PHILADELPHIA – Playing its last tune-up before the start of Ivy League play, the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team rolled past Gwynedd Mercy on Friday at The Palestra, 95-38.
 
Penn extended its win streak to six games—the last five of them coming at The Palestra—and improved to 7-5 overall. Gwynedd, an NCAA Division 3 program, fell to 7-6.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn played 17 players on Friday and 16 of them scored.
 
*The Quakers shot 54.2 percent from the floor (39-for-72) and cashed in on at least 25 points in three of the four frames.
 
*Four different players found double digits in scoring for the afternoon, led by junior Jordan Obi's 12. She added a game-high seven rebounds.
 
*Obi was joined by sophomores Stina Almqvist (11) and Iyanna Rogers (10) and senior Sydnei Caldwell (10) in double figures. Rogers, who missed her freshman season due to injury, registered her first 10 collegiate points in the game, going 5-for-8 from the floor.
 
*In just 19 minutes of play, senior captain Kayla Padilla was on pace for a triple-double, knocking in nine points all on threes to go with six rebounds and a game-high six assists.
 
*Penn forced the Griffins into 18 turnovers, converting them into 22 points.
 
*The Quakers did much of their work in the paint, scoring 58 points inside including 25 off transition.
 
How It Happened
Penn got out quickly on Friday, Padilla hitting a three-pointer on the Quakers' opening possession and then Toonders turning a Gwynedd turnover into another basket. GMU's Kelly Owens got the Griffins on the board with a trey shortly after that.
 
It was 8-5 when the Quakers blew it open. A Sawyer trey set Penn off on a 12-0 run that made the score 20-5 with 3:21 still to play in the first quarter. GMU scored the next six on triples from Owens and Cayla Sharkey, but Penn's lead was 27-13 after one.
 
Penn then scored nine of the first 11 points in the second quarter, upping the lead to 36-15, and Gwynedd Mercy got the margin below 20 just twice the rest of the half. The Red and Blue took a 45-22 lead into the locker room.
 

Sister ?? Sister

Sydnei Caldwell connects with Saniah Caldwell for the tough finish at the rim!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/zMC9uG0yUM

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) December 30, 2022

 
It took a while for things to get going in the third quarter, but once Penn got on the board the Quakers never looked back. It was 46-24 when the Red and Blue got their fast break going, scoring 10 points in less than two minutes to force a Gwynedd timeout. The lead continued to balloon until it was at 40 (68-28) and the third quarter ended with the Quakers in front, 70-33. In the frame, Rogers secured her first collegiate points.
 

It's been a long time coming! Iyanna Rogers missed last season due to injury, and she gets her first collegiate points today!

Oh, she scored on the next series too!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/rHh9kxz4Br

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) December 30, 2022

 
Penn opened the fourth quarter with the first nine points and cruised the rest of the way, getting production from six different players off the bench including seven from Almqvist and six from Rogers.
 
Up Next
Penn continues its homestand and gets into Ivy League play on Monday, hosting Brown at 2 p.m.