Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528325
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he way college basketball works now, every year is a rebuilding year. This season's edition of the Penn State women's basketball team will em- body that reality. Coming off a 22-13 finish that included an appear- ance in the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tourna- ment, coach Carolyn Kieger's Lady Lions will feature a largely overhauled roster with five true freshmen and four transfers. Only four players are back from the team that made PSU's first postseason appearance since 2018. Last year's top six scorers are gone, one of whom — guard Shay Ciezki — transferred to Big Ten rival Indiana. The turnover in personnel means that Penn State needs the transfers to make an immediate impact. One transfer Kieger is eager to see in action is Gracie Merkle, a 6-foot-6 center whose shooting percentage as a freshman at Bel- larmine (Ky.) University — 70.2 — was the nation's highest. "I think she's going to sur- prise a lot of people in the coun- try," Kieger said. "She came here to play at the highest level. She wants to play against the best post players in America." Although Penn State returned to the postseason last year, the primary goal was to gain an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2014. The 10-year drought is the longest in program history. The Lady Lions have steadily improved during Kieger's five seasons. Each year, they've bettered their win total from the season before, and last season's 9-9 fin- ish in Big Ten competition marked the program's first non-losing conference campaign since going 9-7 in 2016-17. If they're going to continue that upward climb against a conference slate that has only gotten more challenging with the arrival of four new West Coast programs, Kieger said the Lady Lions will need to be resilient. "That's the thing that we spent all off- season on," she said. "Mentally, emo- tionally and physically, we have to be tough." ■ WOMEN'S BASKETBALL New-Look Lady Lions Aim To Continue Their Climb M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Gracie Merkle 2 0 2 4 - 2 5 S C H E D U L E Date Opponent Time/TV Nov. 4 BUCKNELL 5 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 7 CANISIUS 6 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 10 DUQUESNE 1 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 14 NIAGARA 11:30 a.m./B1G+ Nov. 17 MONMOUTH 1 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 21 Marshall* 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 Georgia* 2:30 p.m. Nov. 27 DREXEL 1 p.m./B1G+ Dec. 2 ST. JOHN'S 7 p.m./BTN Dec. 7 INDIANA 1 p.m./B1G+ Dec. 11 at Providence 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at Kansas 3 p.m./ESPNU Dec. 28 at Minnesota 4 p.m./BTN Jan. 1 IOWA 1 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 5 at Nebraska 3 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 9 OREGON 6 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 12 at USC 8 p.m./BTN Jan. 15 at UCLA 9:30 p.m./Peacock Jan. 19 OHIO STATE 1 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 22 at Michigan State 6:30 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 26 RUTGERS 1 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 29 MARYLAND 6 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 5 WASHINGTON 6 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 9 at Northwestern 2 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 13 at Illinois 7 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 16 WISCONSIN 1 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 22 at Michigan Noon/BTN Feb. 27 PURDUE 6 p.m./BTN Mar. 2 at Rutgers 2 p.m./B1G+ Mar. 5-9 Big Ten Tournament** TBA * WBCA Showcase at Orlando, Fla. ** at Indianapolis Penn State Roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Elig. Hometown 0 Gabby Elliott G 5-10 Gr. Detroit Michigan State transfer who played in only 15 games the past two seasons due to injuries. 1 Cam Rust F 6-1 Fr. Wakefield, R.I. Topped 1,000 points at Worcester (Mass.) Academy. Received a four-star rating from Prospects Nation. 2 Shaelyn Steele G 5-6 Fr. Ashland, Ky. In 120 games at Russell High, averaged 19.5 points and 6.7 rebounds. 3 Moriah Murray G 5-8 R-So. Dunmore, Pa. Averaged 4.3 points in 12.3 minutes per game as a redshirt freshman with the Lady Lions. 5 Tamera Johnson F 5-11 Gr. Lafayette, La. Averaged 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds as a senior at Louisiana Lafayette last season. 7 Grace Hall F 6-2 R-Jr. Homewood, Ill. Played in 31 games for PSU last season, averaging 8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. 10 Vitoria Santana G 5-8 Jr. Sao Paulo, Brazil Junior college transfer who averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists at Eastern Arizona College last season. 11 Ariana Williams F 6-2 Fr. Chicago Helped Example Academy go 30-5 and win a sectional championship in 2023. 12 Jayla Oden G 5-8 Sr. Baltimore Averaged 5.6 points while seeing action in all 35 games for Penn State last season. 20 Talayah Walker G 5-10 Fr. Odenton, Md. Averaged 17.8 points and 4.1 rebounds over her last three seasons at Our Lady of Good Counsel High. 22 Alli Campbell G 6-0 Gr. Altoona, Pa. Bounced back from a season-ending injury the year before to average 3.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a redshirt junior. 24 Jill Jekot G 5-11 Fr. Enola, Pa. Averaged 23 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals as a senior at Cumberland Valley High. 44 Gracie Merkle C 6-6 R-So. Mount Washington, Ky. Spent two seasons at Bellarmine University in Kentucky and was the Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023 before taking a medical redshirt last season.