2024–25 Penn State Lady Lions basketball team
Intercollegiate basketball season
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The 2024–25 Penn State Lady Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Lions were led by sixth-year head coach Carolyn Kieger and played their home games at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 10–19, 1–17 in Big Ten play to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the Big Ten women's tournament.
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record10–19 (1–17 Big Ten)
Headcoach
- Carolyn Kieger (6th season)
Associate headcoachTerri Williams
| 2024–25 Penn State Lady Lions basketball | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 10–19 (1–17 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Terri Williams |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Bryce Jordan Center |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 USC | 17 | – | 1 | .944 | 31 | – | 4 | .886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 UCLA † | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 34 | – | 3 | .919 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Ohio State | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 26 | – | 7 | .788 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Maryland | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 25 | – | 8 | .758 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Michigan | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 10 | .688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 10 | .688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 19 | – | 14 | .576 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 25 | – | 11 | .694 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 13 | – | 20 | .394 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 10 | – | 19 | .345 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 9 | – | 18 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 1 | – | 17 | .056 | 10 | – | 19 | .345 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 Big Ten tournament winner As of April 7, 2025 Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
The Lady Lions finished the 2023–24 season 22–13, 9–9 in Big Ten play, to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Wisconsin in the second round,[1] before losing in the quarterfinals to Iowa.[2] They received an at-large bid to the WBIT, where they defeated George Mason in the first round,[3] Belmont in the second round and Mississippi State in the quarterfinals,[4] before losing to Villanova in the semifinals.[5]
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Brigham | 1 | F | 6' 4" | Sophomore | Franklin, MA | Transferred to Bryant |
| Niya Beverly | 4 | G | 5' 7" | Graduate student | Laurel, MD | Graduated |
| Leilani Kapinus | 5 | G | 5' 10" | Freshman | Madison, WI | Transferred to Vanderbilt |
| Tova Sabel | 10 | G | 5' 10" | Sophomore | Stockholm, Sweden | Transferred to UC Davis |
| Anna Camden | 11 | F | 6' 3" | Junior | Downingtown, PA | Transferred to Richmond |
| Maddie Burke | 15 | G | 6' 0" | Sophomore | Doylestown, PA | Transferred to Villanova |
| Makenna Marisa | 20 | G | 5' 11" | Junior | McMurray, PA | Signed to play professional in Hungary |
| Nan Garcia | 24 | G | 6' 0" | Freshman | Jeffersonville, IN | Transferred to Toledo |
| Kelly Jekot | 25 | G | 6' 0" | Graduate student | Enola, PA | Graduated |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabby Elliott | 0 | G | 5' 10" | Graduate student | Detroit, MI | Michigan State |
| Tamera Johnson | 5 | F | 5' 11" | Senior | Lafayette, LA | Louisiana |
| Vitoria Santana | 10 | G | 5' 9" | Junior | Santo André, Brazil | Eastern Arizona College |
| Gracie Merkle | 44 | C | 6' 6" |  Sophomore | Mount Washington, KY | Bellarmine |
Recruiting
There was no recruiting class of 2024.
Roster
| 2024–25 Penn State Nittany Lions women's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 5:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Bucknell | W 90–68 | 1–0 |
28 – Murray | 13 – Merkle | 6 – Campbell | Bryce Jordan Center (1,575) State College, PA | ||||
| November 7, 2024* 6:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Canisius | W 89–57 | 2–0 |
20 – Merkle | 10 – Rust | 4 – 3 tied | Bryce Jordan Center (1,741) State College, PA | ||||
| November 10, 2024* 1:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Duquesne | W 92–83 | 3–0 |
26 – Murray | 7 – Johnson | 8 – Campbell | Bryce Jordan Center (2,152) State College, PA | ||||
| November 14, 2024* 11:30 a.m., B1G+ |
Niagara | W 101–45 | 4–0 |
24 – Merkle | 7 – Merkle | 9 – Oden | Bryce Jordan Center (2,311) State College, PA | ||||
| November 17, 2024* 1:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Monmouth | W 100–55 | 5–0 |
23 – Murray | 12 – Merkle | 5 – Oden | Bryce Jordan Center (1,751) State College, PA | ||||
| November 21, 2024* 7:30 p.m., Peacock |
vs. Marshall WBCA Showcase |
W 74–59 | 6–0 |
28 – Merkle | 11 – Merkle | 4 – Johnson | State Farm Field House (657) Bay Lake, FL | ||||
| November 23, 2024* 2:30 p.m., Peacock |
vs. Georgia WBCA Showcase |
W 67–47 | 7–0 |
24 – Murray | 11 – Merkle | 7 – Campbell | State Farm Field House (735) Bay Lake, FL | ||||
| November 27, 2024* 1:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Drexel | W 86–78 OT | 8–0 |
31 – Merkle | 11 – Merkle | 8 – 2 tied | Bryce Jordan Center (1,888) State College, PA | ||||
| December 2, 2024* 7:00 p.m., BTN |
St. John's | L 67–72 | 8–1 |
24 – Oden | 7 – Elliott | 5 – Murray | Bryce Jordan Center (1,759) State College, PA | ||||
| December 7, 2024 1:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Indiana | L 60–75 | 8–2 (0–1) |
19 – Oden | 6 – Campbell | 4 – Campbell | Bryce Jordan Center (2,055) State College, PA | ||||
| December 11, 2024* 7:00 p.m., FloSports |
at Providence | W 68–51 | 9–2 |
24 – Merkle | 18 – Merkle | 5 – Campbell | Alumni Hall (1,145) Providence, RI | ||||
| December 15, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at Kansas | L 65–68 | 9–3 |
22 – Merkle | 12 – Merkle | 6 – Campbell | Allen Fieldhouse (3,527) Lawrence, KS | ||||
| December 28, 2024 4:00 p.m., BTN |
at Minnesota | L 54–90 | 9–4 (0–2) |
19 – Elliott | 4 – Merkle | 8 – Murray | Williams Arena (5,312) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
| January 1, 2025 1:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 23 Iowa | L 68–80 | 9–5 (0–3) |
32 – Elliott | 12 – Merkle | 6 – Murray | Bryce Jordan Center (3,417) State College, PA | ||||
| January 5, 2025 3:00 p.m., B1G+ |
at Nebraska | L 61–72 | 9–6 (0–4) |
19 – Campbell | 7 – Merkle | 3 – Johnson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (5,945) Lincoln, NE | ||||
| January 9, 2025 6:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Oregon | L 61–63 | 9–7 (0–5) |
26 – Elliott | 11 – Merkle | 4 – 2 tied | Bryce Jordan Center (1,701) State College, PA | ||||
| January 12, 2025 8:00 p.m., BTN |
at No. 4 USC | L 73–95 | 9–8 (0–6) |
18 – Walker | 9 – Hall | 4 – 3 tied | Galen Center (5,881) Los Angeles, CA | ||||
| January 15, 2025 9:30 p.m., Peacock |
at No. 1 UCLA | L 67–83 | 9–9 (0–7) |
17 – 2 tied | 9 – Walker | 6 – 2 tied | Walter Pyramid (1,563) Long Beach, CA | ||||
| January 19, 2025 1:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 9 Ohio State | W 62–59 | 10–9 (1–7) |
14 – Elliott | 10 – Merkle | 5 – Oden | Bryce Jordan Center (2,817) State College, PA | ||||
| January 22, 2025 6:30 p.m., B1G+ |
at No. 21 Michigan State | L 61–82 | 10–10 (1–8) |
24 – Murray | 6 – Merkle | 4 – tied | Breslin Center (3,208) East Lansing, MI | ||||
| January 26, 2025 1:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Rutgers | L 73–77 | 10–11 (1–9) |
21 – Murray | 8 – Merkle | 7 – Campbell | Bryce Jordan Center (2,438) State College, PA | ||||
| January 29, 2025 6:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 14 Maryland | L 73–82 | 10–12 (1–10) |
24 – Merkle | 7 – Merkle | 6 – Campbell | Bryce Jordan Center (2,066) State College, PA | ||||
| February 5, 2025 6:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Washington | L 71–82 | 10–13 (1–11) |
17 – 2 tied | 6 – Elliott | 5 – Oden | Bryce Jordan Center (2,035) State College, PA | ||||
| February 9, 2025 2:00 p.m., B1G+ |
at Northwestern | L 63–69 | 10–14 (1–12) |
14 – Walker | 12 – Merkle | 4 – Elliott | Welsh–Ryan Arena (1,902) Evanston, IL | ||||
| February 13, 2025 7:00 p.m., B1G+ |
at Illinois | L 55–67 | 10–15 (1–13) |
15 – Merkle | 10 – Merkle | 3 – Oden | State Farm Center (3,983) Champaign, IL | ||||
| February 16, 2025 12:00 p.m., B1G+ |
Wisconsin | L 68–75 | 10–16 (1–14) |
28 – Merkle | 12 – Merkle | 6 – Murray | Bryce Jordan Center (4,188) State College, PA | ||||
| February 22, 2025 12:00 p.m., BTN |
at Michigan | L 68–78 | 10–17 (1–15) |
18 – Merkle | 10 – Merkle | 7 – Campbell | Crisler Center (4,758) Ann Arbor, MI | ||||
| February 27, 2025 6:00 p.m., BTN |
Purdue | L 85–92 | 10–18 (1–16) |
32 – Elliott | 7 – Johnson | 7 – Campbell | Bryce Jordan Center (2,407) State College, PA | ||||
| March 2, 2025 2:00 p.m., B1G+ |
at Rutgers | L 70–75 | 10–19 (1–17) |
16 – Hall | 6 – 2 tied | 6 – Campbell | Jersey Mike's Arena (4,729) Piscataway, NJ | ||||
Source:[6]
Rankings
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| (RV) | Received votes | |
| (NR) | Not ranked and did not receive votes | |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
The Coaches Poll did not release a Week 2 poll, and the AP poll did not release a poll after the NCAA tournament.