Penn State Men’s and Women’s Basketball to Return to Rec Hall for second straight year

Penn State men’s and women’s basketball will return to Rec Hall for the second straight season during the 2024-25 season, per release.

The Lady Lions will host Maryland on Wednesday, Jan. 29 and the Nittany Lions will welcome Ohio State on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Last year, the Lady Lions hosted No. 2 Ohio State in their first game inside Rec Hall since 1996 but fell 82-69.

Guard Ashley Owusu led the way with 22 points, but 27 forced turnovers and a barrage of three-pointers from Ohio State allowed them to come out on top.

The men’s team hosted No. 12 Illinois in their first game in Rec Hall since 2015. It also marked just the fourth time Penn State has played inside Rec Hall since they moved to the Bryce Jordan Center during the 1996 season.

A highly-contested matchup brought the good kind of storm to Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions captured a 90-89 upset win and celebrated with a fan storm of the Rec Hall court.

Guard Nick Kern Jr. took command with 22 points and three clutch free throws from forward Zach Hicks propelled Penn State to the monster victory.

Both teams have had success inside Rec Hall with the Lady Lions producing a 203-35 record and the Nittany Lions establishing a dominant 517-184 record inside its former home.

The 6,846-seat building creates an exciting atmosphere with crowds packing the venue to nearly 8,000 in attendance six times throughout Rec Hall’s history.

The Lady Lions will host their second Big Ten opponent in their second game inside Rec Hall since their final game in 1996.

The Maryland Terrapins finished the 2023-24 season with a record of 19-14 overall and 9-9 in Big Ten play. They split the season series with the Nittany Lions and suffered a loss to Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end their season.

Penn State completed their 2023-24 season with an impressive record of 22-13 and 9-9 in conference play. The Lady Lions advanced to the WBIT Semifinals before falling to Villanova 58-53.

On the men’s side, the Buckeyes ended their season 22-14 with a 9-11 record in the Big Ten. They were able to split the season series with Penn State and nabbed two wins in the NIT before eventually losing to Georgia 79-77.

The Penn State men’s basketball team finished 16-17 overall and claimed a 9-11 record in the Big Ten in their first season under head coach Mike Rhoades.

The Nittany Lions did not advance to the postseason but returned four of their five starters for the upcoming season.

Penn State men’s and women’s basketball teams will kick off their 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4, inside the Bryce Jordan Center.

Thomas English is a fourth-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email tfe5082@psu.edu.