Penn State women’s basketball entered last week’s slate with two more chances to earn its first Big Ten win. The Lady Lions traveled to Columbus, Ohio, hoping to upset a ranked Ohio State for the second straight year. The blue and white also hosted a Rutgers team that was winless in conference play.
Coach Carolyn Kieger’s squad couldn’t get the job done in a blowout loss to the Buckeyes and fell just short in a close battle with the Scarlet Knights.
Penn State stands 7-12 on the season and 0-8 in the Big Ten. Even though the Lady Lions went winless, there were still both good and bad takeaways from the week.
Merkle stays efficient
Gracie Merkle has been consistent from the field all season and owns the nation’s highest field-goal percentage at 74.9%. Despite the two losses, the 6-foot-6 center kept her efficiency.
The Mount Washington, Kentucky, native shot a combined 17-for-22, netting 21 points in each outing. Merkle impressed against No. 14 Ohio State, shooting 90.9% from the field, while also grabbing 11 rebounds to complete her double-double performance.
Against Rutgers, the redshirt junior wasn’t as efficient from the field, but took multiple trips to the free-throw line, going 7-for-10. This ties Merkle’s season high trips to the charity stripe, and was her third-best foul shooting performance this season.
Center Gracie Merkle (44) shoots in the post during the women’s basketball game against Rutgers at Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in University Park, Pa. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Nittany Lions 76-72.
Lucas Yendrzeiwski | The Daily Collegian
Defense
On the defensive side of the ball, it was the tale of two stories for the Lady Lions. The blue and white gave up 108 points against the Buckeyes, marking its most points allowed this season. Penn State scored 84 points in the matchup, which would’ve been enough to win more than half its games this season.
Ohio State led from start to finish and led by as many as 26 points. The Buckeyes shot over 56% from the field and just under 50% from three-point range. However, the Lady Lions forced 17 turnovers, including 11 steals.
The blue and white improved defensively against Rutgers, falling by a score of 76-72. The Scarlet Knights’ scoring total fell under the 82.1 points per game that Penn State typically allows.
The Lady Lions held Rutgers to a 40.6% field-goal percentage and 36% from three-point range. The blue and white recorded eight steals and forced 12 turnovers.
Offensive struggles
Penn State posted strong scoring numbers and even exceeded its typical points-per-game average, but the Lady Lions also showed room for improvement.
Guard Nyla McFadden (8) drives down the floor during the women’s basketball game against Rutgers at Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in University Park, Pa. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Nittany Lions 76-72.
Lucas Yendrzeiwski | The Daily Collegian
The blue and white combined for 36 turnovers in its last two games, but 24 of those came against Ohio State. The Buckeyes capitalized on Penn State’s struggles by scoring 39 points off turnovers. Additionally, Ohio State was able to net 27 fastbreak points. The Lady Lions only scored 11 points off 17 Buckeye turnovers.
Penn State shot over 46% from the field, but went 11-for-32 from beyond the arc and 3-for-9 from the free throw line.
The Lady Lions had a better outing against the Scarlet Knights, in which they turned the ball over 12 times, which is their third-lowest mark this season. However, the blue and white only produced nine points off opponent turnovers as opposed to Rutgers’ 18.
Penn State produced a similar shooting performance to the one before, but once again struggled from deep and the foul line. The Lady Lions shot 5-for-25 from three-point range against Rutgers, and Moriah Murray, who went 8-for-17 from deep against the Buckeyes, shot 1-for-9 against the Scarlet Knights.
In that Rutgers game, at the charity stripe, the blue and white went 11-for-18, losing by just four points.
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Another week down, another slew of Big Ten games for women’s basketball.
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