PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team hosted Harvard on Saturday at The Palestra, slipping in the fourth quarter to a 70-63 decision.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn led for 33:43 in the game. The Crimson's only lead started with 4:52 remaining in the game.
 
*Junior captain Kayla Padilla led all scorers with 20 points on 9-for-20 shooting, while dishing out a game-high five assists. It's her sixth game this season with 20-plus points.
 
*Sophomore Jordan Obi added 17 points, shooting 64 percent from the floor.
 
*Senior captain Kennedy Suttle was just shy of her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and nine rebounds. She added a team-high four steals, team-high two blocks, and four assists.
 
*Senior captain Mia Lakstigala chipped in 13 points, including three from beyond the arc. She added five rebounds, three steals, three assists, and a block.
 
How It Happened
On Wednesday at Columbia, Lakstigala scored the first 12 points for the Quakers. On Saturday, Padilla kept the trend alive, scoring the first 11 points in the game for Penn to guide the team to a quick 11-4 lead midway through the first quarter.
 

1Q 6:30 | Penn 9, Harvard 2

I'd say she's heating up ???? Kayla Padilla with all nine points for the Quakers early against the Crimson! #FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/hN24Chnx4b

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) January 29, 2022

The first 10 minutes was capped off with a connection between Lakstigala and Obi to take the Quakers into the break up seven, 13-6.
 
The second remained close, but Penn never let the lead slip away, continuing to connect in key moments including a great backdoor cut by Lakstigala that Obi slipped a tight pass on to push the Quakers back out front by seven, 20-13.

2Q 7:55 | Penn 20, Harvard 13

Thread the needle! Jordan Obi finds Mia Lakstigala on a backdoor cut through a small window!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/mazIaD2gft

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) January 29, 2022

 
By the midway mark of the second, Penn built up a 26-21 lead due to Obi heating up, cashing in on nine points off 4-for-6 shooting. By the half, the five-point advantage held strong after Suttle dropped in a mid-range jumper to take a 33-28 lead into the locker room.
 
A quick start by the Quakers in the third forced the Crimson to take a timeout just 45 seconds into the restart. Suttle powered in a layup for the first bucket before Padilla dished off an extra pass to Obi for an inside finish.
 

Backdoor cut then the extra pass! Padilla finds Obi to force an early timeout for Harvard to start the second half! Quakers up nine!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/LTywXCOnst

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) January 29, 2022

The first double-digit lead of the game hit at the 7:28 mark when Suttle toughed her way into the paint for an and-one finish to give Penn a 40-28 lead. The advantage remained in double figures, eventually reaching the largest spread by 2:23 when Lakstigala popped a three-pointer from the corner to put Penn up 13.
 
As the fourth quarter turned over, Harvard began to chip away at its deficit. A 13-2 run through the mid-part of the final frame gave the Crimson their first lead of the game, going up four with 3:35 remaining. A Padilla layup halted the stretch, but Harvard responded again with six more points. Lakstigala cut it off again with her third three of the game with 1:29 left, however, the gap couldn't be closed with successful trips to the free throw line by the Crimson.
 
Up Next
The Quakers cap off their three-game home stand next weekend, hosting Columbia (Friday) and Cornell (Saturday). The matchup against the Lions tips at 6 p.m., in The Palestra.