PHILADELPHIA - A fast start on both sides of the floor keyed the early portion of the game for the University of Pennsylvania (2-3) women's basketball team, but the Quakers couldn't hold on, succumbing to La Salle's (4-3) hot shooting night to ultimately fall 66-59 Wednesday at Tom Gola Arena. The loss drops Penn to 0-1 in Big 5 play. 

PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*The Quakers featured three players in double figures, led by 14 from Michelle Nwokedi. Junior Ashley Russell notched a new career-high with 12, including 11 in the first half to give Penn the advantage at the break.

*Penn forced La Salle into 24 turnovers, a season-high on defense for the Quakers. Penn was able to score 16 points off of Explorer miscues, but 27 percent shooting in the second half doomed the Red and Blue late, while La Salle shot over 60 percent in the final 20 minutes.

*Nwokedi and freshman Eleah Parker tied for the team lead with six rebounds each. La Salle ultimately had the edge in the battle of the boards, 34-32.

*Nwokedi had three blocks on the night, pushing her career total up to 249.

*Senior Anna Ross had an effective night on offense, totaling five assists with just one turnover. 

*The loss to La Salle is the second in a row in the series for Penn, marking the first consecutive losses to the Explorers since the Red and Blue dropped five-straight from 2006-2010.

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was an opportunistic start for the Red and Blue, as Penn scored points before the ball was even tipped. La Salle was whistled for a pre-game technical foul for not getting their starters entered on time, allowing Anna Ross to bury two free throws prior to the game. The good mojo would only continue after that, as Penn gained an early 11-0 lead on great shooting and aggressive play on defense, forcing three quick turnovers. The Quakers would end the first period on a buzzer-beating three from Ashley Russell, pushing the lead to 23-10, the largest of the night for the visitors.

La Salle would chip away at the Penn advantage in the second quarter though, heating up from the floor to outscore the Quakers 22-12 in the period. On three separate occasions, the Quakers suffered near two-minute scoring droughts, allowing the Explorers to gain the momentum. Despite the swing in play, Penn still held the three-point edge at the break, led by a career-high matching 11 points from Russell, including two 3-pointers.

The Explorers would continue their hot play out of the break, taking advantage of cold shooting from the Quakers to go on an 8-2 run over halfway through the quarter to push the home team in the lead for the first time. Penn was able to counter the La Salle run though, pushing back with a 5-0 run of its own to reclaim the edge at 42-40 before eventually falling behind by one entering the final stanza.

Again, La Salle struck first in the fourth quarter to ice the Quakers, extending their lead out to 10 points and by that point, Penn was in a battle with the clock. Foul trouble plagued the Red and Blue throughout the contest, as four players had three or more personal fouls, including a foul out from Whitlatch who spent most of the second half playing with four. Despite Penn's efforts, the Quakers were unable to string together enough stops and scores to dent the La Salle lead late, ultimately falling 66-59.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Quakers will get a 10-day break before returning home to The Palestra for a highly anticipated matchup against undefeated and top-5 Notre Dame on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 1 p.m.