PHILADELPHIA – An exciting ending to a great week of hoops has the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team buzzing after moving to 3-0 in Ivy League play with a 71-67 stunner of Columbia in The Palestra Saturday night.
 
The win moves the Quakers (10-5, 3-0 Ivy) to nine-straight wins, the second longest mark in program history, while snapping the program-record 10-game win streak for the Lions (13-3, 2-1 Ivy).
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The nine-game winning streak ties for the second longest in history with three other stretches: nine in the 2017-18 season, nine in the 2014-15 season, and nine in the 2013-14 season. The Quakers won the Ivy title in 2013-14.
 
*They are also on an eight-game home win streak, the third longest in program history. The record is 10 set back in the 2000-01 season.
 
*Junior Jordan Obi led all scorers in the game with 24 points, while securing her ninth double-double of her career with a game-high 13 rebounds. She shot 7-for-12 from the floor and 9-for-13 at the line, including the final two free throws to ice the game in the closing seconds.
 
*Senior captain Kayla Padilla registered 21 points off 8-for-18 shooting with three from beyond the arc. It brings her three-point career total to 168, just two shy of breaking into the top three in program history. The record is 196 set by Karen Habrukowich in 2005.
 
*Padilla added five rebounds, a team-high four assists, and team-high two steals.
 
*Junior Floor Toonders also found double figures with 11 points to go with five rebounds, two assists, and a tied career-high four blocks.
 
*Penn shot 46.3 percent from the floor, while holding the league-leading Lions to just 35.5 percent.
 
*Columbia averages 80.6 points per game this season; Penn held them to 67 on Saturday night.
 
*With Yale defeating Harvard on Saturday night as well, the Quakers are the only undefeated team in conference play.
 
How It Happened
The Quakers bounced out to a quick 6-0 lead in the game with buckets from Obi, Padilla and Toonders. In a night that had eight lead changes and three ties, there was a lot of back-and-forth action through the first quarter.
 

End 3Q | Penn 55, Columbia 54

The Quakers are back out in front for the first time since the first quarter! Padilla is too fast to catch in transition, and she's up to 18 points for the game!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/RIsMtfxbaS

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) January 7, 2023

 
The Lions answered with nine straight points before Obi drilled a three to silence the stretch and tie the game at nine apiece. Both teams had as much as a six point lead in the first frame, but Padilla nailed a three to close out the quarter to give Columbia only a three point advantage after one, 22-19.
 
In the second, the lead for the Lions built to as much as eight midway through until the Quakers started to chip away. Toonders hit back-to-back buckets in the paint, Obi hit a jumper, Padilla hit another three, and Stina Almqvist put the final touch on the half with two free throws in the closing seconds to send Penn to the locker room back one, 35-34.
 
A slow restart for the Quakers had them eventually trailing by 10 with 6:18 left in the third quarter. However, Penn responded with a 16-5 run through the remainder of the frame that was capped off by a fastbreak layup by Padilla to give the Quakers their first advantage since the first quarter, 55-54, headed to the fourth.
 

End 3Q | Penn 55, Columbia 54

The Quakers are back out in front for the first time since the first quarter! Padilla is too fast to catch in transition, and she's up to 18 points for the game!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/RIsMtfxbaS

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) January 7, 2023

 
The runs continued in the final frame, as Penn climbed out to a five point advantage by the 7:31 mark including an and-one finish by Obi. Columbia wasn't going to go away, knocking in three from beyond the arc and a layup to retake the lead and jump out by four with 3:43 remaining in regulation.
 
Unfortunately for the Lions, that was the last time they scored the rest of the way. In the closing two minutes, Penn reclaimed the lead for the final time with eight unanswered points.
 
Padilla built the momentum with an and-one strong finish inside to ignite the run and Obi went 4-for-4 at the line to close it out.

4Q 1:56 | Columbia 67, Penn 66

KAYLA PADILLA AND-ONE! Enough said.#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/joEb4bim3K

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) January 7, 2023

 
Down the stretch, the Quaker offense produced, but it was the defense for Penn that solidified the victory. With a one-point lead with under 10 seconds left, Penn had to play perfect defense against the Lions. Bringing the ball in the paint, Columbia was shutdown on its attempt when Toonders blocked the shot for her fourth of the game and pulled in the rebound. It turned into another point for the Quakers on the other end with McGurk hitting 1-for-2 at the line.
 

4Q :7.8 | Penn 69, Columbia 67

BLOCK BY TOONDERS! McGurk gets the ball and fouled! She goes 1-for-2 at the line.#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/F4Bsfr16ip

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) January 7, 2023

 
Seconds later, the defense held strong again as the Lions had to put a desperation three up in the final two seconds before Obi pulled in the rebound and iced the game at the line.
 
Up Next
The 10-game homestand continues next week, hosting Hartford for the final non-conference game of the season on Tuesday night in The Palestra. Tip is set for 7 p.m.