Penn State women’s basketball (6-0) beat Marshall (1-4) 74-59 on Thursday night in their first game of the WBCA State Farm Showcase at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

After opening the game with their poorest quarter of the season, the Lady Lions showcased their depth offensively and played staunch defense in the second half to distance themselves from the Thundering Herd and continue their undefeated start.

How It Happened

The Thundering Herd drew first blood with a banked-in three after a staggering four minutes of scoreless play to start the game. The Lady Lions finally got on the board with Grace Hall laying the ball in for an easy two.

Gracie Merkle started to get going by firing off two quick layups midway through the first quarter. Marshall shot two consecutive threes on its next possession but failed to sink either. Alli Campbell cashed in a triple on the next play, forcing Marshall to call a timeout with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter.

Campbell rattled in another three from the corner to put Penn State up 11-8 with just under two minutes remaining in the first period. The Lady Lions only led 13-8 at the end of the first after they struggled with a plethora of offensive woes and miscues, recording eight turnovers through the first 10 minutes.

Tamera Johnson got on the board with an impressive layup finish from an awkward angle early in the second period. Penn State committed another turnover with a three-second violation. Moriah Murray let another three fly, but it didn’t fall for her once again, though Campbell cleaned up under the rim and got the put-back points to put Penn State up 26-13.

Johnson cashed in from beyond the arc to pad Penn State’s lead. Marshall barked back with two layups of their own, one of which on a fast break, prompting head coach Carolyn Kieger to utilize a timeout as the Thundering Herd pulled within 10.

Gabby Elliott sunk two shots from the line to push the lead back to a dozen in Penn State’s favor. Marshall tried another long inbound, but Shaelyn Steele intercepted the ball and hit a contested layup for the chance at a three-point play. However, the officials waived the shot due to a charging foul, eliminating Penn State’s highlight of the night through almost one half of play.

Jayla Oden muscled her way through Marshall’s defense and paved her way to an easy two in the final minute of the half. Murray dished an assist to Merkle in the paint to end the half with the Lady Lions leading 37-24.

Marshall’s Meredith Maier opened the second half with a three from the top of the key to pull the Thundering Herd back within 10.

Campbell laid a ball in to extend Penn State’s lead to 15 midway through the third quarter. Murray cocked one back from three again, but once again couldn’t get it to fall. Johnson hit a hook shot to put the Lady Lions up by 19 points. Marshall continued to turn the ball over and miss shots, highlighted by a five-minute scoring drought before Kieger called a timeout.

The Lady Lions hit the 50-point mark after Hall scored her eighth points of the night. Penn State comfortably sat with a 21-point lead late in the third quarter.

Murray finally cashed in from beyond the arc with a corner three with just over a minute left in the third period. The bucket marked her first points of the night and inflated Penn State’s lead to 23.

Marshall quickly hit a three and scored a layup to bring Penn State’s lead down to 15 at 58-43. The Thundering Herd went on a 9-0 run with those scores in only a minute and 43 seconds, forcing Penn State to take a timeout.

Out of the timeout, Murray splashed her second triple of the night to put a halt to Marshall’s momentum. Merkle disrupted a Thundering Herd shot on the next possession and bullied her way through the paint for an easy score on the other end.

Campbell connected on a shot from distance to pad Penn State’s lead back to 19. Her shot effectively ended any hope Marshall had of sparking a late miracle comeback. Merkle scored more points in the paint and got some free throw practice in the process.

Kieger subbed in freshman Cam Rust in the final two minutes for some extra playing time as the Lady Lions saw the Thundering Herd out in Orlando.

Takeaways

• The Lady Lions started off the game extremely sluggishly, only scoring 13 points in the first quarter with eight turnovers. Penn State has been inconsistent in their early game intensity so far this season, a point of emphasis from Kieger.
• The depth of Penn State’s squad was on display today. Even with Murray not firing on all cylinders, only going 2-for-10 from three, other players like Campbell and Hall took the brunt of the workload. Campbell finished with 14 points, while Hall ended with 10.
• Merkle once again showcased why she’s the centerpiece of the Lady Lions. The offense ran through her when it needed to get going, consistently feeding her passes in the paint for simple layups. Merkle ended her night with 26 points and 11 rebounds on 10-for-13 shooting.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions stay in Orlando for a date with Georgia at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 23. Folks can tune in on Peacock.