PHILADELPHIA - With career-highs in both points and rebounds from freshman Eleah Parker mixed with high octane shooting from outside, the University of Pennsylvania (8-5, 2-1 Ivy) women's basketball team powered ahead of the Columbia Lions, capping off a weekend sweep with a 70-51 victory.

With the win, the Quakers improve to 8-5 on the season and 2-1 in the Ancient Eight, while the Lions drop to 6-11 and 0-2 in conference play. 

PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Parker notched her ninth-straight game in double-digits in impressive fashion, recording a new career-best with 22 points, matched with a personal-high in rebounds with 14. Eight of Parker's 14 boards were on the offensive glass, helping the Quakers outrebound the Lions 54-36 overall. The double-double is the second-straight for Parker and third overall this season. 

*Junior Ashley Russell boasted a strong game offensively, firing a career-high four 3-pointers en route to 15 points while hustling for six rebounds. 

*Steady as ever, Anna Ross continues to produce from the point guard position at a high clip, finishing with seven assists and zero turnovers. The senior now owns 415 in her career, just two away from tying Shelly Bowers (1991-95) for second and 13 from Cheryl Rath's (1985-89) all-time mark of 428. 

*Phoebe Sterba continued her strong play on offense since returning from injury, landing a season-best nine points, all from beyond-the-arc. The sophomore also collected four rebounds for the Red and Blue.

*While one may look at the box score and only see two points from senior captain Michelle Nwokedi, the true story runs deeper than just that. The Texan tallied 11 rebounds, dished out three assists, and swatted four blocks. Nwokedi now owns 273 blocks for her career. 

*Lauren Whitlatch added six points, all from 3-point land, pushing her career 3-point total to 129, eighth in program history. 

*The Quakers improve to 46-18 all-time against Columbia and have won 13-straight in the series. 

*Penn held the Ivy League's leading scorer, Camille Zimmerman, to a season-low nine points on 4-for-15 shooting from the field. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Unlike Friday's game vs. Cornell, it was a slow start for Penn as the Lions darted out to a 7-0 lead before Russell converted Penn's first points on an and-one play. With the score sitting at 10-3, the Quakers' intensity came to life, as Penn surged ahead on an 18-0 run, stemming into the second quarter of play. The run began on defense, as the Quakers were active in passing lanes and a force to be reckoned with in the paint, allowing zero breathing room for Columbia. The first period ended with strong plays from both Parker and Ross, who finished the opening 10 minutes with a buzzer-beating layup down the lane for Penn's first lead.

The Quakers carried over their momentum into the second period, holding the Lions scoreless until the 4:36 mark of the quarter, totaling over 10 minutes of game action without a point from Columbia. Penn found its groove on offense with Parker down low and on-target shots from deep. The Lions were able to come to life around the middle of the quarter, but Penn entered halftime ahead by 10.

The third quarter featured the best offense of the game from both squads, as each team heated up from the floor. At one point, there were five-straight possessions back-and-forth resulting in a 3-pointer, while the Quakers accumulated 15 points in the period from deep. Russell asserted herself with 10 points in the quarter alone. 

As the final period approached, Penn continued to apply pressure defensively, with the Lions finishing the game shooting just 31 percent from the field. Columbia matched Penn's mini 7-0 run from the third quarter with a similar one of its own, but it wasn't enough to upend the Quakers, who prevailed 70-51. 

QUOTING COACH
"I said to them today and in Friday's shootaround: Regardless of how we play, the standard is that the intensity has to be high on every play, and you saw the girls on the floor, any loose ball they were on it. Then to match that up with pretty good play, we got pretty good results"

WHAT'S NEXT?
With three league games under its belt, Penn will take a brief break from conference play to wrap up the non-conference, beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at Villanova, scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip.