The Lady Lions fall to Wisconsin in Pink Zone game; extends losing streak to seven

The Lady Lions suffered yet another heartbreaking loss as they fell to Wisconsin 75-68 in Happy Valley.

Today was the 19th annual Pink Zone Game, in which coach Carolyn Kieger mentioned the importance of it in her opening statement.

“The pink zone does so much for the community. I want to thank everybody that’s involved with the pink zone to make this day happen. Obviously we would have liked to battle a little bit harder in the end to pull it out for the fans in the building.”

The Lady Lions came up short against another Big Ten opponent, dropping to 1-14 in conference play and 10-16 overall.

Penn State’s leading scorer was Gracie Merkle, who managed to put up 28 points and 12 rebounds for her third straight game with a double-double.

“I thought Gracie Merkle did a great job inside. I thought our team did a phenomenal job getting the ball inside,” said Kieger on Merkle’s performance today.

Merkle has been one of the few bright spots in a season where there’s been a lot of struggle. Averaging 15 points per game along with 8.5 rebounds.

Even with the loss, Merkle still was able to reflect on the importance of this game and what it means to the community here at Penn State.

“It was incredible. For us, it’s bigger than basketball, having all these survivors in there cheering us on. We wish we could have gotten the win for them, but just have to keep fighting. I loved having them here.”

Despite the Lady Lions showing off a competitive display this afternoon, they ended up falling short primarily due to turnovers and missed three-point opportunities.

The Lady Lions turned the ball over 20 times Sunday, to go along with shooting only 33% from beyond the arc.

The Lady Lions average 20.7 per game, which plays a big role when you’re trying to win close games like this one.

Moriah Murray was unable to connect on a shot today as she missed all six of her shots from the three-point line.

Vitoria Santana shot the best from three-point land for the Lady Lions, shooting 3-5 from distance. This was also her career high in three-pointers made.

“Vitoria is somebody who has been grinding behind the scenes,” said Kieger on the way Vitoria Santana has been playing. “You always say work harder when nobody’s watching. And that’s what she’s done all year.”

Santana hasn’t seen much action this year but has gotten in the starting lineup the last three games due to an Alli Campbell injury.

For Wisconsin, they improve to 12-14 on the season and 3-12 in conference play. They were led by junior forward Serah Williams, who was able to put up 23 points on 9-18 shooting.

The Badgers also struggled from three-point land, shooting 26.3% earlier this afternoon.

The Lady Lions will have a few days to recuperate as they prepare to travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in a Big Ten clash this upcoming Saturday.

Ben Barker is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bsb5566@psu.edu.