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University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Almqvist_Marist_2023
Don Felice
51
Marist Marist 1-1,0-0 MAAC
74
Winner Penn Penn 1-0,0-0 Ivy League
Marist Marist
1-1,0-0 MAAC
51
Final
74
Penn Penn
1-0,0-0 Ivy League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Marist Marist 6 11 10 24 51
Penn Penn 18 16 19 21 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Career Days Spark WBB Thrashing Over Marist in Season Opener, 74-51

PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team put on a defensive masterclass and rolled through Marist, 74-51, in its season opener Saturday in The Palestra.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn recorded its fifth straight season-opening victory under head coach Mike McLaughlin, second straight against Marist.
 
*Junior Stina Almqvist scored a career-high 24 points, 13 in the first half, on 50-percent shooting. She added a career-high seven assists, shattering her previous record of four, and pulled in a career-high eight rebounds.
 
*Junior Lizzy Groetsch also had a career day, knocking in a career-high 18 points with two three-pointers and pulled in a career-high nine rebounds, five on the offensive end.
 
*Senior Jordan Obi led the team in steals with a career-high six and put up 10 points and seven assists.
 
*Freshman Mataya Gayle started her first collegiate game registering nine points and three steals.
 
*Freshman Ese Ogbevire hit her first collegiate three-pointer.
 
*Penn tallied 16 steals in the game, 36 rebounds (15 offensive), and dished out 20 assists, much of which came in the fast break game where they scored 19 points. The Quakers' stout defense scored 33 points off turnovers, forcing the Red Foxes into 26 for the contest.
 
How It Happened
The Red Foxes were first on the board with two quick shots, giving them an early 4-0 advantage. It wasn't long after that the Quakers answered when Almqvist grabbed an offensive rebound and hit Obi for a straight-away three for the first points of the season.


 
The Red and Blue went on a scoring spree that was sparked by nine consecutive defensive stops that included multiple steals from Obi, Almqvist, and Groetsch that led to easy fast-break points.
 
Groetsch recovered board after board, ending the half with six rebounds (three offensive), tying her career high in less than 20 minutes of play.
 
Penn stayed aggressive on the defensive end, diving on the floor for loose balls before pushing the ball up the court for transition layups, capping the first frame of on an 18-2 run.
 
Straight out of the gate to start the second, Marist hit a wide open three in an attempt to shorten the deficit, but that didn't last long. The Quakers continued their defensive dominance with a block from Groetsch and a pair of steals from Obi, giving the Red Foxes no room to breathe.


 
Almqvist and Obi controlled the offensive side, combining for 23 points at the half while also dishing out seven assists, as the Quakers headed to the locker room up 34-17.
 
The third quarter was no different for Groetsch, who pulled in another three boards in the quarter that led to a fast-break layup for Gayle, triggered a three for Almqvist, then topped it off with a smooth short corner jumper at the buzzer to put Penn up 53-27 through three quarters.


 
The fourth quarter was smooth sailing, as Gayle got it started with a three then followed it immediately with a steal to set up an Almqvist layup. For the remainder of the game, the Quakers resumed their defensive aggressiveness giving the Red Foxes no chance for a comeback, winning 74-51.
 
Up Next
The Quakers are back at The Palestra on Tuesday, opening Big 5 play with a clash against Saint Joseph's. Penn welcomes all student-athletes to the game as an Appreciation Night, while also raising awareness for pediatric cancer. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.  
 
 

#FightOnPenn

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