LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Despite a hard-fought opening quarter, the Penn State women’s basketball team ultimately dropped a 95-73 decision to the fourth-ranked USC Trojans in a road test from the Galen Center Sunday evening.
Following Sunday night’s result in Southern California, the Lady Lions move to 9-8 overall and 0-6 in Big Ten Conference competition heading into a test against top-ranked UCLA from Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. With their win in hand, the Trojans improve to 16-1 overall and remain unbeaten against Big Ten challengers at 6-0 overall through their first six games as a B1G institution. Sunday’s fixture from the Galen Center was the sixth all-time meeting between Penn State and USC, with the Trojans improving to 5-1 since the inaugural meeting in 1980.
The Lady Lions won the rebounding battle for the 14th time in the 2024-25 season, moving to 9-5 when doing so this year. Penn State hauled in 44 rebounds against 38 boards for the Trojans, with a stark 18-10 differential on the offensive glass. Freshman guard Talayah Walker continued an impressive stretch of individual performances with an 18-point outing against USC, her second consecutive double-digit scoring performance. Graduate guard Gabby Elliott secured her fifth-straight game in double figures with 14 points, redshirt sophomore center Gracie Merkle poured in 13 points for her 14th double-digit scoring game as a Lady Lion, and graduate guard Alli Campbell rounded out the quartet of Penn Staters in double figures with 10 points highlighted by a 2-for-3 night beyond the arc.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
USC commanded the opening tipoff and split a trip to the line on their opening possession, and a Trojan layup on a fastbreak provided the home squad with an early three-point edge. A quick connection from Hall to Campbell got PSU on the board moments later, but a mid-range jumper from USC put them ahead by a trio once again. Johnson connected on a layup down low, but the Trojan defense turned to offense the next trip down to make it 8-4. Campbell buried a mid-range jumper and USC replied with a 2-for-2 trip to the stripe and a free throw line jumper to carry a 12-6 lead into the media timeout. Free throws were exchanged both directions after the short break, and USC utilized a seven-point scoring run to take a 20-8 advantage. Penn State looked to close the period on a 10-4 rally, but a late 3-pointer from the Trojans provided them with a 27-18 lead through one period of play.
Second Quarter
Walker got the offense started for PSU with a layup in the opening moments of the second period, but the Trojans booked a 6-0 scoring run in response to balloon their lead to 13. Walker kept her electric start to the frame going with an and-one opportunity on a jumper from mid-range, but both squads traded buckets their next times down the floor. A jumper from Johnson sparked a 6-0 scoring run aided by free throws from Elliott and another bucket from Walker, but a triple from the Trojans halted the Lady Lion run. Merkle found the bottom of the net with a layup down low, but USC hit a triple the next trip down the floor to spark an 18-0 scoring run over the final four minutes of the half to carry a 56-31 advantage into the halftime intermission.
Third Quarter
The Trojans capitalized on a PSU turnover to generate a breakaway layup for the first points of the second half, but the Blue & White snapped back with back-to-back baskets in the painted area from Merkle and Elliott. A triple from the left wing from Campbell punctuated a 7-0 Lady Lion scoring run, but both offenses managed to settle in and generate scoring chances with layups over the next two minutes. Leading by a 21-point margin, both teams exchanged quick 4-0 scoring runs to make it a 66-45 affair. A Trojan embarked on a personal 5-0 response moments later, but a perfect trip to the line from Merkle cut into the USC momentum. The remainder of the frame passed without relative incident, but the Blue & White were able to complete the frame on a 5-2 scoring run highlighted by baskets from Walker and Elliott.
Fourth Quarter
The Trojans opened the final frame with a paint bucket, but Murray replied with a sweet reverse finish on a baseline drive to keep the Blue & White in the fight. Merkle and Walker found the bottom of the net over the next 40 seconds to punctuate a 4-0 PSU run, but a jumper from USC saw the Trojans maintain their advantage. Back-and-forth play carried on as time continued to wind down, with Walker, Williams and Hall each connecting on jumpers through the middle portion of the final 10 minutes. Penn State was opportunistic in transition over the final four minutes of play, with Campbell nailing a 3-point jumper and Jekot hitting a driving coast-to-coast layup. The Trojans were able to maintain control over the final few minutes and come away with the 95-73 home win.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State at No. 4/5 USC
January 12, 2025
Galen Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)
- The Lady Lions move to 9-8 overall, 0-6 in Big Ten conference play.
- Four Lady Lions scored double-digit points for the first time since Nov. 14, 2024.
- Walker led the team in scoring, producing double figure scoring for the second consecutive game and fourth time this season with 18 points. This number matched her career high.
- Elliott continued her scoring streak with 10-or-more points, putting up 14 points, marking her fifth straight game scoring in double figures.
- Merkle found her way back to double-digit scoring, with 13 points.
- Campbell posted 10 points, marking her third-straight game in double figures, her seventh time this season.
- Grace Hall led the team in rebounds with nine to go with her four points and four assists.
- The Lady Lions outrebounded the Trojans by a 44-38 margin.
- Penn State’s bench produced 30 points to USC’s 19.
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