HARTFORD, Conn. – After a 617-day hiatus from competition, the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season with an 85-42 victory at Hartford on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Quakers earned their third straight season-opening win under head coach Mike McLaughlin, who collected his 200th victory at the helm of the Penn program.
 
Notes
*Entering his 12th season, his 200th victory at Penn comes with a .619 winning percentage dating back to his first year in 2009. Over his past seven seasons, he has guided the Quakers to 20-plus win records.
 
*Penn tied a program record of 11 blocks in a game, registering 10 in the first half alone. Seven different players recorded a block led by senior Mia Lakstigala and junior Kayla Padilla with three each.
 
*With 54 first half points, the Quakers were three points shy of the program record of points in the opening 20 minutes. The mark was set on November 9, 2019 at The Palestra, scoring 57 points against Siena.
 
*Padilla led all scorers in the game with 22 points, the 13th time in her career she dropped 20-plus.
 
*Lakstigala put together 18 points for the game, 16 of which came in the first half. The 18 points ties a career high for the senior captain.

*Senior captain Kennedy Suttle went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor for eight points.
 
*Six Quakers competed in their first collegiate minutes, combining for 19 points. Sophomore Jordan Obi paced the new faces with 10 points in her first start.
 
How It Happened
Penn wasted no time finding the basket after the tip, with senior Nikola Kovacikova finding Padilla on the right wing for a three pointer in the first 11 seconds.
 

FIRST POINTS SINCE MARCH 7, 2020!

Padilla with ease from the right wing!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/3D0gcPmUt0

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) November 14, 2021

 
The Padilla long ball spurted a 16-0 run to start the game for the Quakers, including a pair of threes by Kovacikova and another by Lakstigala. Through the first 10 minutes, Penn bolted out to a 30-9 lead and never looked back. In that stretch, new faces earned their first points in the Red and Blue including Kovacikova, Obi and junior Sydnei Caldwell.
 

1Q 2:39 | Penn 23, Hartford 7

Sydnei Caldwell with her first points in a Quaker uniform!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/SHDHAh0EAr

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) November 14, 2021

 
The second quarter pushed another 24 points to the scoreboard with four more three pointers, as Padilla and Lakstigala remained hot from deep with two more each. With a 54-16 gap at the half, Lakstigala led all scorers with 16 behind an impressive 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Quakers forced the Hawks into 10 turnovers while registering 10 blocks.
 
It was a quick restart in the third quarter when Padilla found Obi diving to the rim for a strong right-handed layup. It was the start of another 24-point period for Penn that saw freshman Stina Almqvist join the scoring frenzy with her first collegiate three pointer from the left wing.
 
In the final quarter, the defense continued to hold strong, only giving up 13 points. Freshman Sima Visockaite secured her first block of her collegiate career, the 11th of the game for the Quakers to tie the program record.
 
Up Next
The Quakers return home for their next game, hosting Division III King's (Pa.) in The Palestra on Tuesday, November 16. Tip is set for 4 p.m.