STATE COLLEGE — Penn State women’s basketball soars to an 83-55 season opening victory over Bucknell. The Nittany Lions improve to 51-13 in first games of the campaign while remaining undefeated against the Bison in the all-time series history. Penn State made its first season opening debut in its former home on Curtin Road since 1995 in its partial return to Rec Hall for the 2025-26 campaign.

Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller and redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle’s 20-plus-point performances, along with efficient team defense powered PSU to its first win of the season. McMiller combined for 27 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals in her Lady Lion debut while Merkle added 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field. Four freshmen made their collegiate debuts with Viktoria Ranisavljevic leading the way eight points, six boards, three assists and two steals.

Shayla Smith recorded six points and three rebounds. Rachael Okokoh contributed five points and two boards and Nyla McFadden was the fourth freshman to make their collegiate appearance. Senior forward Amiya Evans also played her first game in a Blue and White jersey, adding six points and seven rebounds.

As a team, the Nittany Lions controlled their defensive of the court, forcing 21 turnovers and converting 27 points from those miscues. Penn State posted 14 steals, it’s most as a team since Nov. 21, 2024 against Marshall. The Nittany Lions were also effective on the other side of the court, notching a 53.6 field goal percentage.

McMiller added eight points to begin the final frame which were only broken up by one free throw for the Bison. Bucknell compiled two shots from three-point range to cut the PSU edge to 18 points, but back-to-back points from the freshman duo of Okokoh and Smith bolstered the Nittany Lions to a 22-point lead with just under three minutes to play. Penn State’s 12-2 run to finish the game propelled Penn State to a 83-55 victory.

Bucknell made use of its opening possession of the half, adding another two points to the board. Penn State used four-straight points to extend its advantage to 11 points, but the Bison netted four points of their own to pull back within five. A three-point play for Merkle allowed PSU to grab a 47-39 lead and a supplemental basket from McMiller gave PSU a double-digit edge. Bucknell snuck in a set of points but the Nittany Lions strung together another pair of points to create a 14-point margin.

A blocked three-point shot attempt gave the Bison their first fast break points of the game. Smith’s tenacious defense allowed McMiller to add points on the fast break for Penn State in response to extend to a 56-42 lead. Bucknell added a pair of free throws but Merkle had the answer with two points of her own to widen the gap to 16, the largest of the quarter.

The Bison put across two points using shots from the charity stripe but Smith added the final two tallies of the third stanza to give the Nittany Lions a 62-46 advantage.