PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team hosts Columbia and Cornell for a pair of Ivy League battles this weekend in The Palestra.   
 
GAME 19 – PENN (7-11, 2-4 Ivy) vs COLUMBIA (15-3, 6-0 Ivy)
Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 | 6 p.m.
The Palestra | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch on ESPN+ ($) | International Steam | Live Stats | Spectator Guidelines
Penn Game Notes | Columbia Game Notes
 
GAME 20 – PENN (7-11, 2-4 Ivy) vs CORNELL (7-10, 2-4 Ivy)
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022 | 4 p.m.
The Palestra | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch on ESPN+ ($) | International Steam | Live Stats | Spectator Guidelines
Penn Game Notes | Cornell Game Notes
 
Penn-Columbia Series
Penn and Columbia are meeting for the 71st time in program history, with the Quakers owning a 51-19 lead in the series. Entering this season, Penn was riding an 18-game win streak against the Lions, however, Columbia snapped the streak in the first outing this season, 61-56. In the Mike McLaughlin era, Penn sports a 19-4 record, while the Quakers are 30-4 all-time against the Lions in the Palestra.
 
Last Time We Met
This is the second time the two squads are facing in a 10-day stretch, as Penn dropped the road tilt last Wednesday. Senior Mia Lakstigala tied a career high with 18 points to lead the Quakers, including scoring all 12 of Penn's points in the first quarter. The Lions' Abbey Hsu led all scorers with 22 points, playing all 40 minutes of the game. Kaitlyn Davis added a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
 
About Columbia
The Lions enter Friday riding a seven-game win streak, including a 6-0 start in Ivy play. Last weekend kicked off a four-game road trip, topping Dartmouth in New Hampshire, 65-46. Davis and Hsu combined for 37 points in the victory, as the Lions used a 27-point third quarter to cruise to the final horn. Hsu currently ranks second in the Ivy League in scoring with 16.9 points per game, while ranking third in the nation in three-point field goals made per game at 3.50. Davis ranks sixth in the conference in scoring at 13.8 points per game while sitting third in rebounds at 9.2. She is a four-time Ivy League Player of the Week, earning her fourth this past Monday.
 
Penn-Cornell Series
Penn and Cornell are meeting for the 84th time in program history, with the Quakers maintaining a 62-21 lead in the series. The Quakers are entering the game with an eight-game win streak that dates to February 2017. Penn also sports a 36-9 all-time record against the Big Read in The Palestra, including victories in the last five games.
 
Last Time We Met
This is the first meeting since the pandemic started, last playing each other on March 6, 2020, in Ithaca. The Quakers came away with a 67-46 victory behind great performances by Eleah Parker, Kayla Padilla, and Kendall Grasela. Parker and Padilla each scored 16 points, while Grasela stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, nine assists, seven steals, four rebounds, and a block. Penn won the points-off-turnovers category with a 20-0 advantage. The Quakers moved to 16-2 that season when winning that category.
 
About Cornell
The Big Red enter the weekend with a 7-10 record, 2-4 in Ivy play. They start their trip off on Friday at Princeton before taking on the Quakers on Saturday afternoon. Cornell is coming off its second Ivy victory last Saturday, defeating Brown at home, 61-55. The players hit double figures in scoring led by Samantha Will with 17 points including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Theresa Grace Mbanefo is the only player of the squad that averages double figures in scoring at 11.6 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 7.9 per game. The six-foot senior forward has added 32 blocks this season, second most in the Ivy League.
 
Penn's Last Time Out
The Quakers opened a three-game home stand last Saturday, falling to Harvard in their first meeting of the season, 70-63. Penn led for 33:43 in the game, with the Crimson's only lead coming with 4:52 remaining in the fourth. Padilla led all scorers with 20 points, scoring the first 11 points for the Quakers. It was her sixth game this season with 20-plus points. Sophomore Jordan Obi added 17 points, shooting 64 percent from the floor, while senior Kennedy Suttle was just shy of her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and nine rebounds.