PHILADELPHIA - For the University of Pennsylvania (6-5, 0-1 Ivy) women's basketball team, there's no time like the present to find their footing on the #RoadToIvyMadness. The Quakers will welcome their New York state foes from the Ancient Eight into The Palestra for a pair of weekend battles, first hosting Cornell on Friday, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m., before facing Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 4:30 p.m.

In the Series vs. Cornell: 78th Meeting
Penn holds a 56-21 advantage all-time against the Big Red and in addition to winning two-straight against Cornell, the Quakers have proven victorious eight of the last 10 meetings. The Red and Blue swept the series last year, with a 61-55 victory in Ithaca and a 47-34 win at The Palestra. 

In the Series vs. Columbia: 64th Meeting
The Quakers have faced the Lions the least out of all the teams in the Ivy League, and lead the all-time series 45-18. Penn has dominated the run of play in recent years, winners of 12-straight against Columbia, including seven-straight at The Palestra. 

Catching the Game: Ivy League Network
Both games this weekend will be televised on the Ivy League Network (ILN), now available on Apple TV, Roku and the ILN app for Android and Apple devices. In-game Twitter updates can be found @PennWBB. A complete recap, box score and highlights can be found on PennAthletics.com shortly after the conclusion of the game.

Last Time Out: L, 55-70 vs. Princeton (Jan. 6, 2018)
   - The visiting Tigers were able to stave off the University of Pennsylvania (6-5, 0-1) women's basketball team in the Ivy League opener for both squads. Down the majority of the contest, Penn kept the deficit to single digits up until a Princeton run in the fourth quarter iced the victory. 
   - Freshman Eleah Parker continued her run of good play, particularly in the first half, for the Red and Blue. The rookie finished with a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior Michelle Nwokedi collected a team-best 10 rebounds, narrowly missing out on a double-double with nine points. Anna Ross fought through the Princeton pressure all game to finish with 11 points and seven rebounds with zero turnovers in 39 minutes.  

Scouting the Big Red
Cornell is 4-9 on the year but riding a two-game win streak heading into conference play, with victories over UMass-Lowell and NJIT. Penn and the Big Red share two common opponents from the non-conference in Binghamton and NJIT, with both squads coming up short against the Bearcats but defeating the Highlanders. Sophomore Samantha Widmann is leading Cornell offensively, as the lone player averaging double-digit scoring with 15.5 points per game. The Big Red average 57.9 points per game and have held their opponents to under 60 points seven times this year. Dayna Smith is in her 16th season with the team. 

Scouting the Lions
Columbia enters Ivy League play on a three-game slide and will begin conference play on Friday at Princeton. A unanimous first-team All-Ivy pick from a year ago, Camille Zimmerman is again pacing the offense for the Lions, averaging a league-best 20 points per game, while also leading the squad in rebounding (8.8), blocks (11), assists (50) and steals (15). Megan Griffith is in her second season with the program. 

Parker Gaining Steam
Freshman center Eleah Parker has proven to be consistent in her first season with the Quakers, boasting seven-straight games in double-figure scoring. Winner of the three-straight Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards before the beginning of conference play, Parker was also named Big 5 Player of the Week and USBWA National Freshman of the Week after her impressive performances against VCU and NJIT at the NJIT Christmas Tournament.  

Efficient Eleah
The key to Parker's success is evident in her efficiency from the floor. The rookie currently ranks second in the Ivy League in field goal percentage at 50 percent. Parker also ranks first among all Ivy League freshman in scoring with 11.1 points per game. 

Nwokedi Selected as Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Senior captain Michelle Nwokedi was named one of 30 Division I student-athletes from around the country as a candidate for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award, celebrating those with achievement in competition, community, classroom and character. In addition to her success on court, Nwokedi has proven success in other facets, earning a spot on last year's Winter Academic All-Ivy team, and starting a fundraiser for victims of Huricane Harvey. 

Dishin' Out Dimes
Anna Ross currently ranks fourth all-time at Penn with 402 career assists, only 26 behind the program leader Cheryl Rath (428 - 1989). Ross currently ranks tied for 32nd in the nation, averaging 5.6 assists per game. Against Rhode Island, Ross set a new career-high with 10 assists and became the first Quaker since Lauren Pears (Jan. 13, 2007) to notch a double-double on points/assists.

On the Rebound
The Quakers have proven victorious six-straight times in games following a loss to an Ivy League opponent. The last time the Quakers lost a game directly following a loss to an Ancient Eight opponent was Jan. 15, 2014. 

#RoadToIvyMadness
The Quakers earned the No. 1 seed in last year's inaugural Ivy League women's basketball tournament by virtue of winning the regular season trophy with a 13-1 record against the Ancient Eight. The Ivy League men's and women's basketball tournaments return to Philadelphia, where they will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 10-11, 2018. The top four teams will earn berths to the tournament, with the semifinals on Saturday and the championships on Sunday. All six games will be broadcast live on ESPN's networks. For tickets and more information please visit IvyMadness.com. 

Up Next...
The Quakers will take a brief break from Ivy League action to turn their attention back to the Big 5. Another local road game awaits for Penn, who will make the short trip to Villanova on Wednesday, Jan. 17 for a 7 p.m. tip.