Penn State women’s basketball (2-0) defeated Canisius (0-2) in its second game of the season at the Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday night.

After scoring 31 points in the first quarter, the Lady Lions committed a plethora of turnovers, killing their offensive groove. Nevertheless, the Lady Lions powered through behind big nights from Cam Rust, Jayla Oden, and Gracie Merkle to collect their second win of the young season.

How It Happened

The first bucket of the game belonged to Gabby Elliott, who hit a nasty spin move to put the Lady Lions on the board immediately. Moriah Murray and Gracie Merkle also started off right where they left off, connecting for an easy score in the paint. After Elliott sunk another jumper to make it 6-0 in a minute and a half, Canisius called a timeout.

Canisius’ Shariah Gailes knocked down two free throws after a Merkle foul to put the Golden Griffins on the board. Murray returned the favor immediately with two foul shots of her own.

Tamara Johnson collected three rebounds on a wacky offensive possession for Penn State, finally cashing in to put the Lady Lions up 12. The Lady Lions made the Golden Griffins pay for their turnovers, taking the ball the other way every time Canisius slipped up. The Golden Griffins called their second timeout with 4:48 left to play in the first quarter, down 20-2.

Eastern Arizona transfer Vitoria Santana put up a mid-ranger to keep the Penn State dominance rolling after the timeout. Vitoria picked out Jayla Oden in the corner to rattle in a three, inflating the score to 25-4.

JAYLA THREEE

2:48 Q1 | 25-4 Penn State #LionMentality | @JaylaOden pic.twitter.com/W4yfA2BovI

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) November 7, 2024

Alli Campbell intercepted the ball with under a minute left in the period and ran the other way, laying it in with no Golden Griffin in sight. After a final bucket from Oden, the first quarter concluded with the Lady Lions up 31-6.

Canisius started off the second quarter on the front foot, quickly collecting two steals and a contested lay-up. Elliott cashed in a triple to score the Lady Lions’ first points of the quarter a minute and a half in.

Oden continued her hot hand, firing in another three from the opposite corner. Freshman Cam Rust fought hard for an offensive rebound midway through the second quarter, putting the ball in but missing the ensuing free throw. The field goal represented her first points in the Blue & White.

Cam fought for her first career points!

5:51 Q2 | 41-15 Penn State #LionMentality | @CameronRust6 pic.twitter.com/f6E2iz2XRz

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) November 7, 2024

Campbell visited the free throw line on Penn State’s next possession, scoring both to make the score 43-15.

Rust scored again with an impressive hook shot in the paint. The Lady Lions didn’t do much in the final minutes of the first half, scoring no field goals in the last 2:50. Freshman Talayah Walker denied a last-ditch three-point effort by Canisius, rounding out the halftime score to 49-21.

Merkle started off the second half with her third block of the night after both teams exchanged mid-rangers. Oden collected her second foul of the night as Canisius cashed in on multiple shots to cut the lead down to 21 points at 53-32. While the Lady Lion lead was still favorable, Penn State’s play was getting sloppier both offensively and defensively. A media timeout allowed both teams to breathe with 6:52 remaining in the third.

Rust continued to work hard in the paint, dishing out an assist to Grace Hall. She laid in two more shots midway through the third period, showing craftiness in her lead up to the paint.

Merkle subbed in and immediately scored an and-one, putting her point tally up to nine. Canisius went on an 8-0 run late in the third quarter as the Lady Lions continued to commit turnovers and fouls. The lead was cut down to 20 with 55 seconds left. Canisius’ Jaela Johnson hit a buzzer beater from beyond the arc at the end of the third to cut the lead to 19, the smallest margin since midway through the first quarter.

Merkle hit a spin move and laid the ball in for an easy score early in the final period. On Penn State’s next possession, she stayed strong in the paint and added two more points. The Lady Lions’ lead was restored to 25.

Campbell once again showcased her defensive prowess with another interception, but Elliott failed to sink the three on the other side of the court. Campbell took matters into her own hands by laying it in after another Penn State steal midway through the fourth.

Rust continued her impressive night by scoring a mid-range jumper with three minutes left in the game. Walker cashed in on an and-one with 1:25 remaining, putting the score at 89-55 in favor of the Lady Lions. The game concluded with a last-gasp Canisius lay-up, elevating the score to 89-57.

Takeaways

• When Merkle is sitting on the bench, smaller players like Murray and Elliott take on the role in the paint. When Merkle isn’t in, the rebounding and passing is dysfunctional and doesn’t flow smoothly, creating turnovers.
• After only playing in the dying minutes of the opener against Bucknell, freshman Rust really made use of her playing time in this contest. When Merkle was out, she was the one who best took on her role in the paint, collecting 10 rebounds while also scoring 10 points in only 13 minutes.
• Just like the opener, the Lady Lions got a strong lead in the first quarter. However, Penn State slowed down throughout the rest of the game. Penn State’s 24% turnover rate allowed Canisius to score a lot of easy points and retain possession. This may be a result of the on-court chemistry that still needs to be built within the new team. Nevertheless, the Lady Lions scored 31 points in the first quarter and only 35 points combined in the second and third. This pattern may prove concerning in close-game situations.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions stay in Happy Valley to take on Duquesne at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 10, at the Bryce Jordan Center. The matchup also serves as the Military Appreciation game.