MADISON, Wisc. – Penn State women’s basketball (7-8, 0-4 Big Ten) drops a tightly-contested thriller at Wisconsin (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) by way of a 74-73 final score. Kiyomi McMiller’s 36 points were not enough to lift the Lady Lions to victory in the back-and-forth battle.

After Wisconsin affirmed its lead in the first quarter, Penn State battled back to recapture the lead in the final stanza. The Badgers used a 14-0 run over the final six minutes to reclaim the advantage and finalize the victory.

Sophomore guard McMiller tallied her aforementioned 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the field including three-of-four from three-point range and five-of-five from the free throw line.

Redshirt-junior center Gracie Merkle also produced a double-digit scoring effort with 12 points on five-of-seven shooting from the floor. Redshirt junior guard Moriah Murray followed with eight points to go with three steals and two assists. Senior forward Amiya Evans dominated the glass for the Lady Lions with 12 rebounds in addition to seven points, two steals and one assist.

The Lady Lions converted on their first offensive possession after an opening tipoff win. The Badgers responded with a set of points, but Penn State answered with consecutive baskets from McMiller and Merkle.

An opportunity at the free throw line for Wisconsin followed by a fast layup for the home team tied the score at 6-6. The team’s traded points before a 6-0 run allowed the Badgers to extend to a 12-8 lead at the media timeout.

McMiller’s shot from long range cut the deficit to one, but the squads exchanged scores to keep the margin there. Wisconsin put up another set of points before another three-pointer from McMiller knotted the score at 16-16.

The Badgers strung together four-straight points to take a 20-16 lead after the first stanza.

Wisconsin built an eight-point lead in the early minutes of the second frame. A step-back jumper from McMiller chipped at the lead, but a pair of shots from the charity stripe for the Badgers kept the deficit the same.

A Merkle basket was quieted by four points in consecutive fashion for Wisconsin. Penn State sparked an eight-point stretched led by McMiller with five of the points to decrease the margin to two points. The Badgers broke their silence with a layup at the 6:16 mark.

After a series of missed offensive opportunities for both teams, McMiller found the basket with another set of points. Wisconsin used two free throws to create a four-point edge at 34-30. After a second-chance layup for McMiler, the Badgers added six consecutive points to extend to and eight-point lead.

Murray broke the run with a layup underneath the basket and Evans followed, using an offensive rebound to add second-chance points. McMiller converted the last points of the stanza after a Wisconsin turnover to cut the Badger lead to 40-38 at the halftime break.

PSU tied the score at 40-40 to open the third stanza. A pair of free throws for the Badgers erased that work until two-straight shots from long range out of the hands of Clèante and McMiller gave the Lady Lions their first lead since the first quarter.

Wisconsin battled back to recapture a 61-46 lead, but Penn State responded with 11 unanswered points to build a six-point advantage. McMiller began the run with a layup and Moriah Murray and Viktoria Ranisavljevic followed with three-pointers.

Three free shots for McMiller and Evans finished out the sequence. The Badges ended their scoring draught at the 1:32 mark, but McMiller had the answer with another string of points. Despite a put-back layup for Wisconsin, the Lady Lions sank four-straight free throws enroute to a 63-55 edge at the end of the third stanza.

The Badgers added the first points in the final frame. Three free throws gave PSU a nine-point advantage. Wisconsin added a basket before a scoring drought for both squads.

After nearly three minutes of game time passed, the Badgers drained a shot from long range to inch within four points with 3:54 on the clock. Turnovers plagued the Lady Lions over the next several minutes, allowing Wisconsin to recapture the lead at 71-66.

McMiller used a driving layup to cut the deficit to three at the one-minute mark, but the Badgers answered with a floating jumper as time expired on the shot clock. McMiller found Merkle under the rim with 14 seconds remaining before UW utilized a timeout.

Out of the break, the Lady Lions committed a foul to send Wisconsin to the charity stripe where it drained one-of-two. McMiller’s long three-pointer with two seconds to go forced the Badgers to use their final timeout. Despite efforts from the Lady Lions, Wisconsin finalized a 74-73 victory.