GLEN ALLEN, Va. – Penn State women’s basketball was downed by Richmond, 70-54 in the second game of the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic. The Lady Lions drop to 7-5, 0-1 Big Ten while Richmond climbs to 11-3, 1-0 A10.

Redshirt junior Gracie Merkle and freshman Tèa Clèante reached the double figure scoring mark for the second consecutive game. Merkle put up 15 points on seven-of-10 shooting from the field. Clèante recorded 11 points in addition to her three assists. Senior Maggie Mendelson had another impactful performance, totaling eight points and six rebounds.

Two consecutive turnovers plagued the Lady Lions early in the first, allowing Richmond to take an early 4-0 lead. McMiller got PSU going offensively with a mid-range jumper.

After the Spiders added one point from a free throw, McMiller drove hard to the basket to cut the score to 5-4. Richmond responded on the opposite end of the court with a shot from beyond the arc to create a four-point advantage.

Smith was the next to add points, dribbling from the other end of the floor to the basket. Both teams turned the ball over on their possessions out of the media timeout.

The Spiders strung together five consecutive points to extend their advantage to seven points. McMiller had the answer for PSU with another two points, owning six of the Lady Lions’ eight points.

Richmond utilized an offensive rebound to add two to its total and once again McMiller put up two on the other end.

The teams traded baskets with Merkle getting one for Penn State, but the Spiders put up the last two points as the first quarter clock expired to seal a 19-14 edge after 10 minutes of action.

Both teams struggled to get momentum on offense in the second stanza. The Spiders managed to extend to a 22-14 lead before Viktoria Ranisavljevic drained a long three to cut the deficit to five.

Richmond immediately answered with a pair of points on its next possession and used a miscue for the Lady Lions to build a 26-17 lead. Back-to-back three-pointers for PSU were broken up by a duo of free throws for the Spiders.

Clèante found her first long ball of the day while Mendelson notched the first of her career to climb back to a 28-23 score. The Spiders added two points following a forced turnover to widen the margin to seven at the media timeout.

The teams exchanged baskets among turnovers until Richmond converted a layup. A quick steal-and-score for Clèante was silenced by two more scores from the Spiders to finish the quarter with Richmond up 36-25.

Neither team could get points across in the third until the Spiders drained a shot from beyond the arc. Ranisavljevic used a wrap-around pass to Clèante to create a 12-point deficit.

The Spiders turned defense into offense, converting a three-pointer following a steal on defense. Ranisavljevic sank a driving layup before a scoring drought for both squads.

A three-point play for the Spiders broke the dry spell and gave the team a 16-point edge. Richmond ballooned its lead to 49-29 while the Lady Lions’ offensive hardships continued.

Merkle’s second-chance layup gave Penn State some life, but the Spiders matched it on their end right after. Vitória Santana found a shot from long range off a pass from Mendelson to cut the margin to 51-34.

Mendelson followed it up with her second three of the afternoon. The teams traded layups with Clèante responsible for the PSU points. T

he Spiders committed a travelling violation on their next possession, opening the door for the Lady Lions to add points. Merkle managed a basket but was silenced by a three-pointer from Richmond to finish the third stanza with a 56-41 Spider edge.

Each team put up points to begin the final quarter. A three-point play allowed the Spiders to create an 18-point advantage early in the frame. Clèante worked her way to the basket as she surpassed the double-digit scoring mark.

She dished out a pass to Merkle on PSU’s next possession to cut the margin to 14, but Richmond responded on the other end. Merkle utilized an offensive board to put back a basket before a scoreless stretch for both squads.

Merkle earned a trip to the charity stripe which decreased the deficit to 63-50. After a drought for Richmond offensively, the Spiders found five-straight points to take an 18-point lead. Merkle used two put-back baskets in the final minute, but it was not enough, finalizing a 70-54 Richmond win.