PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team stifled Iona on the defensive end en route to a 74-42 defeat of the Gaels for the Quakers' first 3-0 start in program history.
Four Quakers finished in double figures, led by Phoebe Sterba's 17 points thanks to 4-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Kennedy Suttle was terrific, logging her first career double-double in an 11-point, 11-rebound effort.
Also, for the second straight game, Kendall Grasela dished a career high in helpers, accounting for 10 of Penn's 23 assists.
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Penn improved to 3-0 for the first time in program history.
*In all three victories, the Quakers have won by more than 30 points.
*The Red and Blue has limited its opponents to 51 points or less in all three games this season.
*When allowing less than 50 points, Penn is now 89-5 under Coach Mike McLaughlin.
*The Quakers are 61-3 under McLaughlin when eclipsing the 70-point mark.
*For the second time in three games, four Quakers finished in double figures.
*Kendall Grasela set a career high in assists for the second straight game, tallying 10 after recording nine at NJIT on Wednesday. Grasela is the first to hit 10 assists in a game since Anna Ross against Rhode Island on Dec. 22, 2017.
*Kennedy Suttle went to work for her first career double-double, scoring a career-high 11 points to go with 11 boards. Suttle's double-double is Penn's first this season and first since Princess Aghayere finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds in last year's WNIT game against Providence.
*Phoebe Sterba drilled four threes for a game-high 17 points.
*Kayla Padilla has now scored at least 14 points in the first three games of her career.
*For the second straight game, Penn allowed just five points in a quarter. In three of the four quarters, Iona managed just 10 points or less.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 5-2, a bucket from Eleah Parker ignited an 11-0 Penn run that included a corner three from Phoebe Sterba, another score from Parker and baskets from Kennedy Suttle and Kayla Padilla. Iona cut the lead to 13-10 with just under two minutes left in the first, but another basket from Suttle and free throw from Padilla gave the Quakers a 16-10 lead through the first.
To open the second, Sterba drilled another long ball, this time from the wing to give Penn a 19-10 lead. With a stop on the other end, Suttle bullied her way into the paint for a hoop plus the harm. On the missed free throw, Mia Lakstigala snatched the board before Emily Anderson knocked down a mid-range jumper from the baseline, expanding the lead to 23-10 through the early part of the period.
Iona trimmed the deficit to 10, but the Quakers' press forced a turnover leading to an easy layup for Sterba from Padilla. On the ensuing defensive possession, Padilla rose up for the rebound and unleashed an outlet to Kendall Grasela for a transition layup to make it 27-13 just before the midway point of the quarter.
Penn continued to raise the intensity on the defensive end, epitomized by a sequence that resulted in Tori Crawford switched on a guard at the top of the key. Late in the shot clock, Crawford stepped out to block a shot and then forced another heave before a shot clock violation.
The Red and Blue held Iona to five points through the entire second quarter, the second time Penn has allowed just a handful in a period in the last two games. The Quakers' defensive prowess helped them race out to a 22-point halftime lead, buoyed by Sterba's third three of the game and nine points from Suttle, a career high.
Penn blew the game open out of the halftime break, scoring the half's first 11 points behind five from Parker and baskets from Padilla, Suttle and Grasela – who racked up a career-high 10 assists – to extend the lead to 48-15 just over two minutes into the second half.
Crawford put together another impressive sequence in the third, crashing the offensive glass for two rebounds and a put back plus the foul. After hitting the free throw, she raced out to a transition bucket on the next possession as Penn took a 60-33 lead into the fourth.
The Red and Blue went on another 11-2 burst through the first four minutes of the final period, highlighted by yet another long ball from Sterba. On that play, Grasela swung the ball to Padilla who, instead of taking a three, kept the ball moving to the corner to Sterba for a wide-open shot.
The Quakers closed out the win down the stretch, defeating Iona 74-42.
UP NEXT?
Penn opens Big 5 play on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Saint Joseph's. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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