UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball is set to begin its 62nd season in program history on Monday, Nov. 3 inside historic Rec Hall. The Lady Lions take on Bucknell in their season opener for the third consecutive season, with tip time slated for 5 p.m. Penn State kicks off its home slate in Rec Hall, a building that was home to the program for nearly two decades. At least 11 women’s basketball games will take place inside the venue on Curtain Road throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Head coach Carolyn Kieger enters her seventh season at the helm of the Lady Lions. Kieger made several new additions to her staff in the offseason including Jason Crafton, the first-ever General Manager for Penn State Women’s Basketball.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Bucknell
- Date: Monday, November 3, 2025 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
- Location: University, Pa. | Venue: Rec Hall
- Live Stats | Watch: B1G+ | Notes | Radio
- Admission: Ticketed
2024-25 IN REVIEW
- Penn State finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 10-19 overall record and a 1-17 Big Ten conference record.
- The Lady Lions concluded last year’s campaign with a loss on the road at Rutgers.
- PSU recorded a win over no. 9 Ohio State on January 18, marking the team’s first win over a top 10 opponent since defeating no. 8 Ohio State in 2012.
- The Lady Lions set a program record for non-conference home wins, spanning over three seasons of 17-straight wins in the Bryce Jordan Center against out-of-conference opponents. Their win over Drexel last season marked the program record.
LAST TIME AGAINST BUCKNELL
- Gracie Merkle and Moriah Murray both had 20-point outings in last season’s meeting, Merkle notched a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Murray totaled a career high 28 points using eight three pointers, the second highest single-game three-point record in program history.
- As a team, Penn State forced 22 turnovers and converted 33 points from its defensive efforts.
- Grace Hall joined Merkle and Murray with a double figure scoring performance, posting 13 points.
SCOUTING THE BISON
- Bucknell finished the 2024-25 season with a 17-14 overall record, going 11-7 in Patriot League Conference play.
- The Bison made it to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals after defeating Colgate in the quarterfinals and losing to Army in the second round of the competition.
- Reese Zemitis returns for Bucknell as a sophomore after garnering All-Patriot League Rookie Team honors and two Rookie of the Week nods throughout the previous campaign. Out of the returning Bison, she led the group in scoring last season, averaging 9.6 points per contest.
- Tuana Coskun was named team captain this year after arriving to Bucknell as a transfer from Robert Morris last season. She averaged 7.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season.
PENN STATE – BUCKNELL SERIES
- Penn State is undefeated in its series history against Bucknell, owning 15 wins over the Bison including one in each of the last two years.
- The Lady Lions have played the Bison in both of their most recent season openers.
- Penn State defeated Bucknell 90-68 most recently in 2024.
- Meetings between the Lady Lions and the Bison date back to 1967.
LADY LIONS IN THE RANKS
- Merkle finished the 2024-25 campaign ranked third in the nation and first in the conference in field goal percentage (.670). Among power 4 players, she ranked first in field goal percentage, 15th in double-doubles (13), 20th in rebounds per game (8.6) and 23rd in blocks per game.
- Moriah Murray sat 21st in the nation in three pointers per game (2.63) and second in the B1G.
- As a team, the Lady Lions ranked 14th in the nation in assists per game (17.7) and fifth in the Big Ten.
NEW FACES
- Kieger added two transfers to her roster, Kiyomi McMiller and Amiya Evans. Sophomore transfer from Rutgers, McMiller, averaged 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in her rookie campaign. Evans, a senior transfer from Georgia, combined for a 2.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game career average in her first three collegiate seasons.
- Senior Penn State volleyball athlete Maggie Mendelson will join the Lady Lions at the conclusion of her volleyball season. Mendelson was a two-sport athlete at her previous stop in Nebraska where she averaged 2.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
- Five freshmen round out the 2025-26 roster. Tèa Clèante, Viktoria Ranisavljevic and Rachael Okokoh alll bring a high level of international basketball experience to the Lady Lions. Clèante has played for the French national team for numerous years, Ranisavljevic has played for the Swiss national team since she was 13 and Okokoh has spent a number of seasons with the Canadian national squad. Shayla Smith from Philadelphia arrives in Happy Valley after breaking the all-time scoring record at Universal Audenried Charter, finishing her campaign with 2,666 points. She became the fastest player to reach 1,000 career points, a record previously held by Dawn Staley. Nyla McFadden is the final freshman on the PSU squad, after graduating from St. Thomas Aquinas. She helped her team to back-to-back state championships.