BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – Junior captain Kayla Padilla and senior Nikola Kovacikova combined for 41 points to guide the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team to a 63-46 road victory at St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday night.
 
The Quakers move to 3-0 for the season while the Terriers drop to 0-3.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*It's the second straight season the Quakers have started 3-0. They opened 2019-20 with victories over Siena (92-44), NJIT (85-51), and Iona (74-42).
 
*With its third straight game of scoring 60-plus points, the Quakers move to 116-2 when scoring 60-plus points in regulation for a regular season game.
 
*Padilla put together her second straight 20-plus point performance, dropping 23 with five three-pointers. She was one shy of her career high from deep, and the first to hit five threes in a game since Phoebe Sterba against Brown on February 29, 2020.
 
*Kovacikova was two points shy of a career high, knocking in 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, tying a career high with four threes. She dished out a season-best six assists, one shy of a career mark. The last time a Quaker had at least six assists was March 6, 2020 when Kendall Grasela registered nine at Cornell. Grasela is now an assistant coach on the Penn staff.
 
*Senior captain Kennedy Suttle notched her third career double-double, scoring 11 points to go with a career-high 17 rebounds. The last time a Quaker had at least 15 rebounds was on March 7, 2020 when Eleah Parker pulled in 19 at Columbia.
 
How It Happened
The Quakers scored the opening bucket of the game, the second time this season Padilla dropped in a three off the tip. As the first quarter began, the Terriers remained close, posting their only lead of the game at the 7:43 mark following a three and layup by Fruzsina Horvath.
 
Penn responded with a 9-0 run including five points by Kovacikova, taking the advantage that held the rest of the way.
 
With match 14-point quarters, the Quakers carried a 28-21 lead into the locker room led by Kovacikova with 10 points and Suttle defensively with nine rebounds.
 
Out of the break, the trio of Padilla, Suttle and Kovacikova took over the third quarter, scoring all 17 points. Padilla dropped in two more threes, Suttle maneuvered through the paint for six points and four more rebounds, and Kovacikova scored once but dished out three helpers to Suttle and Padilla.
 
In the final frame, Padilla answered back-to-back free throws by the Terriers with her fifth deep ball of the game to push the Quaker lead to 13 with 8:49 remaining. Down the stretch, Kovacikova drilled two three-pointers and Suttle pulled in her 17th rebound on an offensive board and put back to finish off her double-double with two seconds remaining. Suttle's final bucket secured the Quakers' largest lead of the game of 17 when the final horn sounded.
 
Up Next
The Quakers return to The Palestra for their first Big 5 matchup of the season on Monday, hosting Villanova for a 7 p.m. tip.