PHILADELPHIA – Surging on a five-game winning streak and in sole possession of second place, the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team returns to The Palestra this weekend to host Dartmouth on Friday, Feb. 21 and then Harvard on Saturday, Feb. 22.
GAME 21 – PENN (15-5, 5-2 Ivy League) vs. DARTMOUTH (8-13, 2-6 Ivy League)
Friday, Feb. 21 | 7 p.m.
The Palestra | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats
GAME 22 – PENN (15-5, 5-2 Ivy League) vs. HARVARD (14-7, 5-3 Ivy League)
Saturday, Feb. 22 | 7 p.m.
The Palestra | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats
In The Series vs. Dartmouth: 83rd Meeting
Penn trails overall but has been extremely dominant of late. The Big Green lead the series 43-39, but the Quakers have won the last 11 and 17 of the last 18 matchups and are 17-3 under Mike McLaughlin. Dartmouth's last win over Penn came in Hanover in February of 2014. The last time Penn dropped a game at The Palestra to the Big Green was back in in February of 2010.
The Road Matchup: Feb. 1, 2020 | Penn 66, Dartmouth 33
Penn controlled the first meeting from the jump and, behind a forceful 29-0 first-half run, took a 44-14 lead into the halftime break. In the second quarter, the Red and Blue outscored Dartmouth 23-4, the fewest Penn allowed in a quarter all season. Kayla Padilla and Phoebe Sterba each scored 15 points and Eleah Parker piled up 16 boards to go with her 14 points, her second double-double of the season and second in a six-game stretch in which she recorded four.
In The Series vs. Harvard: 87th Meeting
Despite trailing the Crimson by 18 wins in the all-time series (52-34), the Quakers have spent the last seven years digging into that deficit. Since the 2013-14 season, Penn has fallen to the Crimson just three times, while racking up 12 wins.
The Road Matchup: Jan. 31, 2020 | Harvard 58, Penn 51
Penn's loss to Harvard at the end of January kickstarted its five-game win streak that has the Quakers rolling. The difference in the game came in the second quarter when the Crimson held Penn to just two points to take a 32-13 halftime lead. The Quakers outscored Harvard by six points in each of the second-half quarters but could only get as close as five before eventually succumbing to a seven-point loss. Kayla Padilla scored 21 to lead Penn and Tori Crawford earned her first career double-double with a 10-point, 14-board game.
Catching The Games: ESPN+
Both games can be watched live on ESPN+. Saturday's matchup with Harvard will also be broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia+. Like always, in-game Twitter updates and video can be found at @PennWBB. A complete recap, box score and highlights will be on PennAthletics.com shortly after the conclusion of the game.
Last Time Out: W, 53-51 at Yale (Feb. 15, 2020)
- Penn erased a double-digit second-half deficit to come from behind and defeat Yale 53-51 in New Haven. The seniors carried the torch, especially in the second half with Sterba and Kendall Grasela each hitting five field goals and combining for 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
- Parker was terrific on the defensive end of the floor, altering shots and swatting away three attempts in addition to her seven points and seven rebounds. Tori Crawford was big on the glass as well, corralling 11 missed shots, including a missed free throw in the final three seconds to virtually ice the game.
Nationally, We Rank…
10th in fewest turnovers per game (11.8) … 11th in assist/TO ratio (1.31) … 12th in FG% defense (34.5) … 13th in scoring defense (54.4) … 20th in fewest fouls per game (14.2) … 21st in scoring margin (+14.5) … 23rd in turnover margin (+4.90).
Our RPI Climb
After a pair of victories last weekend, Penn continued its climb in the RPI to No. 61.
#FightOnPenn
