Penn State women’s basketball (9-2, 0-1 Big Ten) breezed past Providence (6-6) 68-51 in its first true away test of the season on Wednesday night.

A dominant second half by the Lady Lions aided them to the win. Gracie Merkle had another dominant outing, blowing out her previous season-high in rebounds with 18 on the night. Jayla Oden also continued her strong recent run of games with 13 points as Penn State put in a full-team effort in the second half to end its two-game skid.

How It Happened

Providence started off the game by draining a three on its first possession. Gracie Merkle tried laying the ball in from under the rim but overcooked it. The Friars missed going the other way, and Moriah Murray cashed in from three on her first open look.

Murray dropped in another three on Penn State’s next possession after struggling from deep in recent games. Providence responded with two points, and Merkle won a three-point play after getting bodied in the paint. She made the free throw to make the lead three points.

Merkle continued to work the paint with another layup, bumping the Lady Lions’ lead to 13-9 and herself to seven points halfway through the opening frame.

Providence’s Emily Archibald poked the ball away from Jayla Oden and scored in transition. Merkle got a steal of her own in the post, and Tamera Johnson finished the play up top. Murray tried it again from three, but it didn’t drop. Alli Campbell cleaned it up with the rebound and a jumper to pad the lead to six.

Johnson missed a three after a pair of free throw makes by Providence, yet tracked back on defense quickly to slap out an attempted pass to the rim. The Lady Lions stopped the Friars once again and worked the clock all the way down on their next possession. Murray tossed up another three, but it rattled out. Penn State got a final chance to score, but Murray and Merkle miscued under the cup.

Archibald hit a layup buzzer beater off of the inbound to tighten Penn State’s lead to two at the end of the first, 17-15.

The Lady Lions opened the second quarter going 0-for-2 from three and turning the ball over. Both teams went on a series of possessions without scoring. The first points of the quarter didn’t come until Merkle put the ball in off the glass with 7:27 left.

Merkle banked it in once again, scoring her 11th point of the night. The scoring for the quarter was only 4-2 in Penn State’s favor halfway through.

Murray let one loose from deep but didn’t cash in. After making two from downtown early in the game, that was her fifth straight miss. Providence responded with a bucket from beyond the arc to make it a 23-20 ballgame with 3:32 left in the second quarter.

Coming out of the media timeout, Archibald collected another steal, this time taking it from Campbell, and drove down coast-to-coast and scored. Merkle made a pair of free throws to restore the lead to three.

The Friars forced the Lady Lions into their third shot clock violation with just over a minute remaining in the half. Penn State once again failed to pad the lead beyond five, and Providence responded with a layup as the last score of the first half. The Lady Lions led 27-24 through two quarters.

Grace Hall splashed in a mid-ranger to open the scoring in the second half. Oden then hit back-to-back threes before Providence scored, getting the Lady Lions the second half start they were looking for and pushing the lead to 11.

Out of Providence’s timeout, Oden broke away toward the rim and scored while getting fouled. She rattled in the free throw to complete the three-point play and extend the lead to 14. It capped off a 9-0 run for Oden herself and an 11-0 run for Penn State before Providence scored its first points of the quarter with a mid-range jumper.

Merkle went down with a non-contact injury and was helped off the court by trainers midway through the third quarter. She led the team with 17 points and 14 rebounds to that point, and ultimately made it back to the bench area before play resumed.

Murray made her first shot since the first quarter with a long two to continue Penn State’s dominant run. Hall hit a jumper from the same area as Murray, making the lead 14.

Gabby Elliott drained a three for her first points of the night. Providence blocked Cam Rust in the paint and started a little run, cutting the lead to nine. Oden cut her way inside and laid it in to keep the Friars at bay at the end of the third quarter as Penn State led 47-36.

Merkle checked back in at the start of the final frame. She immediately made an impact back in the game, calmly banking in a shot off the glass. Oden continued the run with a layup of her own.

Archibald perfectly cooked a corner three to close Penn State’s lead to 10. Merkle muscled her way through for another layup, bringing her points total to 21. Carolyn Kieger called a timeout with 5:24 remaining in the contest.

Merkle bodied her way for an and-one coming out of the timeout, continuing her superb evening. The score padded Penn State’s lead to 17 with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Murray, Hall, and Oden all made shots near the end to close the game out.

Takeaways

• The entire Lady Lions squad saw the floor tonight, especially in the first half. Most notably, Jill Jekot and Vitoria Santana got seven and two minutes, respectively. Head coach Carolyn Kieger may be trying some ideas out before the Lady Lions’ schedule delves into full Big Ten opposition.
• After a recent string of games struggling offensively, Merkle once again showed how she is the recipe for Penn State’s success. Merkle didn’t eclipse 20 points in either of the Lady Lions’ two straight losses, but she scored 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds against the Friars. Penn State has won every game where Merkle scores 20+ points, showcasing the impact her individual performance has on the team’s overall performance.
• While she still struggled from beyond the arc, going 3-9, Murray did get a hot start and made another three at the end of the game. Kieger wants Murray to shoot 10+ times in each game, and the star guard is looking to get her shot back to where it was at the beginning of the season as the Lady Lions dive into Big Ten play.

What’s Next?

Penn State wraps up non-conference play with a date with Kansas at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 15, at Allen Fieldhouse. Folks can watch the game on ESPNU.