Penn State women’s basketball (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten) lost to Kansas (10-2) in Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon.

The Lady Lions led for a majority of the second half, but couldn’t seal the deal during crunch time. Gracie Merkle and Morriah Murray combined for 38 points in the losing effort.

How It Happened

To start the day’s action, both squads knocked down three-point jumpers to tie it up. A string of empty possessions continued as Alli Campbell picked the pocket of a Kansas ball-handler but Penn State was unable to convert the opportunity into points as her pass to Gabby Elliott under the basket couldn’t connect.

A jab step from Morriah Murray made her defender touch the earth, where she then pulled up from the corner and knocked down her first shot of the day from behind the arch, tying it up at 12-12. Gracie Merkle then drew a foul in the paint, knocking down one of her two shots. Kansas extended its 18-14 lead with two consecutive buckets, one of which was a layup orchestrated by a brilliant pass from Kansas’ S’Mya Nichols to a cutting Regan Williams.

The Jayhawks began the second quarter with an offensive foul that flipped the ball back to the Lady Lions, who couldn’t capitalize as Campbell couldn’t get the mid-range jumper to fall. After the Jayhawks pushed the tempo transition, Grace Hell intercepted a lengthy Jayhawk outlet pass to stop the fast break, with the Kansas sitting in front at 22-17.

As her defender left her alone on the perimeter to double Merkle in the paint, Campbell made the Kansas defense pay by knocking down a wide-open three. Merkle tied the game up at 22-22 with an easy bucket in the paint. Jayla Oden attacked the bucket and drew a foul, giving Penn State a 23-22 lead at the line.

After Nichols missed both free throw attempts, Merkle went to work in the post, dropping in a bucket off the glass to put the Lady Lions up 29-26 with 0:52 left in the second quarter. Penn State confusingly ended the first half, as Campbell lost track of time and accidently dribbled the clock out.

To begin the third quarter, Murray drained a corner three and tacked on two free throws on the following possession to give the Lady Lions some cushion at 36-28.

Kansas regained its footing with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 36-34, but a transition three from Murray pushed the Lady Lions back out in front. Nichols made two free throws during her trip to the line, but momentum began to build for Penn State and, specifically, for Merkle, who seemed unguardable down in the paint, dropping in bucket after bucket.

Sania Campbell gave the Jayhawks a spark to begin the fourth quarter, knocking down a corner three to bring Kansas within three points. However, Penn State continued its offensive success by feeding Merkle in the paint and forcing the Jayhawks to leave themself exposed in an attempt to limit Merkle. A great sequence from Campbell included rallying to a loose ball and then spitting out a nifty behind-the-back pass to initiate a fast break. Campbell ended the fast break by running up the floor and earning a trip to the stripe, where she made both shots to put Penn State up 61-55.

With two minutes left, Kansas tied the ball game up 61-61 after a nice cut to the basket from Elle Evans. The ball went inside to Merkle who drew the double and then found an open Campbell who knocked down a mid-range jumper to put Penn State up 63-61 with 0:46 remaining. In response, Copeland gave the Jayhawks its first lead since the second quarter with a big-time three-point jumper.

Down, 66-63, Penn State possessed the ball with 0:15 left in the game. Murray got the first lick, missing a three-pointer, but it was rebounded by Elliott who chucked up a layup that couldn’t fall. Merkle hauled in the second offensive rebound of the possession and put it up for a score, but Penn State still trailed by one with just 0:02 left and couldn’t regain possession of the ball.

Takeaways

• Despite being the focal point of Kansas’ defensive game plan, Merkle affected the game on every offensive possession she was on the floor for. She demanded double and even triple coverage all day, opening things up for the shooters on the perimeter. When the extra coverage didn’t arrive on time, Merkle put the ball up and scored with ease. She ended the game with 22 points on efficient 10-14 shooting.
• Penn State did not play a clean game of basketball turning the ball over 26 times and committing 23 personal fouls. Kansas’ best player, Nichols, took 16 free throw attempts, making 13 of them. These small mistakes piled up throughout the ball game and allowed Kansas to slowly complete the comeback.
• Campbell not only embraced but executed the “non-shooter role” that Kansas placed on her. To stop Merkle, the Jayhawks put an extra man on Penn State’s center, leaving Campbell wide-open on most possessions. She knocked down multiple shots from different spots on the floor and finished with 15 points on the day, playing her part in the offense.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will resume conference play on the road against Minnesota at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 28. Folks can tune into the game on the Big Ten Network.