PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team wraps up Big 5 competition on Sunday with a clash against Temple in The Palestra. Tip is set for noon.
 
GAME 10: PENN (5-5) vs TEMPLE (4-5)
Sunday, December 11, 2022 | 12:00 PM
Philadelphia, Pa. | The Palestra
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The Series With Temple
The Quakers are meeting the Owls for the 52nd time in program history, as Temple holds a 36-15 lead in the series. Of the 15 wins for Penn, nine have been in The Palestra, including the last time the two squads played in it in January 2019. The Quakers won that matchup, 71-62, behind Ashley Russell's 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Eleah Parkers 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. The last 10 matchups are an event split, 5-5.
 
Last Time We Met
Sunday's matchup is the first since before the pandemic, as the teams battled at Temple on January 2020. The Owls earned a close 76-72 decision, making a late 17-3 run in the fourth to overcome Penn's 13-point lead. Parker secured a double-double in the game for the second-straight year with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Kendall Grasela scored a career-high 15 points at that point in her career off 5-for-8 shooting.
 
About the Owls
Temple enters the game with a 4-5 record, winning its past two games at the Liacouras Center over UMBC (68-53) and La Salle (70-56). Beyond familiar foes in the Big 5, the Owls have also clashed with Bucknell back on November 27, taking a 77-62 win in Lewisburg. Penn topped the Bison in overtime last week, 68-62. Temple averages 66.4 points per game, shooting at a .394 clip. With four players averaging double-figures, Aleah Nelson leads the way at 14.9 per game while shooting .404.
 
Eyes On A Milestone
Senior captain Kayla Padilla, currently averaging 14.4 points per game to lead the team, is just 15 points away from hitting the 1,000-point milestone. She has scored 985 points in 57 games, all of which she has started, shooting .399 from the floor and .367 from deep. If she can reach the milestone prior to game 60, she would be the fastest under head coach Mike McLaughlin, third fastest in program history, only behind Diana Caramanico (48 games) and Mandy West (52).
 
A Look Ahead
The Quakers get a well-deserved break following the Temple game with their next contest set for Friday, December 30 against Gwynedd Mercy. The new year will kickoff Ivy League play, hosting Brown on January 2.