Penn State women’s basketball (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) defeated Coppin State (1-3, 0-0 MEAC) 90-62 in the team’s third game of the season.

The Lady Lions dominated the glass as they doubled Coppin State’s total rebounds and were led by strong offensive performances from Kiyomi McMiller’s 21 points and Gracie Merkle’s 15 points.

How It Happened

Merkle won the tip, and Viktoria Ranisavljevic wasted no time in getting it to her center down low, where Merkle was able to impose her will and get the Lady Lions their opening points of the game.

Shanaii Gamble of Coppin State fired back with a euro step to get around a defender to tie the game. Minutes later, McMiller sized up her defender and splashed a long step-back three to advance the Lady Lions’ lead 7-4 

It was a sloppy start for Coppin State offensively, and McMiller took advantage of a 3-on-1 fastbreak where she dished out a no-look pass to Ranisavljevic under the rim. Lady Lions led 9-6, three minutes into the first quarter. 

Quickly after, Shaelyn Steele came flying in to steal Paris McBride’s pass and went down the court to finish on a tough and-one, converting a layup through contact. The Lady Lions continued to work it into the paint as Steele hit Merkle for another basket in the paint, her fourth point of the game.

With three minutes left in the first, the Lady Lions led 18-10 behind their high-pressure defense, which forced seven turnovers in the first quarter. Penn State began on a run as the crowd got louder, but Khila Morris cut Rec Hall’s excitement short as she knocked down her first three of the game.

But the Lady Lions responded as you would expect, with Merkle posting up a defender to convert yet another and-one, her seventh points of the quarter. The first quarter came to an end with the Lady Lions holding a 23-17 lead behind Shaelyn Steele’s seven points to start the game.

The Lady Lions did not miss a beat to start the second as Amiya Evans hauled in a rebound and dished it off to McMiller, who created an open look for herself at the free throw line to get Penn State going right away.

On the next possession, McMiller was feeling herself as she let a three fly from deep, and her high-arcing shot caught nothing but net. An early five-point swing from Penn State to expand their lead to 28-17. With eight minutes to go in the half, Patricia Sosa Lora lost her footing and fell out of bounds, the Eagles’ 10th turnover in the half.

It was getting loud in Rec Hall as the fans banged their feet on bleachers, and Coppin State’s ball handlers were rattled, resulting in a shot clock violation. With five minutes to go in the half, the turnovers continued to pour on as Skylar Barnes’ pass fell out of bounds. Their 13th turnover of the game thus far as the Lady Lions held a 30-17 lead.

With three minutes left in the half, Tea Cleante drove inside and knocked down a floater to end the Lady Lions’ five-minute scoring drought. The Lady Lions began to full-court press, and Khila Morris took advantage of her matchup with Cleante, showcasing her speed as she drove from coast to coast and delivered a soft touch off the backboard as her fingerroll cashed in.

The next possession, Morris drove inside again and knocked down a layup as she took a shot from Merkle in the process. She converted on the three-point play to cut the Lady Lions’ lead to 34-26. The Lady Lions’ offense became stagnant with under a minute to go, yet they had a chance on a fastbreak to end the quarter, but Ranisavljevic missed the layup as the buzzer sounded.

The Lady Lions led 37-28 heading into the second half behind McMiller’s ten points. The Lady Lions outrebounded the Eagles 24 to 14, giving them the edge in an inefficient shooting day for both teams, specifically from the three-point line, where both teams shot under 17 percent.

McMiller got her second half started in fashion, as she put the moves on her defender and got fouled on a drive to convert a three-point play. McMiller led the way for the Lady Lions with 13 points. The Eagles answered back with an assist from Khila Morris to Gamble for an easy layup.

Both teams began to go bucket for bucket in the second minute of the half until Cleante and Moriah Murray knocked down back-to-back three’s giving Penn State a 16-point lead. Murray began to catch fire as she cashed in on her third shot from beyond the arc of the game. The Lady Lions’ lead grew to 52-34.

With Merkle off the floor, Sosa Lora went at Murray as she backed her down and knocked down a post hook to cut the Lady Lions’ lead to 56-40. To close out the third quarter, McMiller manipulated the Eagles’ defense by working her way around a screen for an open mid-range jumper, her bread and butter.

The Lady Lions led 70-42 heading into the final quarter of regulation. McMiller cleaned up on the glass too, as she grabbed an offensive rebound and knocked down a fadeaway over Sosa Lora’s outstretched arms.

She was making her presence felt in this game, as on the next possession, she flew by a defender to score her 19th point of the game. The Eagles’ guards struggled all game to keep up with McMiller as the Lady Lions’ lead grew to 76-45. The Lady Lions continued to pour it on as Murray knocked down her fourth three-pointer of the day to advance the lead to 82-50 with five minutes to go.

With three minutes left in the game, Morris drove inside and knocked down a floater as she was fouled by Vitoria Santana to convert on the three-point play. Morris led the game for Coppin State with 20 points as she shot an efficient 67 percent from the field.

Quickly after, McMiller scored her 21st point of the game on a mid-range jumper from the elbow before she took a seat on the bench as the Nittany Lions headed towards a blowout victory at Rec Hall.

Takeaways

• Merkle’s size proved to be too much as she scored 15 points and drew double teams all game, leading to open shots for her teammates.
• McMiller’s ability to create shots for herself has made her a very dangerous scorer, but also a dynamic playmaker as she continues to get more comfortable with her teammates. McMiller finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
• The aggressive Lady Lions defense forced 25 turnovers and scored 23 points off turnovers. Their defensive presence looks very strong to start the season.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will be on the road to face off against Saint Joseph’s at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 16. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.