week at no. 12 in the Associated Press Poll.
  • Grace VanSlooten leads the offensive charge for the Spartans, averaging 15.3 points per game. Kennedy Blair (13.8), Rashunda Jones (12.2), Jalyn Brown (10.7) and Theryn Hallock (10.6) all average double figure scoring as well.
  • Jones earned a spot on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, announced last week.
  • As a team, Michigan State ranks in the top 25 in the nation in several major statistical categories. The Spartans are sixth in field goal percentage (49.2), eighth in scoring offense (85.5), 10th scoring margin (22.5), in turnover margin (8.39) and assist/turnover ratio (1.46). MSU is 12th in assists per game (18.5), 14th in three-point percentage (37.1), 15th in bench points per game (27.3), 19th in steals per game (12.1) and turnovers per game (12.7) and 25th in win percentage (82.6).
  • Last season, the Spartans finished 22-10, 11-7 Big Ten. After losing in its first game of the Big Ten Tournament to Iowa, Michigan State made a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, beating Harvard in the first round and falling to NC State in the second.

PENN STATE – MICHIGAN STATE SERIES

  • Penn State leads the all-time series 31-26.
  • Michigan State owns the most recent four victories dating back to 2023.
  • There have been two overtime games in the series history.
  • The Lady Lions are 17-11 in games played in Happy Valley.
  • In last season’s meeting, Moriah Murray posted eight three pointers, one away from a Penn State single-game program record.

LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS

  • Merkle ranks first in the nation in field goal percentage (74.6) and 18th in field goals (176). She is also seventh in the conference points per game (19.3).
  • McMiller ranks 13th in the nation in field goals (190) and fifth in field goal attempts (438), ranking fifth and first across the B1G consecutively in those categories. She sits fourth in the conference in points per game (19.4).
  • Murray is first in the Big Ten in three pointers per game (2.78) and third in three pointers (64).