Since her hiring in 2019, Carolyn Kieger has led the Lady Lions to only one Big Ten Tournament appearance. They have finished in last place twice and in the bottom five of the Big Ten in five out of six seasons. Her tenure in Happy Valley hasn’t been too happy, but with four returning players and a strong freshman class, Kieger is looking to turn around the program.

Last season, the Lady Lions finished with a record of 10-19, winning only one game against a conference opponent. They started the season with an eight-game win streak during out-of-conference play, outscoring their opponents 699 to 492. Their average margin of victory was 25 points in these games.

However, the tide turned in conference play for them. The Lady Lions dropped their first seven conference games — six of them consecutive. An upset victory against Ohio State at home in mid-January ended that losing streak, but another would soon follow.

Starting on January 22 against Michigan State, Penn State women’s basketball would not win another game for the remainder of the season. They ended 2025 with a ten-game losing streak, during which the average margin of loss was 16 points.

The disappointing end to their season signaled a necessary roster shake-up. Six of their eligible rostered players entered the transfer portal, and four of them did not return. 2025 starters Moriah Murray and Gracie Merkle were among the six who attempted to transfer, yet they returned. The Lady Lions also retained Shaelyn Steele and Vitoria Santana; both will begin their second season with the team.

With only three freshmen committed to the team at the time, Kieger needed to fill at least five more roster spots. In the portal, she found two forwards: Amiya Evans, from the University of Georgia, who started in eight of the 18 games she appeared in, and Maggie Mendelson, who will be able to play when the Penn State women’s volleyball season concludes. Penn State’s biggest transfer acquisition was Kiyomi McMiller, a guard from Rutgers, who averaged 18.7 PPG and racked up two Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards last season.

Penn State’s portal success couples well with a strong freshman class full of guards. Viktoria Ranisavljevic and Tea Clante signed with Penn State over the summer and have both found success in amateur basketball overseas. Kieger’s original class of signees included Nyla McFadden (G/F), Rachael Okokoh (F), who played with Canada’s U19 national team this summer, and Shayla Smith (G), the all-time girls’ leading scorer in Philadelphia basketball history.

Offensive regression is expected after losing three of their top five scorers from the previous season, but the new Lady Lions team is young, fresh, and looking to flip the script. It will start with the veteran presence of Gracie Merkle. Merkle led the team in PPG with 15.5 and finished second in the Big Ten in FG%, shooting 67% from the field. The 6-foot-6 center provides a threat in the paint that should allow Kieger to build her offense around.

The backcourt will also possess a returning veteran presence in Moriah Murray. Murray, who started all 27 games she appeared in last season, will provide help in transitioning this guard-heavy freshman class to collegiate basketball.

The heartbeat of this team will rest in the hands of McMiller, Merkle, and Murray — all of whom are eligible to play in the following season. The Lady Lions can use this season to grow as a team, as the core is expected to return with any bit of success.

Starters

Coach Kieger touched on it in a press conference, but the Lady Lions will use fluctuating lineups this season. Kieger has used a four-guard starting five more often than other coaches are willing to do, and with the depth this team has, you can expect to see more evenly split playing time. With that said, this is a potential starting five:

• Backcourt – McMiller
• Backcourt – Murray
• Frontcourt – McFadden
• Frontcourt – Evans
• Frontcourt – Merkle

The Backcourt

Murray and sophomore-transfer McMiller are set to lead the backcourt for the Lady Lions. Murray started in all 27 of the games she appeared in and totaled 840 minutes — second on the team — during the 2024-25 season. Her 0.378 3-point percentage on seven attempts per game stands out on any stat sheet. Defensively, Murray totaled 23 steals and two blocks last season. Alongside Murray will be McMiller, a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week for Rutgers. The former Scarlet Knight averaged nearly 20 PPG and dropped 30 points in a game three times as a freshman. Formerly ranked as the No. 22 player in the nation, McMiller has impressed the coaching staff with her ball-handling and three-level scoring.

Complimenting the two guards with a Big Ten track record will be freshmen Smith, Ranisavljevic, and Cleante. All three guards have tremendous success in their respective leagues. Smith averaged double-figure scoring in all four of her high school seasons, which includes a 27.5 PPG senior year. Ranisavljevic assisted the Swiss national team to their first European Championship final, in which she scored a team-high 14 points. Cleante posted 16 points, seven assists, and three steals in the European Basketball Championship. While they may start as reserves, don’t be surprised if you see big minutes or even a starting role from one of them.

The backcourt boasts more experience with the return of Steele and Santana. Steele and Santana served as reserves last year, both appearing in over half of the team’s games. With Kieger’s fondness towards four-guard lineups, these two will likely find an uptick in minutes and provide a fresh set of legs for the Big Ten’s faster pace of play.

The Frontcourt

Pioneered by Merkle, the frontcourt provides a good mix of experience and youth. You can certainly pencil Merkle, Penn State’s previous season’s scoring leader, into the Lady Lions’ starting lineup. The former Bellarmine Knight averaged just over 23 minutes per game last season, and you can expect similar minutes this season.

With that said, Penn State will need valuable minutes from its forwards. Mendelson will be restricted to the volleyball team until their season concludes, so freshman Rachael Okokoh is the Lady Lions’ next tallest presence. Okokoh is likely to see time as the #5 for this Penn State team with Merkle on the bench. It’s unlikely Kieger will have both on the court at the same time.

Evans, who provided UGA with solid minutes in their frontcourt, may serve as a reserve for the Lady Lions. Evans played in 52 games for Georgia and totaled 111 rebounds in her most recent campaign.

Lastly, McFadden provides Kieger with selection over her lineup. McFadden can play the guard position, but with a roster heavy with them, she’ll likely be utilized in a small forward role. McFadden won back-to-back State Championships in Florida and has been described as a gritty player by Kieger.

Outlook

With more new faces than old, the Lady Lions may have gotten what they needed this upcoming season: a fresh start. Much of last year’s starting lineup didn’t return, but Kieger can still rely on two of her returning starters, Murray and Merkle, to helm the team.

This season, we’ll get to enjoy this young and exciting roster playing most of their games in Rec Hall. They have freshman guards from around the globe with upside that can build this women’s basketball program into something special over the coming years. However, it’s up to Kieger to provide consistent playing time to retain this class.

The Lady Lions’ aspirations are still set for the sweet 16 — as they were two years ago before the team took a step back. If nothing else, this team will trump last year’s singular win in conference play. Nonetheless, the pressure to improve from last year’s campaign is on, as this season may serve as a judgment for Kieger’s future as the head coach of the Lady Lions.

The Lady Lions officially kick off their season and begin this important rebuilding year on Monday, November 3, against the Bucknell Bison in Rec Hall.