UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania – Penn State women’s basketball heads to its 2024-25 Big Ten opener as it hosts Indiana on Saturday, December 7. This will be the Lady Lions’ first home game as their Big Ten opener since 2020-21. Penn State and Indiana will face off this weekend at the Bryce Jordan Center at 1 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION

against Indiana

• Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
• Location: University Park, Pennsylvania | Venue: Bryce Jordan Center
• Live statistics | Regard: B1G+ | Notes | radio
• Permit: ticket

LAST TIME

• The Lady Lions lost their first game of the 2024-25 season to St. John’s by a score of 72-67.
• Before the loss, Penn State had won 18 straight non-conference home games and started the season 8-0 for the first time since 1993-94.
• Jayla Oden scored a career-best 24 points on eight of 13 shots from the field. Oden continued her dominance in foul count, recording eight total fouls. Her shot from the charity jersey was also effective, shooting seven-for-eight from the line.
• Gracie Merkle surpassed the 10-point mark for the ninth time this season, remaining the only Lady Lion to score double-digit points in all games so far this season.
• Gabby Elliot scored 12 points and seven rebounds, marking her second straight game in double figures and fourth of the season.
• Penn State defeated St. John’s 33-25. The Lady Lions have outscored their opponents in all nine games this season.

Lady Lions in the ranks

• Moriah Murray ranks 13th in the Big Ten in points per game (16.2) and ninth in total points (146). She ranks first in the country in three points per game (37) and third in three points per game per game (4.11).
• Merkle ranks 17th nationally in total points scored (182) and second in the conference. They also rank second in the conference in points per game (20.2). Merkle is sixth nationally in field goals made (75) and sixth in field goal percentage (65.8). Her five double-doubles rank ninth nationally and second in the B1G. They also rank seventh nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.7).
• Alli Campbell ranks fourth in the conference in assists (44).
• Penn State ranks fourth in the nation in total assists (175) and is seventh in assists per game (20.8). The team ranks first in the conference in total assists and ranks third in assists per game.
• The team ranks ninth nationally in shooting percentage from the field (50.1) and third in the Big Ten.
• The Lady Lions also have the 15th best offense in the country, averaging 85.1 points per game.

Looking for the Hoosiers

• Indiana holds a record of 6-3 entering the 2024-25 season. After winning their season opener against Brown, the Hoosiers suffered an overtime home loss to Harvard in the following game. Indiana then lost another game on the road to Butler before returning home and defeating No. 1. 24/23 Stanford. The Hoosiers played in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, where they won two of the three games against Columbia and not a single one. 18/17 Baylor. They were defeated by no. 16/15 North Carolina in the final game of the competition. Most recently, Indiana returned home with wins against Maine and Southern Indiana.
• Indiana was picked fifth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll after finishing third in the conference last season.
• Junior guard Yarden Garzon was one of 20 athletes named to the 2025 Cheryl Miller Award watch list. This is her second consecutive season on the preseason list after being a top 10 finalist last year.
• Garzon leads the team with an average of 13.8 points per game. Shay Ciezki, Lily Meister and Chloe Moore-McNeil also average double-digit points.
• Ciezki played two seasons in Happy Valley before transferring to Indiana.
• Last season, the Hoosiers made the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years after defeating Fairfield and Oklahoma in the first and second rounds. In the round of 16 they lost to eventual national champion South Carolina.
• Indiana suffered a loss to Michigan in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament after receiving a bye in the first round.

PENN STATE – INDIANA SERIES

• Saturday’s contest marks the 54th meeting between Penn State and Indiana, dating back to 1982.
• The Lady Lions lead the all-time series 33-20.
• The Hoosiers have won their last seven games.
• There was one overtime game, a 77-71 PSU win on January 10, 2010 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
• Indiana won the last game played at Assembly Hall on January 10th. The Hoosiers were ranked 14th of 13 in the polls at the time. Although the Lady Lions held the lead at halftime, Indiana emerged with a 75-67 victory.