NEWARK, N.J. - To say that the offense for the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team has emerged of late would be quite the understatement. Playing VCU in the opening game of the NJIT Highlanders Christmas Tournament, the Quakers accomplished a feat for the first time since Jan. 3, 2003 and scored 80+ points in two-straight games, running away to an 82-52 victory over the Rams. With the win, Penn improves to 5-4 on the year, while VCU drops to 2-9. 

The Quakers will have no time to rest on their laurels however, facing the host Highlanders in the holiday tournament championship on Friday at 5 p.m. in Newark live on ESPN3. 

PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*The two-time defending Ivy League Rookie of the Week Eleah Parker only continues to get better, as the rookie led a four-player contingent in double-figures Thursday night for Penn. Parker notched a career-best 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while also recording the first 3-pointer of her career in the process. The Charlotte, N.C. native also continued her activity on defense, logging three blocks and two steals. 

*Michelle Nwokedi corralled the 36th double-double of her career, drawing within one of Sydney Stipanovich's third-place mark in program history. The senior scored 13 points while snagging a season-best 14 rebounds, including six offensive boards. Nwokedi even flirted with a triple-double against the Rams with a matching a season-best with six blocks. 

*Fellow senior Lauren Whitlatch lit the fire early for the Red and Blue, finishing with 14 points on the night, all coming in the first half. Whitlatch's deadly shooting from 3-point range put the game out of reach early.

*Freshman Katie Kinum followed suit with Whitlatch, notching a new career-best with four 3-pointers to total 12 points, her second-career game in double-figures, while doing so in front of her home-state fans. 

*Tori Crawford had a breakout game, earning career-bests in points (8), rebounds (5) and steals (2). Sophomore Phoebe Sterba also enjoyed the first points of her season, scoring a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. 

*Anna Ross finished right on target as a facilitator, connecting on five assists. 

*Penn's 26 point halftime lead was the biggest since a 28-point advantage over Yale in 2016. The 19 points scored by the Rams in the opening 20 minutes was a season-low for a Penn opponent.

*The 30-point margin of victory is the biggest for the Quakers since a similar score differential last season against Dartmouth.

*The Quakers have now scored 80+ points in two-straight games, doing so for the first time since the 2002-03 team notched 80+ in three-straight contests.

*The Red and Blue scored 20+ points in three out of four quarters for the fourth time in program history. 

*Penn outrebounded the Rams 49-25, the largest difference on the boards since outrebounding Temple by the same margin in January of 2016. 

*Coach McLaughlin improves his record to 12-12 against the Atlantic 10 Conference, as the Quakers have now won three-straight against the league (Saint Joseph's, Rhode Island, VCU). 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Much like the last time Penn played a team with Rams as their mascot (Dec. 22 vs. URI), the Quakers used a hot start to find early separation and diminish any hopes of a comeback. An 18-2 run fueled by 3-for-3 shooting from deep for Whitlatch pushed the Red and Blue in control from the opening whistle. The Rams fought back to cut the lead to 20-10 early in the second quarter, but Whitlatch again converted for three to stifle the run. 

As Whitlatch finally cooled down, Kinum emerged as a long-ball threat, taking over the slack to end the second quarter with Penn ahead 45-19. At the break, the senior/freshman duo had combined for 23 points for Penn, and the Quaker defense had already forced 14 turnovers. 

VCU was able to clean up their offensive attack in the third quarter, keeping pace with Penn most of the way, but the Quakers could not be controlled. Parker and Nwokedi began to run off play after play together in the paint, with the senior continuously finding the rookie open underneath. 

The Red and Blue offense rolled on in the fourth quarter, as the Quakers ended the game with 12 3-pointers. With 13 three's made against URI last game, the Quakers have combined for more long-range shots made in back-to-back games in the McLaughlin era. As the final buzzer sounded, Penn walked away from the WEC with a strong 82-52 victory.