PHILADELPHIA – Kayla Padilla and Phoebe Sterba motored the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team to a 65-49 road win at La Salle on Wednesday night to stay unbeaten in Big 5 action.
Padilla piled up 24 points while Sterba added 22 more on 5-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc to propel the Quakers to their first 6-1 start in program history.
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Penn continued its best start in program history, improving to 6-1.
*The Quakers have now won five straight road games in the Big 5, a program record.
*Penn has won eight of its last 10 Big 5 games overall, the best stretch in program history.
*While Kennedy Suttle didn't score, she was huge in the rebounding department, grabbing 11 to match her career high.
*Kendall Grasela snatched a career-high nine rebounds, including three on the offensive glass.
*Tori Crawford also pulled down nine, also a career high.
*Kayla Padilla recorded the fourth 20-point game of her career, leading the team with 24. She's led the team in scoring five times this season and has hit the 20-point threshold in both of her Big 5 games.
*Phoebe Sterba drilled five threes, a season high, and was just one point from matching her career high that she set at Brown last year.
*When scoring at least 60 points, the Quakers are now 105-1 in their last 106 games.
*Penn is 93-5 under Mike McLaughlin when holding opponents under 50 points and Wednesday marked the fifth time it has done so this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn started slow, missing its first six shots to fall behind 7-0. To get on the board, Kayla Padilla dribbled into the lane and hit a soft runner late in the shot clock. After the freshman jumped a passing lane, she took it the length of the court for another bucket, trimming the deficit to three. The Quakers trailed 11-6 when Phoebe Sterba jumped into the fray; she knocked down a jumper and then slipped a pass to Eleah Parker for an easy layup to close within one. The Red and Blue continued the 8-0 run with another Padilla jumper and then a Tori Crawford layup off a Michae Jones pass.
With just six seconds remaining in the first, Padilla stepped into another jumper to take a 16-15 lead after 10 minutes.
After a La Salle three to open the second quarter, Penn blitzed the Explorers with a demoralizing 18-1 run. Padilla ignited the burst with a basket and then traded off multiple scores with Sterba. The senior sharpshooter drilled a three from the wing, Padilla raced away for a layup before connecting quick passes with Sterba as the senior hit another corner trey. The Explorers made a free throw but then Sterba answered with a nifty runner just before she and Padilla both connected on three-pointers. The latest three extended the lead to 34-19 at the midway point of the second. Down the stretch, La Salle managed the only five points as both teams went cold but trailed the Quakers 34-24 at half.
Padilla began the second half just as she finished the first by drilling another long ball. Back-to-back layups for Parker raised the lead to 17 at 41-24.
La Salle closed to 43-29 with just under six minutes to play in the third, but Sterba answered with her fourth from beyond the arc and then dribbled into a midrange jumper to make it 48-31 with 4:41 left.
With just over 1:30 left in the period, Sterba canned her fifth three as Penn led 53-39 after three quarters.
Crawford scored the Red and Blue's first four points of the fourth, including her first three of the season. The Explorers eventually clawed within 11 but Padilla countered with a three and then Crawford converted another layup to make it 62-49 with just over a minute remaining. Penn closed the game on the defensive end and at the foul line en route to a 65-49 victory.
UP NEXT?
Penn returns to The Palestra on Saturday, Dec. 7 to take on Stetson. Tip is scheduled for noon.
#FightOnPenn
