PHILADELPHIA – Having already punched its ticket to next weekend's Ivy League Tournament, the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team wraps up the regular season at Cornell on Friday, March 6 and at Columbia on Saturday, March 7.
GAME 26 – PENN (18-7, 8-4 Ivy League) at CORNELL (10-14, 3-9 Ivy League)
Friday, March 6 | 6 p.m.
Newman Arena at Bartels Hall | Ithaca, N.Y.
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats
GAME 27 – PENN (18-7, 8-4 Ivy League) at COLUMBIA (17-8, 8-4 Ivy League)
Saturday, March 7 | 5 p.m.
Levien Gymnasium | New York, N.Y.
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats
In The Series vs. Cornell: 83rd Meeting – Penn leads 61-21
The Quakers arrive in Ithaca on a seven-game winning streak against the Big Red, including another victory earlier this season. In his time at Penn, Mike McLaughlin is 14-7 against Cornell, but the Big Red have had success in Newman Arena, going 12-18 against the Red and Blue. Within Penn's current streak, six of them have been double-digit results.
The Home Matchup: Saturday, Feb. 8 | Penn 63, Cornell 41
At The Palestra, the Quakers hit Cornell with a flurry in the first quarter, scoring the game's first 12 points and opening up a 24-10 lead after the first 10 minutes. Phoebe Sterba ended with six made three pointers, just one shy of the program record and scored 22 points to go with seven rebounds. Tori Crawford was just a board away from a double-double with 10 points and Eleah Parker also finished in double figures with 13 points, eight rebounds and a game-high four blocks.
In The Series vs. Columbia: 69th Meeting – Penn leads 50-18
The Quakers also hold a dominant win streak over the Lions, capturing each of the last 17 meetings with Columbia and 13 by double digits. With just 18 total losses against Columbia, 14 of them have come at Levien Gymnasium, including Penn's latest falter against the Lions, a 61-54 defeat back in 2011. Under McLaughlin, the Quakers are 18-3 against Columbia.
The Home Matchup: Friday, Feb. 7 | Penn 86, Columbia 84 (OT)
Penn escaped with a thrilling victory at The Palestra against the Lions in early February. Both Eleah Parker and Kayla Padilla logged 42 minutes and each piled up 20-point games. Parker went for 28 and 13 rebounds in a vintage performance in the paint while Padilla, a freshman, scored eight of her 22 points in overtime to help seal the victory. Four Quakers finished in double figures as Tori Crawford scored 13 and Phoebe Sterba added 12 more.
Catching The Game: ESPN+
Both games can be watched live on ESPN+ as part of the Ivy League's partnership. 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: Sat. Feb. 29 | Penn 74, Brown 60
Eleah Parker put together another impressive performance last Saturday night, totaling 24 points and 14 rebounds on 11-for-15 shooting. Parker also made her presence felt on the defensive end, racking up four blocks. Kayla Padilla added 18 and Phoebe Sterba hit five threes on Senior Day to finish with 15 points.
State Of The Union: Ivy League Edition
Three of the four spots in next weekend's Ivy League Tournament are taken as Princeton, Penn and Columbia have all played their way into #IvyMadness. Yale holds the fourth spot with a two-game lead over fifth-place Harvard entering the final weekend. The Tigers have the No. 1 seed locked up while Penn and Columbia will likely play for the No. 2 seed on Saturday, although the Lions have a meeting with Princeton on Friday night.
Offensive Eruption
On average under McLaughlin, Penn reaches 80 points in a game 1.7 times per year. This season, the Quakers have eclipsed 80 points six times after outlasting Brown 85-73 on Friday. When reaching 80, Penn is 22-1 during McLaughlin's reign and 6-0 this year.
Defensive Mentality
Penn ranks 17th in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 55.1 ppg this season. One key attribute to that number is the Red and Blue's ability to turn opponents over. The Quakers are 32nd in the nation in turnover margin (+4.20) and have forced 20 or more turnovers five times this year, including 27 against Stetson, the most under McLaughlin. Teams are shooting just 34.3 percent against Penn, the 11th-best defensive mark in the country.
Phantastic Phoebe
Phoebe Sterba made 180 career three pointers, just 16 shy of the all-time program record.
#FightOnPenn
