Penn vs. Brown Box Score (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA – In the first-ever Ivy League Tournament game, the University of Pennsylvania (21-7, 13-1 Ivy) defeated the Brown Bears (16-12, 7-7), 71-60, at The Palestra on Saturday. With the win, the Quakers secured a spot in Sunday's championship game with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Penn has now won 12 of its last 13 games and is one win shy of tying the second-best season in program history with 22 — a mark achieved in both 2000-01 and 2013-14.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Michelle Nwokedi led all scorers with 25 points, tying her career high. By adding 10 rebounds and seven blocks, Nwokedi also secured her 14th double-double of the season — her sixth in the last seven games. Beth Brzozowski added one of her best performances of the season, tying a career high with 16 points as Sydney Stipanovich contributed another eight points and 13 rebounds.

Overall, the defense was critical for the Quakers. The Red and Blue limited Brown to 23-for-68 shooting (33.8%) from the floor and just 2-for-9 three pointers in the second half after a 7-for-17 first-half showing. From the floor, Penn went 29-for-66 (43.9%) on the day and shot 6-for-12 (50%) from range. On the defensive end, they outrebounded Brown 45-40 and added eight blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams were quiet out of the gate offensively, going scoreless for nearly two minutes before Brzozowski got things going with a layup. After Brzozowski tied the game at 4-4, Anna Ross logged a pair of layups followed by two baskets from Michelle Nwokedi to give the Quakers a 13-6 advantage. When the Bears closed the gap to 13-11, it was Ross and Ashley Russell who brought the lead back out — and Penn brought an 18-11 lead into the second frame.

The Red and Blue opened the second quarter with a quick 6-0 run, forcing an early Brown timeout. Thanks in part to Michelle Nwokedi's lock-down defense in the paint (3 first-half blocks), the Quakers held the Bears scoreless for the first four minutes of the stanza. Brown started heating up from beyond the arc, however, and a 15-4 run off four treys made it a 28-26 affair with 3:29 left in the first half. Nwokedi, however, was able to stave off the run, scoring Penn's final five points of the half as the Red and Blue went into the break up 33-32.

After a 6-0 run to open the half gave the Bears their first lead of the day, the Quakers stormed back with a 14-0 spurt of their own — headlined by five points each from Brzozowski and Anna Ross. Over a 4:33 stretch in the third quarter, Penn went 8-for-9 from the floor and turned a 38-33 deficit  into a 54-44 lead. Defensively, a pair of blocks and three steals contributed to a 56-44 lead for the Red and Blue through three frames.

As added insurance, Sydney Stipanovich was able to get a pair of put-backs on consecutive possessions, extending the lead to a game-high 13. Although the Quakers' offense went quiet for just under four minutes, stout defense maintained the lead before Brzozowski added a trey and a layup to make it 67-44 with 2:16 to play. The Bears could muster only a trey and a pair of free throws down the stretch as the Red and Blue secured the 71-60 victory.

UP NEXT

The Quakers return to The Palestra on Sunday, playing in the Ivy League Championship Game at 4 p.m. on ESPNU. The Red and Blue will take on the winner between No. 2 Princeton and No. 3 Harvard in the second semifinal game Saturday evening.

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