UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball is set to host no. 14/14 Maryland in its second Return to Rec game on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The Lady Lions return to their former home for the second time in back-to-back years after not hosting a contest in Rec Hall since 1996 when they made their permanent move to the Bryce Jordan Center. The game in the historic venue is set to tip off at 6 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
no. 14 Maryland
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Rec Hall
- Live Stats | Watch: B1G+ | Notes | Radio
- Admission: Ticketed
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State gave up a late 17-point lead to Rutgers in the fourth quarter. The Scarlet Knights produced a come-from-behind 77-73 win on Sunday.
- Moriah Murray led the team on offense with her second-straight 20-plus-point outing. Her 21 points came from six three pointers and a trio of free throws. Murray has compiled 18 shots from long range over the last three games.
- Gabby Elliott posted 14 points, marking her 13th game reaching double-digit points this season. Gracie Merkle also surpassed the 10-point mark with 11 to go with eight rebounds.
- As a team, the Lady Lions outshot the Scarlet Knights from all ends of the court. Penn State shot 49.1% from the field and 52.8% from three-point range.
- PSU dished out 21 assists, the team’s ninth time posting 20-plus assists in a contest.
LAST TIME AGAINST MARYLAND
- The Lady Lions and Terrapins squared off twice in the 2023-24 season.
- PSU earned a convincing victory in the game played at home, topping Maryland 112-76 on Jan. 28, 2024. This was the Lady Lions first win over the Terrapins since the 2003-04 season. The win was PSU’s fifth consecutive conference victory at the time. The Lady Lions also shattered their program single-game three-point record, draining 16 shots as a team from beyond the arc.
- Four Penn State players produced double figure scoring in the win: Makenna Marisa (24), Ashley Owusu (16), Leilani Kapinus (15) and Tay Valladay (14) .
- Maryland won the game played in College Park on Feb. 18, 2024, 77-62 later in the season.
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
- Maryland was one of the top teams throughout the entire preseason and well into the 2024-25 campaign. The Terrapins began the season ranked no. 18 in the country and by week five, they were the no. 7 in the nation. Up until this week’s AP poll, Maryland was in the top 10 for eight-straight weeks.
- The Terrapins are 16-4 overall, 6-3 Big Ten, after remaining undefeated until Jan. 8, when they lost to USC.
- Kaylene Smikle leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game.
- Shyanne Sellers and Bri McDaniel also average double figure scoring with 14.2 points and 10.6 points per game respectively. McDaniel suffered a season-ending injury earlier in January.
- Sellers was named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List ahead of the season she was also selected to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List.
- Saylor Poffenbarger was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List.
- Last season, Maryland finished the year 19-14 overall, 9-9 in conference. The Terps made a run to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, earning themselves a bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Iowa State in the first round.
PENN STATE – MARYLAND SERIES
- This will be the 38th meeting between the Lady Lions and the Terrapins.
- Maryland leads the all-time series 22-15.
- In 2023-24, the team’s faced off in a home and home series. The squads each came away with a win on their home court.
- Up until PSU’s dominating victory in January of 2024, Maryland had won 13 consecutive games in the series. The Lady Lions had not defeated the Terrapins since 2003.
LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS
- Moriah Murray is seventh in the country in three pointers (63) and ranks first in the Big Ten in that category. She also leads the conference in three pointers per game (3.0) and three-point attempts (152), ranking 10th and seventh nationally in those respective categories.
- Merkle ranks 12th in the Big Ten in total points (313). She also sits 16th in the B1G in points per game (14.9). Merkle is seventh in the country in field goal percentage (65.0) and second in the conference. Her nine double-doubles ranks her 22nd in the country and fifth in the Big Ten.
- Alli Campbell is ranked third in the conference in assists (90).
- Penn State is 14th in the nation in total assists (340) and sits 21st in assists per game (18.0). The team is third in the conference in total assists and ranks fifth in assists per game.