SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – A career day for freshman Simone Sawyer was spoiled by a second-half comeback by the University of San Francisco on Monday afternoon, as the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team fell to the Dons, 73-65, in the first game in the Golden State.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Sawyer led the offense with a career-high 18 points, shooting 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. She ties the freshman program record for threes in a single game, a mark set by teammate Kayla Padilla back in her rookie season. Among all players in program history, the six threes are the sixth most in a single game.
 
*Padilla was the other Quaker with double-digit scoring, knocking in 14 points while adding six rebounds and two assists.
 
*Jordan Obi nearly had a double-double for the day, registering nine points and eight rebounds.
 
*Mandy McGurk facilitated the offense with a team-high five assists to go with six points.
 
*Penn shots 47.1 percent from beyond the arc in the first half with eight three-pointers, while the Dons went 3-for-10 for 30 percent. The stat swapped in the second half, with Penn shooting 22.2 percent and USF at 53.3 percent.
 
How It Happened
The Dons jumped out to an early lead in the game, 11-3, through the first three minutes, but Penn worked its way back before the end of the first. Following a Quaker timeout, the Red and Blue hit an 11-6 run to close the gap to three and carried a 19-15 deficit into the second frame. In that stretch, the Quakers hit three from beyond the arc from Padilla, Sawyer, and Sydnei Caldwell.

1Q 4:45 | USF 14, Penn 11

Quakers have cut the deficit to three after this Sydnei Caldwell three ball thanks to a tough offensive rebound by Silke Milliman!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/YpJ3xx7rfr

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) November 21, 2022

 
Penn kept heating up when the second quarter started up, 22-4 run over the course of eight minutes to push out in front by 14, the largest lead of the game. Scoring came for five different Quakers led by Sawyer with three more from beyond the arc on 3-for-4 shooting.
 
At the half, the Quakers shot 8-for-17 from deep, knocking in four in each quarter. With a 37-27 lead at the half, Penn had 18 points come from the bench, including 12 by Sawyer.
 
A slow start out of the half for the Quakers was answered with the first three points coming from the Dons. However, Sawyer picked up right where she left off with back-to-back threes in the third to push Penn back out to a 13-point advantage, 43-30 by the 4:35 mark.

3Q 6:55 | Penn 40, USF 30

If you were wondering if Simone cooled off during the break, she didn't. That's her fifth from beyond the arc!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/ZjmlLbtZQV

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) November 21, 2022

 
The Dons didn't go away. For the rest of the quarter, they chipped away at the deficit to eventually draw the score even with 1:45 left in the frame, then carry a one-point lead into the fourth. It could have been three, but Padilla cut the run with a pull-up jumper in the closing seconds.
 
Penn remained in striking distance throughout the entirety of the fourth, getting as close as two points multiple times, but USF held onto the lead the rest of the way. With 1:43 remaining, Obi followed up two free throws with a three from the right wing to get Penn within three. However, the Dons responded with three more free throws and a layup on a late shot clock to seal the decision.
 
Up Next
The Quakers stick around in California for one more before the Thanksgiving break, traveling south to Los Angeles for a clash with USC on Wednesday. Start time is set for 5 p.m., EST.