PHILADELPHIA – Fresh off a convincing 74-46 defeat of Hartford on Monday night, the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team dives back into college basketball's most storied tradition, making the short trip to La Salle to continue Big 5 play on Wednesday night. Tip at Tom Gola Arena is set for 7 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION: Penn (5-1, 0-0 Ivy League) at La Salle (6-2, 0-0 A-10)
Tom Gola Arena | Philadelphia, Pa. | 7 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
.Catching the Game: ESPN+
Friday's game can be watched live on 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 the game.
Last Time Out: W, 74-46 vs. Hartford (Dec. 2, 2019)
- Penn jumped all over the Hawks in the first quarter, outscoring Hartford 21-5 after 10 minutes. The Hawks' five points matched the fewest Penn has allowed in a quarter this season. After an even second period, the Quakers continued their third-quarter dominance to run out to a 24-6 run in the period.
- Penn forced 25 turnovers on Monday night, the most against a D-I opponent under Mike McLaughlin. Off of those turnovers, the Red and Blue scored 30 points compared to the Hawks' eight.
- Freshman Kayla Padilla recorded the third 20-point game of her six-game career to lead the way. Kennedy Suttle joined her in double figures with 11 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Defensive Mentality
Through six games, Penn has limited its opponents to 51 points or less in five of those contests and ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense at 49.0 points per game. In Monday's game against Hartford, the Quakers forced 25 turnovers, the most in a game against a D-I opponent under Coach Mike McLaughlin. Penn leads the Ivy League in turnover margin and ranks 26th nationally at 6.83 per game.
Sharing, Not Carless
The Red and Blue has created a lot of its offensive production through its passing. Penn averages 19.3 assists per game, the 11th-best total in the country and best among the Ivies. Conversely, the Quakers have turned the ball over just 13.0 times per game, tied for 30th in the country. Penn's turnover margin also ranks in the top 30 and the top two assist/TO ratio's in the Ancient Eight both belong to Quakers; Kendall Grasela leads at 3.1 and Kayla Padilla is second at 3.0.
Coach McLaughlin and the Big 5
In the 30 years of Big 5 play prior to Coach McLaughlin taking over at Penn, the Quakers had won a total of 14 Big 5 games. In his 10th season with the Red and Blue, he has surpassed that number himself, with 16 wins against his in-city rivals. He is the only coach in program history to win at least one game against every Big 5 school, and has helped lead Penn to its first two Big 5 championships in program history.
A Look Around The Big 5
Just two games into the Big 5 schedule, Penn sits alone at 1-0, having beaten Saint Joseph's, who is 1-1. The Hawks took down Temple earlier in the season as the Owls remain 0-1. The next 10 days will provide some more clarity as the Quakers travel to La Salle, Saint Joseph's plays at Villanova on Saturday and then the Wildcats travel to Temple on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Scouting the Explorers
Wednesday serves as La Salle's Big 5 opener, but the Explorers enters the midweek clash at 6-2, including wins over Ivy League foe Harvard 75-69 and against Penn State in a thrilling 69-67 victory. Two players are averaging double figures with Claire Jacobs leading the way at 11.3 ppg; Kayla Spruill averages 10.5 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
Against the Atlantic 10 Conference
Under Mike McLaughlin, Penn is 15-12 against the current members of the Atlantic 10, having already defeated Saint Joseph's earlier this season.
Up Next
Penn returns to The Palestra on Saturday, Dec. 7 to host Stetson at noon. After the meeting with the Hatters, though, the Quakers are off until Friday, Dec. 20 when they host Drexel at 11:30 a.m.
#FightOnPenn
