PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team withstood every challenge Columbia could muster in an 86-84 overtime victory over the Lions on Friday night at The Palestra.
On a night in which she became the 23rd player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, junior Eleah Parker was terrific, bullying her way to 28 points – one shy of her career high – and 13 rebounds for her third double-double in the last four games. Freshman Kayla Padilla piled up 22 points herself, including eight of Penn's 11 in the overtime period.
Tori Crawford enjoyed another quality performance as a starter, finishing double figures for the sixth time in the last nine games with 13 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. Senior Phoebe Sterba filled the stat sheet as well with 12 points, six boards and five assists as the fourth Quaker with at least 10 points.
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Eleah Parker became the 23rd player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark.
*Parker's double-double is her third in the last four games. She finished with 28 points, just one shy of her career high, and 13 rebounds.
*Kayla Padilla poured in more than 20 points for the 10th time this season, finishing with 22 points, including eight in the overtime period.
*Tori Crawford scored a career-high matching 13 points, including five straight at the end of the third quarter to break a tie.
*Michae Jones logged a staggering +/- of +18 in just under 25 points with eight points, a career-high tying six rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist.
*Penn won another Ivy League home game; it's been 1,873 days since its last loss to a member of the Ancient Eight that isn't Princeton, coming on Feb. 6, 2015 to Cornell.
*Penn placed four in double figures for the first time since Chaminade on Jan. 2.
*Two finished with at least 20 for the first time since La Salle on Dec. 4, 2019.
*When scoring 80 points or more in a game, the Quakers are now 21-1 under Coach Mike McLaughlin and 5-0 this season.
*For the first time since McLaughlin took over, Penn won when allowing more than 80 points, improving to 1-7.
*The Quakers have won 17 straight against Columbia.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Swift interior passing from Eleah Parker to Tori Crawford scored the Quakers' first points, coming in transition thanks to a steal on the defensive end by Kayla Padilla. Penn's next three buckets all came on midrange jumpers from Kendall Grasela, Padilla and then Parker. The Lions traded scores with the Quakers, though, until Padilla pushed the lead to three when her teardrop floated in off an inbound.
After an Emily Anderson free throw with 2:58 left in the opening period, the game remained tied for over a minute until Padilla curled around a screen and banked in a layup. With the final four points of the quarter, Columbia led 15-13 after 10 minutes.
To open the second period, Parker used a nifty spin to create separation and bank in the shot with her left hand to tie the game once more at 15-15. Michae Jones provided some energy off the bench in the early portion of the second quarter, swatting a shot on the defensive end before drawing a pair of fouls while aggressively driving to the rack. After Jones made two at the line, Phoebe Sterba recovered a loose ball and knocked down a jumper to push the lead to four with 6:28 left in the half. For its next two baskets, Parker carved out room on the block for a score and then Padilla took a kick from Jones to drill a corner three.
Two at the line for Sterba doubled the lead back to four just before the four-minute mark. Parker hit one at the line to push it to five, but Abbey Hsu responded with a three with 3:15 left. Parker once more stepped away from the paint and banked in a jumper; Penn created a turnover on the inbound and then capitalized with a three from Jones to widen the advantage to seven. Parker, who really asserted herself in the latter stages of the first half, hit on back-to-back possessions to balloon the lead to 10 but Hsu eventually cut it to eight at the halftime break, 37-29.
The Lions scored the first five points of the half and trimmed the deficit to two following a Parker score with another three from Hsu. Parker's basket with 7:31 remaining in the third served as her 14th and 15th points of the night, becoming the 23rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Her night was just getting started.
At the midway point of the third, Columbia leveled the score at 44-44, but a coast-to-coast score for Padilla and then a tough layup by Crawford off a brilliant entry pass from Sterba pushed the lead back to three, but only for so long. Another three from Hsu put the Lions ahead with 3:40 left in the third for the first time since the first period.
Penn, behind Crawford, instantly threw a counter punch. The junior scored the next five points of the game, banking home a pair of baskets and adding a point at the free throw line to rip the lead back from the Lions. Parker got fouled and then converted both at the charity stripe to finish the third with a 55-50 lead.
Columbia instantly locked the game up at 55-55 just 1:14 into the fourth and, with 4:50 to play, it was still tied, this time at 65-65 after a Sienna Durr three for the Lions. While down one, Sterba stepped back and hit a three then Parker got fouled on another made basket to give the Quakers a five-point cushion with just over three minutes to go. Columbia still didn't go away. The Lions still trailed by five with 1:20 left before hitting a three and then they tied the game at 75-75 with under 30 seconds to play to force overtime.
Down two at 77-75 with under three minutes left in the extra period, Padilla took over. She flaired off a screen and canned a three to snatch the lead back for the Quakers. Parker added two more points in the paint and then the freshman guard scored on back-to-back possessions to claw away to an 84-79 lead. Padilla scored eight of Penn's 11 points in overtime to seal the Quakers' 86-84 victory.
UP NEXT?
The Quakers are back at The Palestra on Saturday, Feb. 8 to host Cornell.
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