NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Toughness. That's what wins games on Saturday of an Ivy League weekend, and that's what the University of Pennsylvania (13-5, 4-1 Ivy) was against Yale as part of a 69-54 road win Saturday night. The Quakers pushed their winning streak to seven and kept pace on first place in the Ivy League with a 4-1 mark in the Ancient Eight. 

PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Penn featured a balanced attack on offense, posting three players in double figures led by 18 from senior captain Lauren Whitlatch. Whitlatch landed five 3-pointers, just one short of her career-high, and was hot in the second half with 12 points when Yale was on the attack to cut into the lead. 

*Anna Ross scored 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting while collecting five rebounds and six assists. Six of Ross' points came on a perfect night from deep, her most 3-pointers since hitting three in the season opener at Binghamton.

*Michelle Nwokedi was a force on the boards for the Quakers, corralling 11 rebounds including six offensive boards in clutch moments for Penn. The senior also tabbed eight points, while dishing three assists and swatting two blocks.

*Phoebe Sterba finished with a season-best 11 points, calmy posting a 4-for-5 night from the field including three 3-pointers from the wing. 

*Freshman Tori Crawford posted a standout performance with six points, playing aggressive on both ends of the floor for the Red and Blue. 

*The battle of the boards was a key to victory for Penn, as the Quakers outrebounded Yale 48-32. The Quakers recorded 28 second chance points in the victory. 

*Eleah Parker had a quieter night than normal on offense with six points, breaking a streak of 13-straight games in double figures with plenty of attention from Yale in the post. Parker was able to dish to an open Nwokedi and finished with two assists. 

*The 54 points from Yale is its second-lowest point production this season. Penn held the Bulldogs to just 20 points at halftime, their lowest first half production this year. 

*The Quakers finished with 10 3-pointers on the night, shooting 37 percent from behind-the-arc. Penn has hit 10 or more from deep seven times this season and is a perfect 7-0 when doing so. 

*Penn improves to 42-39 all-time against Yale and avenges a road loss to the Bulldogs from last season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was Yale who threw the first punch on Saturday, jumping out to a 4-0, then a 7-2 lead over the visiting Quakers. Penn stayed composed at the energetic road environment however, battling to tie the game at 7-7 and eventually surging ahead on a free-throw line jumper from Parker. Penn would continue to assert itself, notching a 7-0 run for a 16-11 lead and holding the Bulldogs without a field goal for the final 6:22 of the period. 

The second quarter saw the Quakers continue to expand their lead by virtue of scrappy play, finding the bottom of the basket on broken plays and scrambling to find every loose ball. With Ross and Parker both picking up two fouls, Penn found success in a lineup featuring Beth Brzozowski, Sterba, Kendall Grasela and Tori Crawford. Crawford's aggressive play kept Yale off kilter on defense, and Penn allowed zero rhythm for the Bulldogs, pushing Yale into another scoring drought of four-plus minutes to take a 23-15 advantage. While Yale had a chance to climb back in the game late in the half, Penn's ability to box out and leap for 50-50 balls kept the momentum in its corner, and the Quakers held 29-20 lead at the half. 

Penn immediately went to Ross in the corner for a 3-pointer to open the third quarter, setting the tone and quelling the Yale comeback. The Bulldogs were able to find slightly more consistency on offense, but couldn't stop the Quakers on offense who time and time again found a timely shot. When the Bulldogs cut the lead to single digits, Penn responded with back-to-back three's from Sterba and Whitlatch. Minutes later, Yale thought they found a key stop but Crawford converted the buzzer-beating layup instead, on none other than a second-chance opportunity. 

With a 12-point lead heading into the final quarter, Penn refused to let off the gas, soaring on offense to put the bow on a successful Ivy League road weekend. Penn's lead swelled all the way to 22 points after another deep shot from Whitlatch, and while Yale was able to chip away late, it was too little, too late for the Bulldogs. 

QUOTING COACH
"Loving the way we're playing, we're sharing the ball. We played 11 players in the first half, that's giving everyone a flow, everyone an opportunity ... I just think we're playing really, really well as a unit. There's periods we go through where we score in the post, and then we have possessions where we hit a bunch of three's. Sharing the ball, playing well together and just growing together. This team is getting better and better each day."

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Quakers return home for their lone home games in the month of February, hosting Dartmouth and Harvard. Penn will tip off against the Big Green on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. followed by another 7 p.m. tip against the Crimson the following day.