Penn State head coach Carolyn Kieger didn’t shy away from honesty after her team’s 95–55 loss to No. 3 South Carolina, offering a candid breakdown of what went wrong and what the Lady Lions learned from facing Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks.
Kieger pointed to the opening minutes of the third quarter as the turning point of the game. After trailing by just 12 at halftime, Penn State unraveled quickly as South Carolina turned defense into instant offense.
“Obviously, it was the first three possessions,” Kieger said. “Turn it over, take long twos — we call them shot turnovers. All of a sudden, it was 9-0 in the third quarter, and obviously, you can’t start that way.”
Those early mistakes ignited South Carolina’s transition game, something Kieger acknowledged her team failed to contain. The Gamecocks scored repeatedly before Penn State could set its zone, stretching a manageable deficit into an insurmountable one.
Kieger also credited South Carolina’s defensive execution, particularly in how the Gamecocks limited star post player Gracie Merkle. Despite Merkle entering the game as the nation’s most efficient scorer, Penn State struggled to consistently feed her in the paint.
“They did a great job three-quarter,” Kieger said. “We couldn’t get any passes inside. We’ve got to be able to generate some things off play breakdowns instead of just always be sets.”
While Merkle finished with nine points before fouling out, Kieger noted that South Carolina’s ability to deny entry passes disrupted Penn State’s offensive rhythm and forced the Lady Lions into tougher looks late in the shot clock.
Turnovers were another major theme in Kieger’s postgame assessment. Penn State committed 26 turnovers, many of them live-ball mistakes that fueled South Carolina’s fast-break attack.
Against a team as athletic and disciplined as the Gamecocks, Kieger admitted those errors were costly.
“You can’t give a team like that extra possessions,” Kieger said, emphasizing how quickly South Carolina capitalized on mistakes.
Despite the lopsided final score, Kieger did acknowledge some positives, including her team’s effort on the glass. Penn State outrebounded South Carolina and generated 21 second-chance points, an area Kieger said showed her team competed physically, even as the score got away.
Still, Kieger made it clear that facing a program like South Carolina provides a measuring stick for her group moving forward.
“This is what championship-level basketball looks like,” was the underlying message from her remarks — a recognition that execution, decision-making, and discipline must improve for Penn State to take the next step.
For Kieger and the Lady Lions, the loss served as both a reality check and a learning opportunity. Facing Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks exposed areas that need refinement, but it also offered a blueprint of the level Penn State must reach as the season progresses.
