Lady Lions Fall To No. 1 UCLA 83-67

Penn State women’s basketball (9-9, 0-7 Big Ten) lost to No. 1 UCLA (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten) at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach on Wednesday night.
The Lady Lions suffered a 20-5 UCLA run at the end of the first half despite a strong opening quarter that had the signs of a historic upset in the making. However, turnovers and Lauren Betts’ dominance in the paint doomed the Lady Lions despite another strong comeback effort against a formidable Big Ten foe.
How It Happened
Gracie Merkle won the opening tip with the Lady Lions donning their pink and black uniforms. Merkle couldn’t get the ball in on the opening possession as UCLA took it the other way and drew the foul from Grace Hall. The Bruins took the lead first with a free throw.
Alli Campbell immediately responded with a deep corner two. The Bruins scored a shot of their own, but Campbell pulled up from mid-range in retaliation. A scoring drought of over two minutes riddled with turnovers ensued for both sides after a quick offensive start to the matchup. Gabby Elliott broke the scoring deadlock with a deep three, all while standing strong and drawing a foul. She ultimately completed the four-point play to put Penn State up 8-5 with just over six minutes left in the first quarter.
Talayah Walker drew a foul next after another Lady Lions stop. She sunk both from the stripe to double the lead. UCLA center Lauren Betts worked her way through the paint for a score. Hall tried another three for the Lady Lions and cashed it in. Betts scored once more under the cup before the first media timeout with Penn State leading 13-9 with 4:22 remaining in the first frame.
UCLA stormed back to knot the game at 13 following a series of fouls by Penn State. Walker scored a layup and UCLA’s Angela Dugalic responded, prompting Carolyn Kieger to call a timeout with the game tied at 15.
Campbell continued her hot start out of the timeout with her third make of the night. UCLA scored once more, but Campbell had the final say in a strong first quarter with her eighth point of the night from mid-range. The Lady Lions led the Bruins after one, 19-17.
Merkle set the defensive tone quickly in the second quarter with a denial of Betts at the rim. However, UCLA quickly took the lead for the first time since 5-4 with a Londynn Jones triple. Campbell scored on a fast break, quickly getting to 10 points on the night. Hall piled on with a wide-open deep two to make the lead three.
With both teams playing staunch defense, the score moved like a seesaw. UCLA then went on to a 6-0 run in a minute midway through the second quarter. Timea Gardiner released a three and cashed it in, elevating the Bruins to a 31-27 lead, their largest of the game.
More turnover trouble ensued for the Lady Lions before Elliott hit a tough layup through traffic to keep the game within five.
Betts and Merkle fought under the rim, with Betts winning the and-one, but missing the free throw. Penn State once again failed to capitalize on second-chance points as Betts got flowing, blocking two shots and sending her points tally to a dozen. The Bruins ended the half on a 20-5 run, making the score 44-30 at the half.
UCLA scored a quick six points in the first two minutes of the second half, forcing Kieger to call a timeout. The deficit inflated to 20. Merkle scored coming out of the timeout for her first points of the night. Gabriela Jaquez scored a corner three to pad UCLA’s lead to 23, its largest of the night.
Walker scored her 10th point of the night with a three at the top of the key. Jaquez hit another triple to make UCLA’s lead 20 once again. The Lady Lions forced a two-and-a-half-minute scoring drought on the Bruins while making nine of 11 field goals through the second half of the third quarter, capitalized by Moriah Murray banking in a three as the shot clock expired. Penn State cut UCLA’s lead to 13.
Jones cashed in from beyond the arc as the final score of the third frame.
Elliott scored early in the fourth and tried the three ball on Penn State’s subsequent possession, but it didn’t fall. Elliott and Walker linked up with back-to-back shots coupled with defensive stops to cut the deficit to only 10 points.
Betts and Tamera Johnson exchanged denials at the rim as the defensive intensity increased in a heartbeat. Betts scored a layup as UCLA’s lead reached a dozen once more, only for Walker to bounce in a three off the rim to pull within nine. The Bruins missed the other way and Elliott pulled up from mid-range to cut the deficit to seven.
Coming out of the timeout, UCLA got up to 74. Johnson hit a eurostep for a highlight-reel play under the cup. Walker blocked Betts at the rim, but Campbell couldn’t convert on the other end. Jones made a three with 1:47 left in the game to make the Bruins’ lead a dozen, putting the final dagger into the Lady Lions’ comeback effort.
Takeaways
- Penn State’s outing against UCLA was all too reminiscent of its outing against its other Los Angeles Big Ten opponent USC. USC capped off an 18-0 run to end the first half against the Lady Lions on Sunday, and UCLA rattled off a 20-5 run at the end of Wednesday’s duel. Overall, Penn State’s defense starts off these high-profile matchups on the front foot, but the Lady Lions fail to hold off their opponents for long. However, the late comeback efforts against Oregon and the Bruins showcase determination and grit from the Lady Lions.
- Gabby Elliott, Alli Campbell, and Talayah Walker carried the Lady Lions through different phases of the game. Campbell set the tone with her early scoring in the first half, while Walker’s defensive tenacity and scoring held the Lady Lions structurally during UCLA’s big run. Elliott took over once again in the late game, totaling 17 points in the comeback attempt. It was her sixth straight game in double figures.
- Once again, however, the points off turnovers killed the Lady Lions down the stretch. The Bruins totaled 20 points off turnovers to Penn State’s two, once again showcasing Carolyn Kieger’s team’s struggles in the category.
What’s Next?
The Lady Lions return from their West Coast trip for their third straight top-ten matchup, facing Big Ten foe No. 9 Ohio State at 1 p.m. on Sunday, January 19, at the Bryce Jordan Center. Folks can follow along on BTN+.
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