PROVIDENCE – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team, behind a dominant 26-point, 17-rebound masterpiece from Eleah Parker, pulled away to an 85-73 defeat of Brown on Friday night.
In addition to Parker's fourth double-double in her last six games, Kennedy Suttle came off the bench for the second double-double of her career, recording 13 points and 10 boards, while Kayla Padilla went for another 18 points. Senior guard Kendall Grasela finished just a rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 11 points.
With the win, Mike McLaughlin becomes the 19th active D-I head coach to hit 600 career wins.
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Mike McLaughlin becomes the 19th active D-I head coach to hit 600 career wins.
*The win in Penn's fourth straight Ivy League win.
*Eleah Parker logged her fourth double-double in the last six games.
*Parker's 26 points finished just three points shy of her career high and her 17 rebounds matched her best.
*Parker also swatted away four shots, the sixth time this season she finished with at least four blocks.
*Kennedy Suttle completed her second double-double of her career, scoring 13 points to go with 10 rebounds. Her 13 points are a career high.
*Parker and Suttle's double-doubles mark the first time since March 16, 2019 that Penn had two players finish with double-doubles.
*Kendall Grasela corralled nine boards, one shy of her career high.
*Kayla Padilla finished with 18 points, the 15th time she's scored at least 15 points.
*When scoring 80 points in game, Penn is now 22-1 under McLaughlin and 6-0 this season.
*The Quakers ripped down 48 rebounds, moving to 136-30 under McLaughlin and 9-1 this season when outrebounding their opponents.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Eleah Parker started rolling early with a pair of buckets in the opening 3:03 and then, after Kayla Padilla raced down a fastbreak opportunity and swatted away the Bears' attempt, the freshman sprinted down the floor to hit a floater and put Penn up 8-4 with just under 6:30 to play in the opening quarter. Long jumpers from Brown's Justine Gaziano trimmed the Quakers' lead to 10-9 at the first media timeout, but Padilla sank all three of her free throws outside of the break.
Padilla eventually scored nine straight for Penn, adding a three-point play the old-fashioned way and then a pull-up three from straightaway. Kennedy Suttle entered the game and promptly knocked down a mid-range jumper and then converted a foul shot to open up a 22-15 lead with under two minutes left in the opening 10 minutes.
Brown scored the final four tallies of the first period and then the first nine of the second to steal the lead 28-22 with 6:48 left before half. Parker ended the 5:41 drought without a bucket when she banked in a lefty layup to cut the deficit in half. On the next possession, Phoebe Sterba drilled a three from the wing to trim it to one.
Trailing 35-30 with 4:05 before the half, the Quakers hit the Bears with a spearing 14-0 run to close the half, spurred on by Suttle's dirty work in the paint. Kendall Grasela hit a jumper to ignite the spurt, then Suttle corralled a miss and banked home the putback, plus the foul on the next possession. Sterba hit Parker with an entry pass leading to an easy bucket for the senior just before Suttle put together yet another three-point play when Sterba batted her the ball after a miss. In the final minute, Michae Jones drew a foul, made both shots at the charity stripe and then Padilla broke down her defender and surged past her for a layup in the final seconds, giving Penn a 44-35 advantage at half.
On the first defensive possession of the second half, Tori Crawford and Grasela trapped a Bear, forced a steal and two points for Crawford. Brown answered with nine consecutive points, though, cutting into Penn's double-digit lead and making it 46-44 with just under eight minutes left in the third. To halt the run, Parker made a free throw and then the junior whipped a pass out to Grasela for a long ball from the wing, pushing the advantage to 50-44.
The rest of the quarter, Parker continued feasting in the post. She scored seven of Penn's final 11 points in the third and the Quakers took a 63-57 lead into the final 10 minutes.
After Brown closed within one in the first minute of the fourth, Parker bullied her way for two more points, Padilla hit a jumper and then a three, Parker scored two more and Grasela knocked in a pair from the line for a quick 11-0 run to push it to 12 at the midway point of the fourth.
Down the stretch, Penn made good at the line and sealed its fourth straight Ivy League win, defeating Brown 85-73.
UP NEXT?
Penn travels to New Haven, Conn. to take on Yale on Saturday evening. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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