GLEN ALLEN, Va. – Penn State women’s basketball climbs to 78-66 win over VCU at the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic. The Nittany Lions rise to 7-4, 0-1 Big Ten while the Rams fall to 4-9, 0-1 A10. A quartet of double figure scorers guided the squad to victory in the first game of the tournament.

Redshirt junior Moriah Murray recorded 18 points, all coming from shots from beyond the arc. She also posted four rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Kiymoi McMiller produced her 11th-straight double-digit scoring outing with 17 points to go with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Freshman Tèa Cleante compiled 15 points in addition to a team high eight assists and five steals. Redshirt junior Gracie Merkle put together her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 boards. Senior Maggie Mendelson totaled eight points in her first Lady Lion appearance. She also posted seven rebounds and three assists.

Penn State was effective in converting points from turnovers, adding 24 points from VCU’s miscues. The Nittany Lions also made use of their second chance opportunities, compiling 19 second-chance points. The squad out-rebounded the Rams by a 46-37 margin.

Neither team could add points to the board for the first two minutes of the final period. VCU broke the silence with a fastbreak layup at the 7:45 mark. The offensive struggles continued as both squads missed their next offensive possessions. Mendelson drained on of her two free throws to create a nine-point lead for PSU. A layup for VCU off a Penn State turnover was answered by a layup for Mendelson as she bodied her way to the rim.

Turnovers on both sides left the score at 67-58 until Cleante stepped to the charity stripe where she sank one-of-two free throws. Merkle completed her double-double using a pair of points off a VCU turnover. Neither team added to the score on their next trips down the court. Nyla McFadden’s offensive rebound allowed her to draw a foul and take a trip to the free throw line where she drained the pair.

Similarly, Cleante added two points from free throws after a turnover from VCU. Mendelson put up another set of points and drew a foul but was unable to convert the free throw. Back-to-back three pointers drew the margin to 12 with under a minute to play. A pair of free throws for the Rams added to their total, but Merkle had the final word with a layup at the rim to seal a 78-66 final score.

Mendelson notched her first points as a Lady Lion to begin the third stanza. VCU got on the board next with seven-straight points to inch the deficit to two and force PSU to utilize a timeout. Penn State came out of its regroup hot, scoring eight unanswered points. McMiller began the charge with a pullup jumper and forced a turnover on the other end to give Merkle a pair off points from the miscue. A missed three for the Rams was followed by a made three-pointer from Cleante. Each team drained one of their next two free throws.

VCU made use of an offensive board with a jumper, but McMiller had the answer on the other end with a shot from long range to take a 54-44 lead for PSU. VCU added two points, but Murray immediately responded with her sixth three-pointer of the day. The Rams used a three-point play following a foul to decrease the margin to eight and followed up with four more points to cut the deficit to four. PSU compiled three points from a Ranisavljevic layup and Mendelson free throw. After a series of missed offensive opportunities for both groups, VCU added one free throw to create a 60-54 score. The Nittany Lions grew their advantage back to 10 at the end of the third stanza following baskets from Merkle and McMiller. Penn State owned a 64-54 lead after 30 minutes of play.