PHILADELPHIA - The grit, resiliency and fight were evident, but the University of Pennsylvania (6-5, 0-1 Ivy) women's basketball team was unable to get the run it needed to upend the visiting Princeton Tigers, ultimately falling 70-55 at The Palestra on Saturday. The loss is the Quakers' first to Princeton since March 10, 2015, breaking a five-game Penn winning streak.

PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Freshman Eleah Parker had a solid outing in her Ivy League debut, scoring in double-figures for the seventh-straight game, notching 14 points with seven rebounds.

*Senior captain Michelle Nwokedi narrowly missed out on a double-double with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while also dishing out three assists. Nwokedi now owns 1,270 points in her career, passing Natasha Rezek for seventh all-time in program history. 

*Anna Ross was formidable against the Tigers' pressure defense, assisting on seven baskets, while recording 11 points herself. Ross played 39 minutes and had zero turnovers. Ross now owns 402 assists in her career, just three behind third place all-time at Penn and 26 behind Cheryl Rath's first-place mark.

*Ross' control of the game was evident in Penn's turnover numbers, as the Quakers had a season-low nine miscues. 

*Lauren Whitlatch knocked down three 3-pointers for the fourth-straight contest, finishing with nine points. 

*Saturday's game marked the first time the Quakers have allowed 70+ points in an Ivy League contest since an 83-75 win against Brown on Feb. 14, 2015. 

*The Quakers outrebounded the Tigers 37-35, marking the first time this season that Penn has lost when winning the battle of the boards. 

*Penn shot just 33 percent from the floor, including a 6-for-20 mark from 3-point land. Princeton shot 47 percent from the floor, and went to the free throw line 16 times in the second half. 

*Bella Alarie paced the Tigers throughout, posting 18 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. 

*The loss for the Quakers marked their first Ivy League defeat in The Palestra since a 55-42 setback to No. 13 Princeton on March 10, 2015. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
After a slow start offensively that saw Princeton shoot out to a 7-2 lead, the Quakers countered with a 9-0 run with some varied scoring, getting baskets from Parker, Ross, Whitlatch and Nwokedi each. Each team then traded buckets for the remainder of the period, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Princeton's Gabrielle Rush to equalize the contest at 15-15 at the end of the first 10 minutes of action. 

The opening minutes of the second period again proved frustrating for the Red and Blue, as the Tigers surged out to a 16-6 run to open the quarter, behind three 3-pointers, including two more from Rush, giving the visitors a 10-point lead. The Quakers proved resilient in their response however, scoring the final seven points of the half while holding Princeton scoreless for the last three minutes and 36 seconds, forcing three-straight turnovers. Parker nailed a wide-open layup from Nwokedi to end the half on a positive note for the home team.

Penn was unable to hold onto the momentum coming back from the locker room, as the Tigers began to seize control from the free throw line, hitting five straight from the charity stripe following a layup from Leslie Robinson to open the half. The Quakers kept the deficit within single-digit range the entire third period, getting as close as four, but Princeton countered each Penn spurt with one of their own, keeping the Quakers at arms length.

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter for the Quakers, who entered the period down six. The Tigers quickly scored the first four points of the final 10 minutes before Katie Kinum knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to seven. Again, Princeton responded, time and time again, before ultimately going on a 9-0 run late in the game to ice the victory. 

QUOTING COACH
"Hats off to Princeton. We'll learn from this one. We'll be back at it on Monday and Tuesday to get ready for next weekend."

WHAT'S NEXT?
The familiar Friday/Saturday Ivy League format awaits the Quakers next, as Penn will stay home at The Palestra to face a pair of New York foes in Columbia and Cornell, first battling the Big Red on Friday, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m., before tipping off against the Lions the following day at 4:30 p.m.