PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team looks to build on its 66-33 rout of Dartmouth with a pair of games at The Palestra, beginning on Friday, Feb. 7 against Columbia before wrapping up the weekend with against Cornell on Saturday, Feb. 8.

GAME 17 – PENN (11-5, 1-2 Ivy League) vs. COLUMBIA (11-6, 2-2 Ivy League)
Friday, Feb. 7 | 7 p.m.
The Palestra | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Penn Notes | Columbia Notes

GAME 18 – PENN (11-5, 1-2 Ivy League) vs. CORNELL (9-7, 2-2 Ivy League)
Saturday, Feb. 8 | 7 p.m.
The Palestra | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Cornell Notes

In the Series vs. Columbia: 68th Meeting
Penn leads the all-time series 49-18 and has dominated of late, capturing each of the last 16 meetings with the Lions. Last year, Penn completed the sweep, winning 72-60 in New York City before returning to The Palestra, where the Quakers earned a 79-56 win with five players in double figures.

In the Series vs. Cornell: 82nd Meeting
Penn has the upper hand over Cornell as well, going 60-21 against the Big Red in the program's history. At The Palestra, the Quakers have been even better, going 35-9 with the last loss at the Cathedral of College Basketball coming in 2015. Penn enters the weekend on a six-game win streak over Cornell, including last season's sweep, cruising to a 59-46 win behind Eleah Parker's 26-point, 12-rebound masterpiece, and a 69-58 win, thanks to a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double from Princess Aghayere.

Last Time Out: W, 66-33 at Dartmouth (Feb. 1, 2020)
  - Penn limited the Big Green to just four points in the second quarter, holding Dartmouth scoreless for 11:30 which allowed the Quakers to erupt for a 29-0 run to take control of the game.
  - Eleah Parker turned in her second double-double in three games with a 14-point, 16-rebound game as one of three in Red and Blue in double figures as Kayla Padilla and Phoebe Sterba each poured in 15.

MILESTONE WATCH
Mike McLaughlin
Head Coach Mike McLaughlin enters the weekend with 597 career wins, currently 19th among all active D-I head coaches. His win percentage of .766 ranks ninth among that same group.

Eleah Parker
After a dominant 14-point, 16-board performance in Penn's 66-33 rout of Dartmouth on Saturday, the junior big sits at 985 career points, only 15 points shy of becoming the 23rd player in program history to enter the 1,000 point club. Last weekend, Eleah Parker moved into third all-time with 197 career blocks.

Defensive Mentality
Penn ranks seventh in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 52.4 ppg through the first 16 games of the season. One key attribute to that number is the Red and Blue's ability to turn opponents over. The Quakers are 24th in the nation in turnover margin (+5.06) and have forced 20 or more turnovers five times this year, including 27 against Stetson, the most under McLaughlin. Teams are shooting just 33.7 percent against Penn, the eighth-best mark in the country.

Sharing, Not Careless
The Red and Blue has created a lot of its offensive production through its passing. Penn averages 16.3 assists per game, the 32nd-best total in the country and best among the Ivies. Conversely, the Quakers have turned the ball over just 12.0 times per game, t-12th in the country, leading to the 10th-best assist/TO ratio in the country (1.35). Kendall Grasela powers the motor in that respect, ranking fifth in the country in assist/TO ratio at 3.17 and averages 4.6 helpers per game.

Nationally, We Rank...
Seventh in scoring defense (52.4) ... Eighth in field-goal percentage defense (33.7) ... 10th in assist/TO ratio (1.35) ... 10th in fewest fouls per game (13.5) ... t-12th in fewest turnover per game (12.0) ... 21st in scoring margin (+15.8) ... 24th in turnover margin (+5.06).

Home Cookin'
Penn hasn't lost an Ivy League home game to a team other than Princeton since an 11-point loss to Cornell on Feb. 6, 2015.

Magic Number: 60
The statistic that may most indicate a Penn win or loss? 60 points. Penn has won 109 of its last 111 regular season games when scoring at least 60 points in regulation.

Scouting the Lions
Columbia sits at 11-6 overall and right in the middle of league with a 2-2 mark after splitting games with Cornell and then going 1-1 in its first Ivy weekend. The Lions began their league campaign with a 10-point win over the Big Red at home before falling in OT to Cornell a week later in Ithaca. Last weekend, Yale dropped the Lions by 25 but they rebounded with a 74-60 win over Brown. Abbey Hsu and Sienna Durr each average double figures, at 13.5 and 12.0 ppg, respectively, while also snatching more than 4.5 rpg.

Scouting the Big Red
Cornell is also 2-2 in league play, mirroring Columbia's results. In their first Ivy weekend, the Big Red began with an 11-point win over Brown and then led Yale into the latter stages of the game befor eventually falling 74-67 in Ithaca. Samantha Widmann and Laura Bagwell-Katalinich are the straws that stir the drink for the Big Red, both putting up over 14 ppg while corralling more than seven boads per game. 

Up Next
Penn hits the road for the Brown-Yale weekend, beginning on Friday in Providence.

#FightOnPenn