PHILADELPHIA – The season is finally here. The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team tips off its 2023-24 campaign on Saturday, hosting Marist in The Palestra. Start time is set for noon, but don't be late. First 250 fans to the event will receive a Palestra t-shirt.
 
GAME 1: PENN (0-0) vs MARIST (1-0)
Saturday, November 11, 2023 | 12:00 PM
Philadelphia, Pa. | The Palestra
Watch on ESPN+ ($) | Int'l Stream | Live Stats | History | Game Notes | Program
 
The Series
The Quakers are meeting the Red Foxes for the eighth time in program history, as Marist holds a slim 4-3 advantage in the series. The two teams met last year for the first time in 17 seasons, a matchup that went in the favor of the Quakers, 65-61. Penn is 1-2 against Marist in The Palestra, securing the 86-78 victory in December 2003 behind a 27-point performance from Penn Hall of Famer Jewel Clark. The Quakers have averaged 68.71 points per game in the series, slightly over the 2022-23 season average by Penn of 63.4.
 
Last Time We Met
Penn made the trip up to Poughkeepsie for the season opener last year, pulling out the 65-61 decision for head coach Mike McLaughlin's fourth straight season-opening victory. Several Quakers had big statistical performances to tip off the season, including a 31-point effort by Kayla Padilla on 13-for-23 from the floor. In her first game as a Quaker, Floor Toonders pulled in 14 rebounds to go with six points and two assists, while Stina Almqvist added eight points and eight board.
 
About Marist
The Red Foxes brought in new head coach Erin Doughty in style on Thursday night, earning a season-opening victory against Army, 76-68. Zaria Shazier and Kiara Fisher, both preseason All-MAAC first-team honorees, led the squad. Shazier finished with a team-high 21 points, while Fisher added a double-double on 10 points and 10 assists. Jackie Piddock and Catie Cunningham had consistent offensive days with 17 points each, while Cunningham added a double-double of her own with 12 rebounds. After coming off a 2022-23 campaign that finished 12-18 overall and 8-12 in the MAAC, the Red Foxes were selected fourth in the conference preseason coaches' poll.
 
A Look Ahead
The Quakers continue a two-game homestand on Tuesday to open the season, hosting Saint Joseph's for a Big 5 matchup. They'll hit the road for the next five games, taking up much of the rest of November. Penn will travel to Siena next weekend before hopping a flight to the West Coast for the third-straight year during Thanksgiving week. The Quakers will take on Chapman (Nov. 22), San Diego State (Nov. 25) and UC San Diego (Nov. 26) while in the Golden State. Penn returns to The Palestra on Wednesday, Nov. 29, clashing with La Salle in another Big 5 matchup.
 
Leading The Way
Penn is led by a trio of seniors this season, as the team named Jordan Obi, Michaela Stanfield and Floor Toonders captains.
 
New Faces
The Quakers have five new freshmen this season, arriving in University City from all over the country. Tina Njike joins the team from Utah, Ese Ogbevire and Tobi Ademuwagun from Texas, Mataya Gayle from Georgia, and Abby Sharpe from shortly down the Schuylkill Expressway in Lafayette Hill. All five are coming off highly successful careers in high school, including state titles for Gayle and Sharpe.
 
Magic Number: 60
The statistic that may most indicate a Penn win or loss? 60 points. Penn has won 139 of its last 148 regular season games when scoring at least 60 points in regulation. Since head coach Mike McLaughlin took over at Penn, the Quakers are 177-21 (.904) when they reach that number (149-13 over the last eight seasons). In comparison, the Quakers are just 49-128 (.288) when they've scored less than 60 points under Coach McLaughlin. The trend continues defensively. Over the last nine seasons, the Red and Blue are 45-87 (.345) when allowing 60 points or more. But when holding opponents under that number, the Quakers hold a healthy winning record of 178-36 (.832).