Penn State women’s basketball (7-4, 0-1 Big Ten) defeated VCU (4-8, 0-1 A10) 78-66 on Saturday afternoon in the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Hoops Classic. 

Moriah Murray led the way with 18 points and timely three-pointers as Penn State used its defensive pressure to pull away from VCU.

How It Happened

Penn State won the opening tip, but Tanya Tkachenko knocked down a jumper to strike first for VCU. An early Lady Lion turnover led to another basket to make it 4-0.

Tea Cleante grabbed an offensive rebound and finished a second-chance layup to get Penn State on the board. VCU answered with a layup on the other end, but Cleante scored again off a turnover after attacking the cup. Kiyomi McMiller tied the game on a fast-break layup after a steal, but VCU briefly took back the lead with a driving finish from Daija Preston.

Penn State responded with a second-chance opportunity after Gracie Merkle battled on the glass and cleaned up her own miss. McMiller gave the Lady Lions their first lead of the afternoon after knocking down a jumper, and Murray followed it up by draining a three-pointer following another VCU mistake to push Penn State’s lead to five.

Viktoria Ranisavljevic connected from deep late in the quarter. After Merkle finished inside, Murray capped the quarter off by drilling her second three, taking a 23-14 lead into the second quarter.

After forcing another VCU turnover, Murray connected from range to push the lead to double-digits. Cleante extended the run, converting on a fast-break pull-up three off a Murray feed to make it 29-16.

The Rams answered with a second-chance layup, and briefly fouled some rhythm with a pair of baskets in the paint to cut the deficit to single digits. But McMiler answered by converting a second-chance jumper in traffic, and Murray followed with her fourth three of the contest. After multiple defensive stops, McMiller scored on a step-back jumper in the final seconds, giving the Lady Lions a 41-34 lead heading into halftime.

Maggie Mendelson opened the second half with a step-back jumper in the paint to stretch the lead. Preston sparked a Rams run with a pull-up jumper before Tkachenko knocked down a three off a turnover to cut the Lady Lions’ lead to four. After another Penn State giveaway led to a VCU fast-break layup, Carolyn Kieger was forced to call a timeout.

Out of the break, McMiller hit a jumper, then intercepted a pass and set up Merkle for a layup to push the lead back up to six. Cleante followed by knocking down a three-pointer from the wing, but it was answered by VCU inside. McMiller hit a three off a kickout, Murray connected on another deep triple, and Ranisavljevic finished at the rim to fully swing the momentum back to Penn State.

The quarter finished with Merkle cleaning up a second-chance layup, and McMiller hitting a mid-range jumper to give the Lady Lions a 64-54 third-quarter lead.

The Rams opened the fourth quarter with a fast-break layup and made things interesting by stringing together a few transition buckets off turnovers to cut the lead to single digits. Each time the Rams threatened, Penn State answered. Mendelson finished through contact inside, and Cleante came up with a steal that led to points on the other end.

Cleante and Shaelyn Steele jumped passing lanes, forcing back-to-back VCU turnovers that turned into free throws and second-chance points. Merkle cleaned up another miss in the paint to push the lead back to double-digits with just over three minutes to play.

VCU attempted one final push, knocking down a pair of threes in the final two minutes, but Mendelson and Merkle added late baskets to seal the deal, with Penn State closing out a 78-66 win.

Takeaways

• Four Lady Lions finished in double digits, led by Murray’s 18 points, McMiller’s 17, Cleante’s 15, and Merkle’s 13.
• Penn State forced 18 VCU turnovers, turning them into 24 points off turnovers and consistently disrupting the Rams’ offense.
• The Lady Lions finished with 46 rebounds, including 18 offensive boards, which led to 19 second-chance points.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will take the court tomorrow, Sunday, December 21, at 2:30 p.m. to battle Richmond in the team’s second game in the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Hoops Classic.