PHILADELPHIA - For the second-straight time against the Harvard Crimson, the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team played past regulation. This time, the Quakers finished on top.
In a game of roller coaster emotions, Penn hung on to defeat Harvard 75-70 in overtime inside The Palestra Friday night. The win pushes Penn to 19-5 overall and even with Princeton atop the Ivy League standings at 9-2 in conference play. The victory also clinches a spot in the 2019 Ivy League Tournament for the Quakers.
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*It must be something about playing against Harvard. In the second time in as many games this season against the Crimson, sophomore
Michae Jones posted a career performance, leading the team on Friday with 19 points, including 11 in the five minute overtime period.
*Jones went 13-of-15 from the free throw line, visiting the charity stripe 10 times in overtime after Penn surged out to a six-point lead. There, she went 9-of-10 in the extra period. Her 13 made free throws are the most by a Penn player since Jewel Clark hit 16 in November of 2002.
*Three others scored in double figures for Penn, including 15 from
Phoebe Sterba, 11 from
Ashley Russell and 10 from
Eleah Parker.
*Sterba was key for Penn late in the game, scoring 14 of her 15 points in either the second half or overtime. The junior buried three-straight 3-pointers in the third period to give Penn its largest lead of the night at 11. With her 4-of-10 mark from distance, she has now hit at least two 3-pointers in 18 games this season and at least three in 10.
*Conversely, all 11 of Russell's points came in the first half, helping guide Penn to a one point lead at the break. She finished with six rebounds in 34 minutes.
*With her 10 points on the night, Parker has now scored in double figures in 20-straight games. She flirted with a double-double, grabbing eight rebounds.
*The 53 rebounds by Penn is one shy of it season high, set in December against La Salle. The Quakers won the battle of the boards 53-42. Points in the paint went in favor of the Red and Blue, 32-16. Aghayere led the team with 10 rebounds to go with her eight points.
*The win was Penn's first overtime victory since Dec. 3, 2012 against Bucknell (58-53, OT). It was the first for Penn over an Ivy opponent since a 73-63 win at Dartmouth in 2012. Penn was previously 0-3 in overtime against the Crimson.
*Penn has now qualified for the Ivy League Tournament each of its first three years of existence.
*The win makes the all-time series between the two schools 51-33 in favor of the Crimson, though Penn has now won 11 of the last 13. The Quakers have not lost at home to Harvard since 2012, a streak of eight straight victories inside The Palestra.
*No Ivy League team other than Princeton has beaten Penn in The Palestra since Feb. 6, 2015.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Turnovers on each of the first two possessions spelled in inauspicious start for the Quakers, as Harvard surged out to a quick 6-0 lead under 90 seconds into the game. Penn would be unphased however, going inside to Parker and Aghayere before two straight runout opportunities from Russell put Penn on top 8-6, following an 8-0 run for the home team.
Play was sloppy on both sides, as each traded turnovers and free throw opportunities, but Harvard was better at making Penn pay for its mistakes, earning a 16-14 advantage after the first quarter. The teams combined for 15 turnovers in the first period of play, with Russell helping keep Penn close.
The second quarter saw key buckets from freshman
Mia Lakstigala who twice answered Harvard 3-pointers with makes of her own, drawing Penn within 25-24 after her second. A Harvard turnover and drive and finish from Russell would put Penn back on top at 26-25, as the Quakers' defense locked down.
In all, Penn held Harvard scoreless for nearly five minutes in the latter stages of the quarter, but the Quakers were unable to widen the gap. A make from Jadyn Bush made the lead just one for Penn at the break, 28-27.
The second half would begin with each team trading punches; Penn converting an old-fashioned 3-point play from Aghayere, Katie Benzan hitting a three of her own... Parker nailing a jumper, Bush converting from the free throw line.
It wasn't until the sparkplug, Jones, got an and-one opportunity of her own, that the Quakers began to pull away. The sophomore finished it, making it 35-32, followed make from both Parker and
Tori Crawford, giving Penn a 39-32 lead.
Harvard answered right back with a 3-pointer from Raster, but then it was Sterba's turn. Sterba hit 3-straight from distance on perfectly executed plays for Penn, with only two makes from the free throw line for Harvard sandwiched in between. A drive from Jones and a midrange jumper at the buzzer from Sterba helped maintain the double-digit advantage for Penn entering the break, at 52-42.
The fourth quarter was one to forget for Penn, as a Benzan three kickstarted the Crimson comeback. Penn was forced to rely on its defense with its offense sputtering out, only getting two free throws from Aghayere to make it 54-46.with 6:49 in regulation.
A fastbreak layup from Sydney Skinner followed by a three-ball from Nani Redford happened next for Harvard, and in the blink of an eye, it was down to a one possession game at 54-51. The score remained that way for nearly two minutes, as Penn was effective in forcing Harvard turnovers but ineffective in converting on the other end. Eventually, the dam broke, and Redford hit again from distance to even the score at 54-54.
In all, Penn went scoreless for over six minutes of play before Jones buried two free throws with 36 seconds to play, making it 56-54 Penn. Advancing the ball to its own half of the court, Harvard was forced to use most of the block due to stifling Penn defense, the Quakers playing their best possession when it mattered most. A missed layup from Bush and rebound for Aghayere and the ensuing foul had fans thinking the game was all but won for Penn, but Aghayere kept the door open, missing both from the charity stripe. The Crimson again advanced the ball, this time with only 5.6 left. The first shot from Harvard was an airball three, but Bush got the miss and the putback, tying the game 56-56. The Quakers got as good of a look as you can ask for with 0.6 left, but eventually settled for overtime.
There, Penn shook off the rust of the frustrating quarter, putting its energy into defense to force four-straight misses from Harvard to open overtime. The first points didn't come until the 3:13 mark with a finish off the glass for Jones, putting the Quakers back on top. A block on defense and strong rebound for Crawford gave the sophomore a trip to the free throw line, making one for a 59-56 lead.
A missed three from the Crimson gave Penn the ball right back, and it was Sterba again hitting from deep, igniting the Quakers with her fourth of the night for a six-point lead with 2:01 to play.
Two free throws from Benzan drew Harvard back within four, but it was a second-chance opportunity from Aghayere off the inbounds play, putting Penn back up six, this time with just 97 seconds to go.
Two misses from deep for Harvard and a foul on Jones after Penn collected the rebound gave Penn an eight point lead following two free throws, with 1:11 to play. Surely an eight point lead would be enough to breathe easy at that stage in the game, right?
Wrong. Two-straight 3-pointers from Skinner, sandwiched between two made free throws from Grasela, kept the Crimson around, drawing within 68-64.
From there, it was a free throw shooting contest. A make from Jones gave Penn a 69-64 lead, but the Quakers themselves were unable to play defense without fouling on the other end. On three separate occasions Harvard's Skinner got fouled and made both free throws, putting Penn on the line in a pressure-packed, one possession game with under 30 seconds left. Each time the Quakers found Jones in the backcourt who got fouled herself and calmly made each and every one, before time finally ran out on Harvard's hopes and Penn pulled out the win.
WHAT'S NEXT?
As always, a short turnaround faces the Quakers, as Penn hosts Dartmouth on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in The Palestra, following a Senior Night ceremony.
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