Penn State women’s basketball (10-14, 1-12 Big Ten) lost to Northwestern (8-14, 1-10 Big Ten) 69-63 at the Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Penn State started off hot offensively, but its lead quickly dissipated midway through the second quarter. Turnovers and free throw trouble doomed the Lady Lions once more as Northwestern scrapped its way down the stretch to its first Big Ten win of the season despite a valiant comeback effort.

How It Happened

Gabby Elliott got the scoring started with a mid-range jumper after Vitoria Santana gathered the opening tip.

Both teams exchanged a handful of misses before Gracie Merkle got on the board with a layup midway through the first frame.

Santana made her presence known with a triple coming out of the media timeout.

NOTHING BUT NET FOR V #LionMentality pic.twitter.com/Qv5Nkay73Z

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) February 9, 2025

Santana continued her aggressive start to the game with a rush towards the cup where she collected her own rebound and converted the putback. She tried her hot hand once more with a corner three, but the ball rattled in and out. Merkle muscled her way through the defense for the rebound and scored once more in the paint.

Santana snatched the ball from Northwestern’s Taylor Williams and kicked it up to Merkle for another score. Talayah Walker then took the final inbound from coast to coast, firing off a layup as time expired to give Penn State the first quarter edge 19-12.

COAST 2 COAST AT THE BUZZER #LionMentality pic.twitter.com/gURFG57EhL

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) February 9, 2025

Walker opened the second quarter with another layup. Santana tried another shot from beyond the arc, but missed the rim entirely. Northwestern’s Melannie Daley hit a three to pull back within five. Daley and Jayla Oden exchanged shots as Northwestern closed its deficit to only one point, forcing head coach Carolyn Kieger to call a timeout with 5:46 remaining in the second frame.

Elliott scored a jumper coming out of the timeout. However, Northwestern claimed its first lead of the day with Grace Sullivan’s fadeaway jumper.

Northwestern tried two more shots from downtown to add to its lead in the final seconds but missed the mark on both. Oden inbounded the ball to Walker, who took the ball coast to coast again as time expired to end the half. The shot also pulled the Lady Lions back within one point as Northwestern led 30-29 at the half.

ANOTHER ONE?? AT THE BUZZER?? OK TAY

0:00 Q2 | 30-29 Northwestern#LionMentality pic.twitter.com/nY1Pyao98s

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) February 9, 2025

The Lady Lions failed to score through four minutes into the third quarter as Kieger called a timeout. The Wildcats led 34-29 with 5:54 remaining in the penultimate period.

Merkle broke the Penn State deadlock with a layup coming out of the timeout. Tamera Johnson stood strong to force a Northwestern miss as Merkle found Walker for a quick score to pull back within one point of the Wildcats.

Murray cashed in from beyond the arc with a deep corner three to knot the game at 36.

MO FROM THREE

4:02 Q3 | 36-36#LionMentality pic.twitter.com/9zVOMGULGm

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) February 9, 2025

Northwestern poked the ball away from Penn State on its two subsequent possessions, but the Wildcats failed to score to reclaim the lead.

Penn State snatched the lead with an Elliott jumper, but Northwestern immediately took it back with a Daley and-one. Elliott fired up the Lady Lions bench with an and-one of her own for another lead change. The Wildcats scored once more as the third quarter ended knotted up at 41.

Northwestern opened the final frame firing on all cylinders, jumping out to a six-point lead with back-to-back threes.

The Wildcats continued to pour it on, forcing turnovers and scoring in transition to take an 11-point lead, the largest of the day for either team.

Northwestern entered deep foul trouble near the end of the game as Caileigh Walsh fouled out, but the Wildcats remained calm with a 10-point lead entering the final three minutes.

Daley snatched a steal and took it the other way to ice the game.

Takeaways

• Junior guard Santana got a rare start today as Kieger looks for options off the bench in the wake of Alli Campbell’s absence. Santana got off to a quick start with a triple and looked comfortable commanding the offense despite being taken out more as the game progressed. She finished her day with five points, three rebounds, and three assists on 23 minutes.
• Penn State once again struggled from the free throw line. As the contest reached a deadlock in the third quarter, the missed foul shots were magnified down the stretch as Northwestern pulled away. The Lady Lions went 55% on 11-20 shooting from the stripe on the day. In comparison, the Wildcats went 68% on 15-22 shooting.
• Northwestern’s bench dominated Penn State’s bench. The Wildcats milked 34 points from their substitutes while the Lady Lions mustered only 11 points from the sideline.

What’s Next?

Penn State will stay in the Prairie State to take on Illinois at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, at the State Farm Center. The contest will be shown on BTN+.