CSU-Northridge: Live Stats | Audio | Twitter
UC Riverside: Live Stats | Audio | Twitter

PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team (4-4) returns to action on Saturday following a three week layoff when they make the trip out to Southern California to take on CSU-Northridge (6-6) and UC Riverside (5-5) on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2. Saturday's matchup against the Matadors is slated for 4 p.m. PST while the Quakers and Highlanders will tip-off at 5 p.m. PST.

In the Series vs. CSU-Northridge: 1st Meeting
In the Series vs. UC Riverside: 1st Meeting
Saturday's contest against the Matadors marks the first-ever meeting between CSUN and Penn and will follow by the first-ever meeting between UC Riverside and the Quakers. Penn has a 1-0 record over Big West opponents in Mike McLaughlin's tenure at the helm of the Red and Blue when the Quakers posted a 64-54 win at the Rainbow Warriors just a season ago in 2015-16.

Catching the Games
Fans can follow the live stats and find game information against CSU-Northridge on www.gomatadors.com. Live twitter updates will also be available (@PennWBB). Game information for Monday's game will be on www.gohighlanders.com. A complete recap, box score and highlights can be found at PennAthletics.com shortly after the conclusion of each game.

Last Time Out: W, 47-44 at Richmond; Richmond, Va.  
- The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team won a thriller over the University of Richmond, 47-44, on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Virginia. Michelle Nwokedi's last-second block neutralized Richmond's comeback attempt and sealed the win for the Quakers. The junior forward registered her fifth double-double of the season including a career-high 20 rebounds to go with her 21 points. She also had five blocked shots, four assists and a steal to lead the Red and Blue.
- Penn held a healthy advantage in the first half, but the second quarter was where the Quakers did their damage. The Quakers were bolstered by a 15-7 advantage in rebounds in the period, while the Spiders went cold from the field going 0-for-13 and scoreless for nearly six minutes as Penn took a 21-12 lead into intermission. Richmond put up just 12 points and shot just 11 percent in the first half.

Up Next
The Quakers begin Ivy League action against archrival Princeton on Saturday, Jan. 7 in Princeton, N.J. The contest will mark a double-header alongside the Penn-Princeton men who are set to tip-off at 5 p.m. following the women's game.

Against the Big West Conference
Under head coach Mike McLaughlin, the Quakers are 1-0 against Big West Conference foes since McLaughlin has been at the helm of the Red and Blue dating back to the 2009-10 season. The Quakers took on Hawaii just a season ago and posted a 64-54 win at the Rainbow Warriors in 2015-16.  

Block Party
1. As a team, the Quakers are 6th in the NCAA in Blocked Shots per Game (6.9) on the heels of Nwokedi (10th) and Stipanovich's (13th) efforts in the backcourt in blocks per game. The duo have combined for 49 blocks through seven games for the Quakers.
2. This season, the duo have combined for 49 blocked shots - that currently ranks ahead of 326 TEAM TOTALS in the NCAA as of Dec. 12th and is 18th nationally if the duo were their own team.

Record Setter
Sydney Stipanovich became Penn's all-time leader in blocked shots in 2015-16 just five games into her junior season and currently sits at 286 blocked shots for her career. She currently ranks second in conference history in blocks, and stands just 19 shy of the all-time mark set by Columbia's Kathy Gilbert (305).

Matching Michelle
In a 47-44 win against Richmond, Michelle Nwokedi recorded a career-high 20 rebounds—the most by a Penn player in 19 years. Michelle Maldanado tallied 21 boards for the Quakers against Cornell in 1997: the school record for most rebounds sits at 24 with three players sharing the honor.

Double-Double Duo
Through eight games, the Quaker duo of Michelle Nwokedi (5)  and Sydney Stipanovich (4) have combined for nine double-double's on the season which is good for 17th and 31st in the nation, respectively. On the season, both Nwokedi and Stipanovich are averaging a double-double with 18.3ppg and 10.9rpg (Nwokedi) while Stipanovich comes in with 12.8ppg and 10.3rpg. Both are in the top-20 in the Penn record books with their career double-doubles tallies.

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