PHILADELPHIA — After taking the crown in the inaugural Ivy League Tournament a year ago, the University of Pennsylvania (21-8, 11-3 Ivy) women's basketball team came short of making it two in a row, falling to top-seeded Princeton (24-5, 12-2) in the title game, 63-34.
 
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Michelle Nwokedi led the Quakers with 13 points and eight rebounds. Nwokedi was named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
*Anna Ross added a well-rounded effort, with six points, three boards, and three assists.
 
*Ross' three assists put her season total at 142, surpassing the program record of 141 set by Cheryl Rath in 1986-87.
 
*Ross also extended her program record with 118 career starts, two past the previous mark set by Alyssa Baron.
 
*Katie Kinum put in a strong effort off the bench for the Red and Blue, scoring nine points, good for second-most on the team.
 
*Penn won the turnover battle, 9-6, and made the most of it, converting them into 13 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Tigers staked themselves to an 8-0 early lead, Nwokedi got Penn on the board with a trey just over four minutes into the game. The Red and Blue were confronted with a barrage of early threes from their rivals, as the Tigers went 4-for-7 from range in the opening period and held a 19-3 advantage after one.
 
The Quakers were able to get a little momentum going in the second quarter, stringing together a 7-0 run and holding Princeton without a field goal for nearly four minutes. Penn was able to keep the influence flowing, but the Tigers responded shot-for-shot and took a 35-16 lead into the break.
 
Play slowed up in the third as both teams took trips to the line. Princeton maintained its advantage with success at the stripe, but it was the Quakers who got a little momentum late in the period as Ross sank a pair of free throws followed by an old-fashioned three-point play from Kinum. Tori Crawford made it a 7-0 run for the Red and Blue with two more at the line, although Princeton took a 55-27 lead into the final frame.
 
Ross kept the fight alive with an early layup, and Kinum followed with a trey to begin chipping away. Penn wasn't able to string enough together, however. Although they shaved points off the lead throughout the quarter, it wasn't enough as the Tigers denied the Quakers their fourth Ivy title in five years, 63-34.