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NASSAU, Bahamas -- Despite posting three double-figure scorers, the Penn State Lady Lions suffered its first loss of the season to Princeton, 100-93, in the first game of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament on Saturday.
Redshirt-junior center Gracie Merkle pumped in a career best 39 points to surpass the 1,000-career point mark. Merkle finished the contest hitting 19-of-23 shots from the field to go with seven rebounds.
She was joined in double-digit scoring by sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller with 19 points in addition to eight assists, four rebounds and three steals. Redshirt-junior guard Moriah Murray also had 20 points, 18 of which came from beyond the arc on six-of-nine shooting from the three-point line.
The Lady Lions outscored the Tigers 54-38 in the paint while shooting 58.5% from the field. Penn State outrebounded its opponent by a 33-27 clip.
The Tigers put the first set of points on the board following the opening tipoff, but a 9-2 run for the Lady Lions led by Merkle gave Penn State a 9-4 advantage at the 7:40 mark in the first stanza.
A combination of McMiller's pullup jumper and Murray's second three-pointer of the quarter ballooned the Lady Lions' advantage to double-digits at 22-10.
The Tigers managed to put up back-to-back baskets for the first time to crawl within eight, but Merkle had the final word of the quarter to give the Lady Lions a 24-14 edge after 10 minutes of game action.
In the second quarter, Princeton narrowed its deficit to three after firing off seven-straight points over the first two minutes of the second frame. Murray broke the Penn State silence with a shot from beyond the arc on the fast break following a defensive stop. The Tigers added another three points as a response before a scoring draught for both squads. Tèa Clèante was the first to add points following the break in scoring, driving to the rim for a layup and widening the gap to 31-25. Princeton dominated the remaining three minutes, adding nine points to Penn State's four to decrease the margin to 38-34 at the halftime break.
The teams traded baskets to begin the third quarter, keeping the margin close at 43-40. A free throw for the Tigers drew the deficit to two on two occasions but a shot from beyond the arc out of the hands of Murray grew the Lady Lions' lead to five.
Three-pointers allowed Princeton to narrow the margin to just one point, but a 7-0 run for Penn State extended the score to 57-49 at the 4:18 mark. Back-to-back shots from long range for the Tigers quickly shrunk the Penn State advantage to two.
Despite Merke's 1000th career point, Princeton battled to tie the score and eventually took a 65-63 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Tigers widened their lead to 69-63 to begin the final stanza. The Lady Lions added a basket from Merkle but a three-point play for Princeton extended the margin to seven points. Penn State inched closer with back-to-back makes from Merkle and McMiller but the Tigers were able to maintain their edge using a three-point play and a forced turnover.
The miscue allowed Princeton to take a 79-71 lead. Despite several threatening opportunities for the Lady Lions, the Tigers continued to respond, building their lead to 100-93 to close to game.
The Lady Lions continue their trip to the Bahamas, facing San Diego State at noon today.