PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team opened Big 5 play on Tuesday night at Hagan Arena, falling short in a late comeback to Saint Joseph's, 57-50.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Junior Jordan Obi led the offense with 17 points, including a career-high five three-pointers. She added a game-high eight rebounds in her team-leading 38 minutes of play.
 
*Sophomore Stina Almqvist had a consistent game, shooting 5-for-7 from the floor for 11 points.
 
*Junior Floor Toonders registered a well-rounded stat line, recording nine points, seven rebounds, a block, and a steal.
 
*Senior Sydnei Caldwell gave solid defensive minutes off the bench, tying a career high with a game-high four steals. The last time she had four was during her Arizona State days, securing four against UCLA in December 2020.
 
*Freshman Simone Sawyer put her first collegiate points of her career on the scoreboard Tuesday night. She made a drive across the baseline for a layup and followed it on the next possession with a three from the right wing for a five-point night.
 
*Senior captains Mandy McGurk and Kayla Padilla combined for 11 assists in the outing. McGurk had six, tying a career high that she set last year against Memphis.
 
*The Quakers shot 35.1 percent from the floor but improved with a fourth quarter of 43.75 percent (7-for-16).
 
*The Penn defense forced the Hawks into 15 turnovers, translating into eight points for the Quakers. It's back-to-back games for SJU with double-digit turnovers, recording 19 last Friday against Yale.
 
How It Happened
Although no scoring by either team in the first three minutes, it was the Quakers that caught the early lead off a layup by Toonders and a turnaround jumper by Almqvist to take a 4-0 advantage. However, the Hawks responded with four straight as well.
 
That was the epitome of the first quarter, a lot of back-and-forth baskets that concluded with a 13-13 draw through 15 minutes. In that time, Obi heated up with her first two three-pointers of the night.
 
The second frame opened with a three by the Hawks, giving them a lead that would remain the rest of the way although the Quakers were in it until the final horn. The second was the lowest scoring period for both teams, totaling 22 points. Toonders controlled much of the scoring for Penn, dropping in five points. Then, Obi capped off the half with a buzzer beater three on the right wing to cut the deficit to two, 25-23.
 

HALF | SJU 25, Penn 23

Trail by two, but could have been five if it wasn't for this beaut of a buzzer beater by Jordan Obi!

She leads the Quakers with nine points, all off threes.#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/kVDNcwboYX

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) November 16, 2022

 
Almqvist went neck-and-neck with the Hawks in the restart, scoring five points around six by SJU. Obi joined the offensive push at the 7:05 mark, drilling her fourth three of the game, marking the most of her career in a single game to put Penn within three, 34-31.
 
As the third progressed, the Hawks separated the game to 12 by the end of the frame, and 14 at the start of the fourth for their largest lead of the game. However, the Quakers didn't go away down the stretch. Over the course of eight minutes, Penn went on a 16-5 run to get within three with 59 seconds left in regulation.
 
Almqvist kicked off the run with a drive down the lane before Sawyer knocked in five-straight points on a layup and three-pointer.
 

Let's make it five points in a row for the freshman! Simone Sawyer is heating up!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/KHPwa9br2P

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) November 16, 2022

 
Obi followed a Hawk three-pointer with a drive in the paint for a strong right hook shot then nailed her fifth and final three of the game. SJU would score again to slow down the Quaker momentum, but a transition connection between McGurk and Toonders put Penn within five, then later a hook shot by Almqvist gave the Quakers a one-basket difference in the closing minute, 53-50.
 

4Q 1:00 | SJU 53, Penn 50

Stina Almqvist goes iso against the Hawk defender and makes it count! Hawks timeout, Penn down three!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/SlRfNpgkLU

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) November 16, 2022

 
Needing a stop on the other end, Penn pushed the Hawks down to the final seconds on the shot clock. However, their leading scorer, Talya Brugler backed her way into the paint for a finish on the right side for the five-point advantage with 31 seconds left to hold off the Penn comeback.
 
Up Next
The Quakers come back to The Palestra on Thursday for their home opener, hosting No. 24 Villanova for another Big 5 matchup. Start time is set for 7 p.m.