BIMINI, BAHAMAS – An incredible second half comeback capped a high-drama evening as the University of Pennsylvania (2-2) topped Missouri State (1-4) 65-60 on Friday night in Bimini, Bahamas. The Quakers rallied from an 18-point deficit to start the third quarter and finished the game on an 8-0 run to claim third place in the Junkanoo Jam over the Thanksgiving holiday.
 
NOTES
*Senior Lauren Whitlatch tied a career-high with six three-pointers in the contest and a team-high 18 points for the game. The contest marked the third time Whitlatch has nailed six from downtown in her career as Penn hit 43% (10-of-23) from three point range on the evening.
 
*Freshman Katie Kinum gave the Quakers a clutch go-ahead trey to open the fourth quarter in what marked an important turning point in the contest. The freshman finished the game with six points and 2-for-2 shooting from 3-point range.
 
*Junior Princess Aghayere was also terrific for the Quakers and tallied her first collegiate double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the evening.
 
*Whitlatch (18), Ross (11), Nwokedi (10), and Aghayere (10) each were in double-digits for Penn on the night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Quakers had to come back from turnover and scoring troubles in the early goings as they committed 10 turnovers in the opening 16 minutes of action. Despite the tough start, Penn began to shake off the cobwebs in the second quarter and forced three Missouri State faults in under four minutes to claw back into the game. Penn closed the deficit with 6:51 to play at 25-17, but the Lady Bears continued to push offensively. A 10-0 run at the end of the half propelled MSU to a 39-21 lead at intermission.
 
Penn came out with renewed energy in the second half, and cut down an incredible 18-point deficit to tie the game at 46-46 with 1:16 left in the third quarter. The comeback was spurred by an 18-2 advantage as Penn outscored MSU 27-10 for the quarter. Coupled with stingy defense, the Red and Blue held MSU scoreless for nearly five minutes in the stanza.
 
Freshman Katie Kinum gave the Quakers their first lead of the game to open the fourth, but sloppy play plagued both teams in the starting minutes of the fourth quarter. With 2:37 left in regulation, senior Lauren Whitlatch hit her fifth and sixth treys of the night to give Penn the 62-60 advantage, and an 8-0 run in the final three minutes of the contest solidified Penn's incredible comeback. Senior Anna Ross was clutch from the charity stripe in the final seconds as the Quakers sealed the third place victory and the incredible comeback bid.
 
UP NEXT
Penn returns back home to the main land on Wednesday, Nov. 29 when they make the short trek to face La Salle for the start of Big 5 action for the 2017-18 season. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. at Tom Gola Arena.