PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team returned from a 20-day hiatus without competition on Thursday at The Palestra, putting together a well-rounded performance in an 89-29 victory over Division III Ursinus.
 
The Quakers move to 5-7 to wrap up 2021, while the Bears end the year at 2-7.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The 60-point victory was five points shy of the program record, setting it on December 31, 2014, with a 65-point win at home against King's College.
 
*Every Quaker scored in the game, totaling 13 different players with three points or more.
 
*Coming off the bench, freshman Lizzy Groetsch led all scorers with a career-high 11 points. It's her second game this season with double-digit points, scoring 10 against Villanova on November 22.
 
*Junior Mandy McGurk, on her birthday, dropped 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting to go with three assists, two rebounds, and a steal.
 
*Sophomore Jordan Obi added 10 points for her eighth game this season in double digits, going 4-for-5 from the floor with two threes.
 
*Senior captain Kennedy Suttle had a well-rounded performance in just 14 minutes of play, dropping eight points with five steals and four rebounds.
 
*The Quakers shots 54.9 percent from the floor, the highest shooting mark of the season. They also had 22 assists and 16 steals, both season-best marks.
 
How It Happened
Although there was no score on either side for almost three minutes into the game, the Quakers quickly eliminated any doubt with an 11-2 to lasted to the 3:52 mark of the first quarter. McGurk got the scoring started with a steal and a fastbreak layup. It was followed up with another steal by senior Nikola Kovacikova that translated to a Suttle jumper at the other end.
 
Suttle scored twice in the stretch, while Obi and junior Sydnei Caldwell capped it off to force the timeout.
 

1Q 3:39 | Penn 11, Ursinus 2

Obi knocks in a corner three, as the Quakers jump out early on the Bears!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/i7UDUB1ExG

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) December 30, 2021

 
The Bears scored one last time before the end of the quarter with 1:49 left, and it would play out to be the last time they'd score until the third.
 
Leading 18-5 through the first frame, the Quakers responded with a 23-0 second quarter to put the game away. In the quarter, Penn forced seven steals and pulled in 11 rebounds. Of the 11 turnovers by the Bears in the second, the Quakers converted 14 points including a steal by Caldwell that transitioned to Groetsch making an and-one finish.
 

2Q 3:40 | Penn 35, Ursinus 5

Caldwell to Groetsch in transition for an and-one!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/7KEaFnVtC2

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) December 30, 2021

 
By the 7:57 mark of the third, an Obi three-pointer pushed the lead to 50-5 to force the Bears to take a timeout. It proved beneficial when the Bears scored their first points in over 15 minutes off a three-pointer to end the Quakers' long scoring stretch of 39-straight points. The lead for Penn wouldn't change much, as freshman Marianna Papazoglou put the final touch on the third with a three-pointer.
 
The Quaker bench continued the success on the court in the final 10 minutes, building the largest lead of the game with 25 seconds remaining of 60. For the game, the bench contributed 52 of the 89 points.
 
Up Next
The Quakers hit the road to open Ivy League play for the first time since March 2020, traveling to Rhode Island on Sunday, January 2 to take on Brown. Tip is set for 2 p.m.