Penn State women’s basketball (10-13, 1-11 Big Ten) lost to Washington (14-9, 5-6 Big Ten) 82-71 at the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday night.

After a quick offensive start on both sides, Washington pulled away in the second half with clinical three-point shooting. Gabby Elliott and Talayah Walker led the Lady Lions through a small comeback attempt that the Huskies continuously evaded with their clutch shooting down the stretch. Penn State’s disappointing season continues as the Lady Lions drop their fourth consecutive game and 10th of their last 11.

How It Happened

Gracie Merkle got the ball rolling with a physical layup to put the Lady Lions on the board first. Washington immediately responded with a mid-ranger and layup of its own to claim the early lead.

Grace Hall snagged the ball out of midair following a Husky miscommunication, but a turnover of her own turned into two points for Washington’s Dalaya Daniels.

Tamera Johnson and Jayla Oden linked up for points in transition off of another steal to knot the game back up. Moriah Murray then poked the ball away as Washington tried moving the ball forward, which Johnson muscled her way through the paint to convert into a score.

THE STEAL THE POINTS

6:01 Q1 | 8-7 Penn State #LionMentality pic.twitter.com/vBmLzmaq7F

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) February 5, 2025

Murray and Hannah Stines exchanged threes on the subsequent possessions.

Stines cashed in from downtown once more following the first media timeout to put the Huskies up by seven. Murray dished a pass to Merkle under the cup, who towered over the Huskies for an easy score.

Washington closed out the first frame on a 19-4 run over 5:08 to take an 11-point lead through the first break.

Stines drew first blood in the second quarter with a corner three. Hall and Elliott combined in transition to pull Penn State back within 10 points, forcing Washington to call its first timeout.

The Lady Lions forced back-to-back stops on the Huskies but failed to capitalize with points of their own. Washington scored a quick layup to pull its lead back to double digits.

Elliott sunk two free throws to start to chip away at the deficit. Stines responded with a fadeaway jumper over Johnson.

Oden snuck through for a quick two points as the Lady Lions cut the deficit to four. Sayvia Sellers hit a three from the top of the key, halting Penn State’s momentum going into the half despite Elliott hitting three free throws. Washington led 38-34 through two frames.

Stines opened the second half with a wide-open layup. Penn State got caught in poor transition defense once more as Washington continued to pile on the easy scores.

The Lady Lions bench erupted after a no-call for what they believed to be an out-of-bounds play, and Washington turned the possession into three points to go up eight.

Elliott showed off her claws midway through the third quarter, where she snatched back-to-back steals to gift Penn State possession. Walker wrestled for the offensive board after a wayward shot from Oden, but the Lady Lions once again came up empty.

Murray and Merkle hit Penn State’s bread-and-butter play to break the scoring deadlock and pull back within five with just over four minutes left in the third quarter. The pace started to pick up as both benches got antsy, but Washington’s Elle Ladine slowed the game down with a triple.

Elliott floated a mid-ranger in, but Ladine hit another three to put a sock in Penn State’s offensive groove.

Walker carved her way through the defense for a basket. She muscled her way through once more for a bank shot as the third frame winded down. Oden dribbled out much of the clock through Penn State’s final possession, and Walker drew the foul for two more points. The Lady Lions failed to get set defensively off the inbound, and Ladine hit a buzzer-beater from mid-range to keep Washington ahead 59-52 going into the final frame.

Briggs hit a corner three to open the fourth quarter as the Huskies regained a double-digit lead.

Elliott snagged another steal and converted it with a rattling shot on the other end of the floor. Stines immediately responded with another triple, eradicating the work done by Elliott.

Washington seized a Penn State inbound and took it the other way for a fast break score, making its lead 11 with just under five minutes remaining in the contest. The Huskies pulled away as the final frame went on and the Lady Lions suffered another loss.

Takeaways

• Washington shot exponentially better from beyond the arc than Penn State did on the night. The Huskies ended with 48% on 12-25 shooting from three, where the Lady Lions ended with 11% on 1-9. Washington simply made more clutch shots down the stretch, distancing itself just enough for the win.
• Despite the loss, Penn State was all over the floor snatching steals. As a team, the Lady Lions ended with 17 steals. Oden led the team with six of her own, highlighting the defensive urgency displayed throughout the game.
• The Lady Lions struggled from the free throw line on the night. Penn State shot 67% on 12-18 shooting from the stripe. The missed points from the foul line proved crucial as the comeback attempt slipped through Penn State’s hands throughout the end of the game.

What’s Next?

Penn State hits the road for a date with Northwestern at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 9, at the Welsh-Ryan Arena. Folks can watch the game on BTN+.