The Nittany Lions' guard turned in a strong performance in Penn State's win on Monday night against NC Central.

It'll be a battle of women's basketball skyscrapers in State College as the 6-6 Merkle has to contend with the 6-7 Lauren Betts.

The fourth-ranked Bruins found themselves in a fourth-quarter dogfight against No. 19 Ohio State on Sunday, but they impressed their coach with the ability to adjust on the road.

Women: UCLA at Penn State Tipoff: 2 p.m., Rec Hall, University Park Records: UCLA (12-1, 2-0 in Big Ten); Penn State (7-6, 0-2 in Big Ten) TV/streaming: Peacock Notable: Penn State’s Gracie Merkle leads the country in field-goal percentage.

Picked to finish first in the Big Ten, the Bruins (2-0 Big Ten, 12-1 overall) have wins over Oklahoma, North Carolina and Tennessee in a tough nonconference schedule filled with ranked opponents. UCLA is coming off an 82-75 victory Sunday over Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. Penn State (0-2 Big Ten, 7-6) is seeking to end its slide after a 6-1 start.

SportsLine's model simulated NC Central Eagles vs. Penn State Nittany Lions on Monday afternoon and revealed its college basketball picks

Pitt routed Penn State 80-46 at the Giant Center in Hershey on Sunday, delivering the Nittany Lions their second "embarrassing" loss of the December schedule. Less than two weeks after losing by to Indiana by 41 points, Penn State fell by 36 to a team that was a 1.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel, and ranked 108th according to Ken Pomeroy.

The Nittany Lions suffered a loss no one expected against the Panthers, but there were some clear red flags that have been an issue all season.

Alfred Worrell Jr. poured in 32 points off the bench and Elijah Davis had a double-double to lead Morgan State past Penn State-Brandywine 92-55 on Tuesday.