PHILADELPHIA - And just like that, it's time for conference play. The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team will commence their journey through the Ivy League gauntlet on Saturday, Jan. 5 with a short trip to Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., with the men's teams set to play directly after.

In the Series vs. Princeton: 87th Meeting
Saturday's meeting marks the 87th all-time between the two schools, with Princeton holding a 57-29 advantage. The Tigers triumphed in all three meetings against the Quakers last season, including a win in the Ivy League Tournament Championship to claim the conference title. The last five meetings between Penn and Princeton are split evenly at 5-5. Penn and Princeton have combined to win the last nine Ivy League championships. 

Catching the Game: NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus/ESPN+
Saturday's game can be watched both on TV and online. Regional viewers can tune in on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, while elsewhere you can watch on ESPN+, part of the Ivy League's new partnership with ESPN. In-game Twitter updates and video can be found at @PennWBB. A complete recap, box score and highlights can be found on PennAthletics.com shortly after the conclusion of both games.

Last Time Out: W, 75-53 at Stetson (Dec. 31, 2018)
   -  The Quakers capped the calendar year of 2018 with a strong showing in Florida, dismantling the Hatters behind a 29-point performance in the second quarter.
   -   Ashley Russell led a group of four players in double-digit scoring, with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, four steals and two blocks.

Scouting the Tigers
It's been a tale of two halves of the season for Princeton, as the Tigers began the year 1-7 without defending Ivy League Player of the Year, Bella Alarie, but since her return from injury have rattled off seven-straight victories to sit at 8-7. In her six games of action, Alarie leads the team averaging over 19 points and eight rebounds per game, swatting nearly four blocks each time out. Carlie Littlefield, Gabrielle Rush and Taylor Baur all average over 10 points per game. 

Ivy Openers
The Quakers are 2-7 in Ivy League openers under head coach Mike McLaughlin, all against Princeton. 

#RoadToIvyMadness
The Ivy League is in its third season with a conference tournament, inviting the regular season's top-four finishers to Ivy Madness. The Quakers have advanced to the championship game in each of the first two editions of the competition, winning the trophy in 2017 at The Palestra. This season, Ivy Madness is set for March 16-17, 2019 at Yale's John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn. 

All About the Defense
Penn's calling card this season has undoubtedly been defense, as the Quakers rank third nationally, allowing just 49.0 points per game. In games against Maine, La Salle, Iona and Drexel, Penn held held four-straight opponents to 47 points or less for the first time since 1975. 

Penn has won 63 of its last 64 games when holding opponents to 49-points or less.

Player of the Week Parker
Reigning Ivy League and Big 5 Rookie of the Year Eleah Parker has, not surprisingly, been a key cog for the Quakers on offense. With one Player of the Week honor under her belt following Penn's victory at Drexel, Parker leads the team in both points (13.2) and rebounds (8.3), and ranks second nationally, averaging 3.3 blocks per game. She also sits second in the Ivy League with a field goal percentage of just over 49 percent. 

Brick Wall
Opponents have faced a tough task when going inside to face Parker, as the sophomore ranks second nationally, averaging 3.3 blocks per game. Her 33 blocks so far this season individually would rank her over 112 TEAMS in block totals.

Not Your Typical Guard
Senior captain Ashley Russell has been known for her tenacity on the court throughout her time with the Quakers, but as the veteran starter on the court for Penn, she has ratcheted up the intensity even more this season. She ranks second on the team in rebounding, averaging 7.4 boards per game, despite only measuring 5-10. Earlier this year, Russell collected a career-high 12 rebounds against Maine.

Russell has already been named Big 5 Player of the Week twice this year, most recently following an impressive 23 point, nine rebound, eight assist, four steal and two block performance against Stetson. 

Grasela Shines Under Bright Lights
In just her second-career start at #1/1 Notre Dame earlier this year, Kendall Grasela featured a standout performance, playing 37 minutes and scoring a career-high 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Her previous career best was three. 

She's followed that up with another 10-point outing at Stetson, hitting a career-best two 3-pointers. She ranks second on the team, averaging 3.1 assists per game. 

Hot Shooting Sterba
Junior Phoebe Sterba was certainly a bright spot for the Quakers in their season opener at Siena. The Cleveland native went for a career-high 16 points in 30 minutes of action, pacing Penn with four makes from 3-point land. Her 19 made three's lead the team. 

Ivy League Success 
Last season marked the fifth-straight year that Penn won 11 or more Ivy League games. Prior to that, Penn had won 11 or more Ivy League games only twice in its entire history.

Up Next...
Penn will have three home games upcoming to round out its non-conference slate of action, beginning with a midweek tilt against Villanova on Wednesday, Jan. 16.