Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I t's been a long time since the Penn State women's basketball team called Rec Hall home. The Lady Li- ons' last full season in the venerable fa- cility on the western side of campus was 1994-95. With its claustrophobic atmosphere, Rec Hall was a great venue for Penn State for 20 seasons. The Lady Lions went 203-34 over that two-decade span, compiling an .857 winning per- centage that included four undefeated home seasons. The Bryce Jordan Center doesn't have much in the way of vintage charm, even though it's now approaching its third decade, and its cavernous dimensions have made it hard to recreate the home- court advantage that PSU used to en- joy during the Atlantic 10 years and the start of the Big Ten era. In each of the previous two seasons, Penn State played a "Return To Rec" game. Buoyed by the positive response to those throwback contests, the Lady Lions announced in October that the majority of the 2025-26 home schedule would be played at their former home. Of the team's 14 home games this sea- son, all but three will be at Rec Hall. The only games set to take place at the BJC will be visits from Nebraska on Dec. 6, Arizona State on Dec. 9 and Illinois on Jan. 11. The Lady Lions settled right into their historic home with a couple of wins — an 83-55 romp over Bucknell on opening night Nov. 3 and an 82-77 thriller over Cincinnati on Nov. 7 Following the vic- tory over the Bearcats, coach Carolyn Kieger said the venue had played a role in the game's outcome. "I've got to say it one more time, just how thankful I am to be at Rec Hall," Kieger said. "This place is awesome. We felt the fans, we heard the fans. It's such a different environment, and it's really fun. Hopefully, our young ladies thought the same thing." The Lady Lions gave the home fans an entertaining show. Five players scored in double figures, the first time that had happened since the third game of the 2024-25 season. Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller led the way with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals — just the sort of complete game that Kieger had been hoping to see from the former Rutgers standout after pulling her from the transfer portal in the off- season. In addition to McMiller's big night, redshirt junior guard Moriah Murray had 18 points, while redshirt junior cen- ter Gracie Merkle and freshman guard Téa Cléante finished with 14 apiece. Merkle added 12 rebounds for the 33rd double-double of her college career. Freshman guard Viktoria Ranisavljevic came off the bench to supply 10 points. It was a back-and-forth game for most of the night, with 10 lead changes and seven ties. Penn State hit only 2 field goals in the final two and a half minutes — a three-pointer by Murray and a fast-break layup by Ranisavljevic — and didn't hit any free throws in that span, either. But Cincinnati missed its last 4 shots, and the Lady Lions held on. "I thought the team played a phenom- enal, poised, composed second half," Kieger said. "I can't say enough about our toughness down the stretch." ■ For Lady Lions, There's No Place Like Home M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 2025-26 SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time/TV Oct. 19 CALIFORNIA (Pa.) (Exh.) W, 114-52 Nov. 3 BUCKNELL W, 83-55 Nov. 7 CINCINNATI W, 82-77 Nov. 12 COPPIN STATE 11:30 a.m./B1G+ Nov. 16 at Saint Joseph's 2 p.m./ESPN+ Nov. 22 Princeton* 1 p.m. Nov. 24 San Diego State* Noon Nov. 30 YALE 1 p.m./B1G+ Dec. 6 NEBRASKA 1 p.m./B1G+ Dec. 9 ARIZONA STATE 7 p.m./BTN Dec. 14 at South Carolina 3:30 p.m./ESPN Dec. 20 Virginia Commonwealth** 3:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at Richmond** 2:30 p.m. Dec. 28 at Iowa 4 p.m./BTN Dec. 31 UCLA 2 p.m./Peacock Jan. 4 at Wisconsin 4 p.m./BTN Jan. 8 MICHIGAN 6 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 11 ILLINOIS 3 p.m./BTN Jan. 14 at Ohio State 6:30 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 18 RUTGERS 1 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 21 at Washington 9 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 24 at Oregon 5 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 28 MINNESOTA 6 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 4 at Purdue 7 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 7 MICHIGAN STATE 1 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 12 at Maryland 7 p.m./Peacock Feb. 15 NORTHWESTERN 4 p.m./BTN Feb. 21 at Rutgers 4 p.m./BTN Feb. 25 USC 6 p.m./B1G+ Feb. 28 at Indiana 2 p.m./B1G+ Mar. 4-8 Big Ten Tournament^ * Battle 4 Atlantis at Nassau, Bahamas ** 4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic at Richmond, Va. ^ at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Kiyomi McMiller scored a game-high 20 points and added 7 assists in Penn State's 82-77 victory over visiting Cincinnati on Nov. 7. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS