The Penn State Lady Lions (1-0) defeated Bucknell (0-1) in the season opener at the Bryce Jordan Center on Monday night.

Moriah Murray’s fast start from three set up the Lady Lions for a comfortable win. The Bison never led throughout the entirety of the game. Transfer center Gracie Merkle dominated in the paint as Penn State collected their first win of the season.

How It Happened

Penn State scored its first points of the season on its first possession with a triple from Moriah Murray to jumpstart the game. After a pair of buckets from transfers Gabby Elliott and Gracie Merkle, Murray cashed another shot from distance to put the Lady Lions up 10-0. Bucknell got itself on the board with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession.

After the Bison cut the deficit in half to 12-6, Louisiana transfer Tamera Johnson and returning Lady Lion Alli Campbell hit back-to-back threes to inflate the lead to 18-6, forcing Bucknell to call its first timeout of the night. Immediately after the timeout, Murray poked a Bison ball loose and took it the other way for an easy lay-up.

BACK TO BACK THREES

4:30 Q1 | 18-6 Penn State pic.twitter.com/zjOMcpRBQw

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) November 4, 2024

Murray sunk two free throws after Bucknell committed a technical foul. Johnson got a tough steal on a Bison possession later in the quarter, leading to a Lady Lion fast break. Murray sunk her fourth triple of the night, putting Penn State up 33-15 after a dominant first period.

Murray continued shooting her hot hand, scoring her fifth three-pointer of the night only a minute into the second quarter. On the next Bison possession, Campbell rejected a lay-up attempt with a nasty block. Merkle joined the block party midway through the period, extending and tipping up a three-point attempt from Bucknell’s Reese Zemitis. A media timeout halted play with 4:27 left in the half. The Lady Lions comfortably sat with a 15 point lead at 44-29.

After a pair of missed free throws from Merkle, Penn State suddenly faced a scoreless streak since the timeout. With 1:29 left in the half, Talayah Walker scooped in a lay-up and got the foul. Walker scored the free throw to complete the and-one, extending the lead back to 15. The freshman was fouled again on the Lady Lions’ next possession, but calmly cashed in both shots from the line.

Campbell found Merkle in the paint after a series of passes for an easy score to pad the lead to 51-35 going into halftime.

Too easy @GracieMerkle ends the half with a quick #LionMentality pic.twitter.com/woyIv7bezc

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) November 4, 2024

Merkle picked the second half up right where she left off, absolutely bullying the Bison and collecting four consecutive rebounds before finally putting the ball through the net. She also picked up the foul and sunk the free throw to complete the and-one.

.@GracieMerkle BATTLED IT OUT

9:43 Q3 | 54-35 Penn State#LionMentality pic.twitter.com/g52zLyFI43

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) November 4, 2024

Johnson denied a Bison shot with six minutes remaining in the third quarter for her second block of the night. However, Bucknell tallied a quick two points to make up for the loss. After a Penn State miss on the subsequent possession, Bucknell’s Isabella King bounced the ball off of her foot, leading to a turnover. A media timeout was called directly after with 4:54 remaining in the third period. The Lady Lions led 58-44.

Merkle continued her dominance in the paint with another and-one. She ramped up to 15 points on the night with the score. Merkle blocked a Bison shot after her free throw and sent the ball up court for Murray, who cashed in from the corner to elevate herself to 22 points in the contest with six made threes.

Forward Grace Hall continued the block party with an intense denial near the baseline. Bucknell’s Anna Kunzwiler scored from beyond the arc on the inbound, cutting the deficit to 10 at the end of the third quarter.

After a series of back-and-forth possessions with both teams exchanging shots, Penn State called a timeout with seven minutes remaining in the game. While the Lady Lions’ lead was at 12, the momentum of the game began to sway in Bucknell’s direction. After the timeout, Hall scored a quick lay-up to extend the lead.

The timeout proved to be exactly what the Lady Lions needed. After a series of offensive miscues by Bucknell, Penn State padded the lead to 19 with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter.

Campbell jumpstarted the Lady Lions after the media timeout, quickly splashing a mid-ranger. Penn State led by 21 points with three minutes remaining in the contest. Moriah Murray iced the game with her eighth triple of the night. Merkle battled for another and-one in the final two minutes. She checked out for the game after cashing in her free throw.

The Lady Lions and the Bison exchanged possessions and buckets for the final minute and a half. The game ended with the final score of 90-68 for a Lady Lions win.

Takeaways

• Murray’s fast start from beyond the arc set the tone for the Lady Lions at the beginning of the game. While she did lose the hot hand in the second half, it was important for her to get the team going in their first game with the transformed roster as a returning member. Murray ended the night with 28 points, going 8-16 from three and 9-20 from the field.
• The Lady Lions transferred in a gem in Merkle. She dominated the paint all night and amassed 21 points, 13 rebounds, and one assist, good for a double-double in her Lady Lion debut. She also collected four blocks.
• Penn State’s roster completely transformed this offseason with nine new Lady Lions on the roster this season. The fast start comfortably set up a lead to maintain, but the second and third quarters definitely showed an absence of chemistry among the team before closing the game with a dominant fourth period.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions stay at home in search of a second win to battle Canisius at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 7, at the Bryce Jordan Center. Folks can follow along on BTN+.