UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State suffered its sixth-straight loss, 92-76, to Illinois in the We Back Pat game at the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday afternoon. The game marked the final scheduled game for the Lady Lions at the BJC in the 2025-26 season.

The Lady Lions fell to 7-10 overall and remain winless at 0-6 in Big Ten play with the loss, while the Fighting Illini improved to 14-3 and 4-2 in Big Ten play with the win, its fourth consecutive in the series and 20th overall against Penn State.

Three Lady Lions finished the game in double figures, including redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle, who delivered another strong showing in the loss. The Mount Washington, Ky. native finished with a team-high 24 points, while adding seven rebounds. This marks Merkle’s sixth game of the season above 20 points and her 16th double figure scoring performance. It is also her seventh straight game finishing in double figures. Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller added 19 points of her own, her fifth-straight game with 10 or more points, while also tying her career-high with seven assists against a Big Ten opponent. Freshman guard/forward Nyla McFadden built off an impressive game against Michigan with a new career-high 12 points in her first collegiate start.