LAWRENCE, Kans. — It was close all the way, but Kansas had a bit more left in the fourth quarter to pull out a 68-65 win over the Penn State Lady Nittany Lions on Sunday, Dec. 15, in Lawrence, Kansas.
The Lady Lions went into the third quarter with a one-point, 29-28 lead and then into the final 10 minutes leading 51-48 on the strength of two three-pointers and shooting 52% from the field.
But the Lions shot only 6-for-15 down the stretch and were 0-for-3 from beyond the arc as the Lady Jayhawks rallied for the win.
Kansas, led by S’Mya Nichols’ 26 points, made three, three-point goals in the fourth quarter and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line as it outscored PSU 21-14 down the stretch.
Penn State was led by center Gracie Merkle with 22 points, and she was followed by Moriah Murray with 16 and Alli Campbell with 15.
But the Lions were only 5-for-18 from outside the arc and committed 26 turnovers.
Merkle also pulled down 12 rebounds and handed out four assists, and Campbell had four rebounds and six assists.
The non-conference loss was the third of the season for the Lions against nine wins.
Four days before the trip to Kansas, the Lady Lions were in Providence, Rhode Island, where they took a solid 68-51 win over the Lady Friars.
Penn State, led by Merkle’s 24-point, 18-rebound performance, took a three-point halftime lead that the Lions steadily built on throughout the second half.
They outscored Providence 20-12 in the third quarter and then clinched the win with a 21-15 run down the stretch.
After fourth-quarter scores by Merkle and Jayla Oden, Penn State led 51-38, but some Friar outside shooting tightened the score to single digits.
Merkle and Campbell, however, stretched the Penn
State lead again with layups, and the Lions went into the final minutes with a 17-point lead.
Three PSU players were in double figures, Merkle, Murray with 14 and Oden with 13. Merkle finished with her sixth double-double of the season.
The Lions led by as much as 21 points in the second half, and the victory was their ninth of the season against just two losses.
Next up for Penn State will be a Big Ten game at Minnesota on Saturday, Dec. 28, followed by a New Year’s Day showdown at home against Iowa.
