PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania raised its win streak to seven consecutive victories with a 70-48 defeat of Harvard on Saturday night at The Palestra. Freshman Kayla Padilla led all scorers with 23 points on six treys, just one shy of the program record. Four different Quakers finished in double figures as Tori Crawford, Eleah Parker and Phoebe Sterba each contributed 10.
Parker notched her fifth double-double in the last seven games with 10 boards to go along with her 10 points as Penn held Harvard to just 25 percent shooting.
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*The victory is Head Coach Mike McLaughlin's 100th Ivy League triumph.
*The Red and Blue is now 9-1 at The Palestra.
*Penn won its seventh straight game, the best run of the season.
*Penn's magic number is 60 and when the Quakers hit that offensively, they are now 113-2 in regular season contests under McLaughlin.
*The Quakers haven't lost to an Ivy League team at The Palestra other than Princeton since Feb. 6, 2015.
*When forcing at least 15 turnovers, Penn is now 11-3 this season after forcing 16 against the Crimson.
*The Quakers recorded 16 assists, their 10th game with at least 15 helpers.
*Penn shot 41.1 percent from the field, improving to 13-2 this season when hitting on at least 40 percent of its shots.
*Conversely, the Crimson shot just 25 percent from the field. Penn is 66-2 when limiting opponents to under 30 percent.
*When scoring at least 70 points, the Quakers are 69-4 under Mike McLaughlin and 10-1 this season.
*Kayla Padilla notched her 11th 20-point game of the season.
*Padilla made six three pointers, just one shy of the program record for threes in a game.
*Eleah Parker recorded her fifth double-double in the last seven games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn, with revenge on its mind, hit Harvard with a flurry in the opening four minutes, ripping off 12 consecutive points while keeping the Crimson scoreless for the opening 4:51. Kayla Padilla drilled a three on the Quakers' first possession and then Tori Crawford hit Eleah Parker with some nice high-low action for an easy layup for the center. To make it 7-0 in transition, Kendall Grasela unleashed a nasty euro step to get an open layup.
Padilla knocked in a pair at the line and then stepped beyond the arc for a three, capping the 12-0 start. Harvard got on the board with 5:09 remaining in the first quarter, but the Red and Blue immediately countered with a bucket from Parker and another three from Padilla. Sandwiching baskets from Sterba – which came off a brilliant back door pass from Parker – and Crawford, Padilla connected on her fourth three of the opening 10 minutes, opening the lead to 24-7. At the end of the quarter, Penn led 24-10.
Penn and Harvard traded three buckets apiece to open the second, two of them on the Quakers' side came from Parker as the Crimson stayed within 15 with 6:31 to play in the half. Harvard clawed as close as 10 on two occasions in the second quarter, but the second time was met with back-to-back treys from Padilla and Sterba, widening the Penn lead to 38-22 at the half.
Padilla scored the first three points of the second half, but in the non-traditional way. Bolting to the rim in transition, the freshman took the contact and banked home the layup for two plus the free throw. Crawford hooked in a right-handed shot pushing the difference over 20 at 43-22.
The next two minutes absolutely belonged to Emily Anderson. A nice left-handed catch and nifty footwork pushed the lead to 23. On the next possession, Padilla drew an extra defender and then slipped a pass to Anderson for two more. After Padilla missed a three, the senior crashed the offensive glass, grabbed the board and pocketed a pass to Grasela for a wide open two.
Down the stretch of the third, Crawford added four more three throws and the Quakers led 57-32 after 30 minutes.
Harvard put in the first four points of the fourth, but Sterba crushed the momentum with a three from the wing, her second of the night. Off an inbound pass, Padilla stepped out and hit her sixth from three, again raising the lead to 27 with 6:33 to play.
Harvard closed within 17, but never really threatened as the Quakers sealed a 70-48 victory.
UP NEXT?
Penn faces a quick turnaround on Tuesday, traveling to Jadwin Gym to play Princeton.
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