Penn State women’s basketball (5-0) took care of Monmouth (0-5) 100-55 on Sunday in the Bryce Jordan Center in dominant fashion.

Gracie Merkle, Moriah Murray, and Taniyah Walker combined for 61 points in another dominant win for the Lady Lions. Penn State’s win was the second time this season it scored at least 100 points after scoring 101 against Niagara.

How It Happened

Merkle won the tip for Penn State, and after a failed first possession, Jayla Oden knocked down a three-pointer for the game’s opening points. Damaris Rodriguez responded a moment later with a long two-point jumper as offense was slow to start for both sides.

Talayah Walker drew a foul four minutes through the first quarter and hit both her shots to make it 5-2. Penn State’s aggressive defense forced a turnover from Monmouth just after, and Murray hit her first three of the game. Murrah dropped another three-ball seconds later as the Lady Lions extended their lead to 11-4.

Coming out of a timeout, Grace Hall knocked down a mid-range jumper, but Monmouth broke its scoring drought with a layup.

Merkle missed two free throws, but physical play from Walker under the rim secured the rebound and earned a three-point play. Walker made more big plays at the other end of the fourth with a fierce block swatting away a second ball a few seconds later.

Alli Campbell knocked down two more points before the first quarter ended with Penn State leading 18-6.

The Lady Lions got off to a quicker start in the second quarter, as Merkle pulled down an offensive rebound and scored a quick two points on Penn State’s first possession. Divine Dibula and Campbell traded points. After Taisha Exanor made one free throw, Oden took the ball down the court by herself and drew a foul after a driving layup, but missed the free throw.

Dibula hit another two points to bring the score to 24-11 for the Lady Lions before Campbell earned two points down low. Dayshawna Carter and Jayne Hayes picked up four more points for the Hawks before Murray hit two free throws.

Walker and Merkle fought to pick up two points for Penn State underneath the rim, and Gabby Elliott recorded a steal-and-score to make the score 32-16 before Monmouth called timeout.

Monmouth got the first five points out of the break, but Walker knocked down a three-pointer and Hall scored on a driving layup. Walker earned two more points before the game went into another break with Penn State up 39-22 with two minutes left in the first half.

Merkle dropped two more points before Rodriguez hit two free throws on the other end. Murray hit two more three-pointers to close out the half as Penn State hit the locker room leading 47-26.

The two teams traded blows to start the second half before Murray hit three-ball No. 5. Merkle dropped another layup as Monmouth suffered a scoring drought. Walker dropped another layup in for her 12th point and fourth field goal. Merkle dropped in two more layups and forced the Hawks to call a timeout with five minutes left in the third quarter with Penn State up 61-30.

Penn State scored the first four points out of the break before Monmouth answered with four of its own. Murray hit another three-pointer before Hall picked up two more points under the rim. Merkle made one layup before Monmouth hit two before the end of the quarter, with Penn State leading 72-38 after 30 minutes.

Merkle earned a three-point play to start the fourth quarter before Exanor and Rodriguez picked up points for Monmouth. Murray hit another three after Walker hit a layup. After Carter committed a foul, the game went into a media timeout with under five minutes left and Penn State leading 86-49.

Campbell made both free throws out of the break before Alexis Stewart gave Monmouth two points. Victoria Santana knocked down a three-pointer and Cam Rust and Isabella Murray traded points. Santana made another layup and converted the free throw she earned on the play.

Jill Jekot hit a three-points before Rebecca Milon made a layup on the other end. Rust’s two free throws closed out the game as the Lady Lions notched another win.

Takeaways

• For a true freshman, Walker has been outstanding and was a highlight reel for the Lady Lions on Sunday. She’s recorded double-digit point totals twice this season and has proven she’s worth starting. With much of Penn State’s proven talent on the older end of the spectrum, Walker’s youth could benefit the Lady Lions for some time.
• Moriah Murray and Merkle continue to impress as the pair provides a difficult threat for opponents. Between Murray’s deep range and Merkle’s physicality, they’ve been difficult for opponents to guard. Add in Walker’s versatility from around the court, and the Lady Lions have some real threats.
• Penn State has played very well in its opening five games, but it’s been difficult to truly judge how good this team is. With the combination of new talent on the roster and the low level of talent on opponents’ rosters, the Lady Lions still have a lot to prove. We’ll learn a lot about this team in the next two games.

What’s Next?

Penn State ended its five-game homestand with Sunday’s win and will travel southbound to the neutral-site WBCA Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The Lady Lions will first tip-off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 21, against Marshall.