Penn State women’s basketball (7-10, 0-6 Big Ten) lost to Illinois (14-3, 4-2 Big Ten) 92-76 at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday afternoon.

After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Fighting Illini broke free in the second and never gave up their lead, despite a 24-point game by Gracie Merkle.

How It Happened

Kiyomi McMiller hit a jumper for the first points of the game. After a response by Illinois’ Berry Wallace, McMiller hit a three to make it 5-2 Penn State early.

Berry tied the game with a three of her own, but Merkle got on the board with two free throws after being fouled on the ensuing possession.

Berry would hit another three, then a jumper after a Merkle layup to give Illinois a 10-9 lead, with Berry scoring all of the Fighting Illini points.

A Tèa Clèante 3-pointer would reclaim Penn State’s lead, followed by a Nyla McFadden layup with an and-one on a fastbreak.

The back-and-forth first quarter would be concluded with a McMiller layup to get the Lady Lions within one after an exciting first quarter.

Moriah Murray hit a 3 for the first points of the second quarter. Two layups gave Illinois the lead back, but Clèante tied it with a steal and layup.

Two made jumpers gave Penn State a four-point lead, but Illinois came back with a 6-0 run spanning almost four minutes. A Clèante free throw ended the drought for Penn State to make it 35-30, Illini.

Illinois closed the quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 43-32 lead into the half.

A layup and foul set up a 3-point play for Merkle to start the second half. Berry drained a three on the following possession with McFadden getting the three points back with a fastbreak and-one.

Two made free throws by Merkle and a layup by McMiller made it a four-point game. The teams would trade buckets for five straight possessions to make it 55-48 Illinois with just under five minutes left in the third.

Illinois would score three buckets in the final minute and a half to go into the final quarter up 11.

The Illini would keep the momentum going, starting the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run with threes by Maddie Webber and Gretchen Dolan.

Despite two made threes by Murray and 10 points in the quarter by Merkle. Penn State’s defense couldn’t stop the Illini, who scored 26 in the quarter to secure a 92-76 win on the road.

Takeaways

• Illinois was incredibly efficient, shooting at 60% from the field compared to Penn State’s 43%.
• The Illini bench shined, outscoring the Lady Lions 30-12.
• Illinois’ Berry Wallace and Maddie Webber couldn’t be stopped, scoring 28 and 26 points, respectively.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will have another chance to get a conference win when they travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State. The game is set to start at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14. It will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.