PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – A late-game scoring drought of over six minutes proved fatal as the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team fell to Villanova, 58-50, on Wednesday night at The Palestra. The loss snapped not only a five-game win streak overall, but also a program-record five consecutive triumphs in Big 5 play.
Eleah Parker was a terror all night inside for the Quakers, finishing with a career-high matching 25 points while corralling 17 boards, a new high. In two career games against the Wildcats, the sophomore is averaging 25 and 13. PhoebeSterba drilled four three pointers on the night, the ninth time this season she has converted at least two long balls in a game, to finish with 12 points and six rebounds, the only other Quaker in double figures.
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*The loss snaps Penn's five-game win streak.
*Penn held Villanova to only four points in the first quarter, their lowest of any period of play this season.
*Eleah Parker's 25-point, 17-rebound performance is her fourth double-double of the season. In her career, she is now averaging 25 and 13 against Villanova.
*The sophomore ranks second in the nation with 3.45 blocks per game, and swatted three more on Wednesday night.
*Princess Aghayere's three assists match a career high.
*Phoebe Sterba has now drilled at least two three-pointers in nine games this season, guiding the Quakers to a 7-2 record in those games. Sterba now has 13 made threes in the last three games.
*Penn entered the night with the fewest fouls committed in the country, and didn't allow Villanova a trip to the free throw line until just 9:03 remained in the contest.
*The Quakers are just 42-101 when scoring fewer than 60 points in the McLaughlin-era. In contrast, Penn is 91-1 in its last 92 regular season games when eclipsing 60.
*The loss snaps a program-record five-game win streak in Big 5 competition.
*Villanova leads the all-time series 43-3, avenging last season's Quaker win.
*Penn falls to 7-2 when outrebounding its opponent and entered Wednesday with an average margin of +8.3.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both offenses started slow, combining for just eight points on 4-of-19 shooting from the field through six minutes of action, but it was Penn who led 6-2 behind buckets from Eleah Parker, Ashley Russell and Princess Aghayere. After the first media timeout, though, Parker – who dominated Villanova for 25 points and nine boards in the meeting last season – banked home back-to-back scores and then Aghayere drilled a three from the wing to push the Quaker lead to 13-2 before the Wildcats managed a bucket in the final minute of the quarter. Penn, who ranks second nationally in scoring defense, held Villanova to 2-for-15 shooting from the field in the first 10 minutes, and just four points – its lowest total of the season.
The Wildcats opened the second period with a pair of long balls, sandwiching a three pointer from Phoeba Sterba, while Parker went back to work on the block. The sophomore hit a turnaround jumper and then laid one in to maintain an eight-point advantage. That edge grew to 11 thanks to another Sterba three, this time from the left corner. In Penn's most recent game, a 66-60 win over Princeton, Sterba, who was named USBWA National Player of the Week for her efforts, went 5-for-7 from long range for 21 points.
Villanova quickly countered with a 10-0 run to close within one, at 25-24, in the final 2:44 to finish the half. The late second-quarter Wildcat spurt was ignited by 4-for-7 shooting from deep after missing all eight attempts in the first 10 minutes; Villanova averages 9.4 made threes per game, the 16th-best figure in the country.
To begin the second half, Villanova took its first lead of the game, but less than 20 seconds later, Parker propelled Penn back ahead. From there, however, the Wildcats put together a 10-2 run – a 22-4 spurt in total, dating back to the first half – to grow their lead to seven, at 36-29 with 6:08 to play in the third.
After a Parker free throw, Sterba canned her third trey of the game, Parker ripped down a board on the defensive end and then banked in another layup to close the deficit to one. Mia Lakstigala grabbed the lead back for Penn after converting two free throws with 2:29 left in the third. To end the period, Penn finished on a 10-0 run, holding Villanova scoreless for 6:13, to take a 39-36 lead into the fourth.
Parker added two buckets to open the final quarter, but three consecutive Villanova threes put the Wildcats back ahead, 50-45 halfway through the fourth. The Quakers went over six minutes without a point, though, and ultimately fell 58-50.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Penn concludes Big 5 play at The Palestra, next Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. against Temple.
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