PHILADELPHIA – After rolling to a convincing season-opening victory this past weekend, the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team is back in action on Tuesday night in The Palestra, opening Big 5 play with Saint Joseph's. Start time is set for 6 p.m.
 
GAME 2: PENN (1-0) vs SAINT JOSEPH'S (2-0)
Tuesday, November 14, 2023 | 6:00 PM
Philadelphia, Pa. | The Palestra
Watch on ESPN+ ($) | Int'l Stream | Live Stats | History | Game Notes
 
The Series
• This season's matchup marks the 46th in program history, as the Hawks hold a 40-5 advantage in the series.
 
• Penn, although falling in the last two meetings, has won three of the last five since 2017.
 
• The Quakers largest margin of victory against the Hawks came at The Palestra in 2018, running away with a 65-45 decision.
 
• It will mark the first Big 5 game of the season for the Quakers, also hosting La Salle in late November before traveling to Villanova and Temple in December.
 
Last Time We Met
• Penn made the short trek to Hawk Hill last season, falling short on a late comeback, 57-50.
 
• Jordan Obi led the offense with 17 points including a career-high five three-pointers, while Stina Almqvist chipped in 11 points.
 
• Floor Toonders had a well-rounded line of nine points, seven boards, a block, and a steal.
 
• SJU's Talya Brugler led all scorers with 23 points to go with eight rebounds.
 
About The Hawks
• Saint Joseph's enters with a 2-0 record to start the season, topping Rider (71-49) and Yale (66-45).
 
• In their last outing at Yale, the Hawks saw Mackenzie Smith and Chloe Welch combine for 50 points and 17 rebounds, single-handedly outscoring the Bulldog offensive. SJU shot 40 percent from the floor and 92 percent from the line.
 
• Averaging 68.5 points per game, SJU is led by four players in double figures including Welch at 16. Laura Ziegler is averaging a double-double with 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.
 
• Head coach Cindy Griffin, and 1991 graduate from Hawk Hill, is in her 23rd season as the program all-time leader in wins with 372.
 
Penn's Last Time Out
• For the fifth straight year, the Quakers opened the season in the win column, throttling past Marist, 74-51, in The Palestra on Saturday.
 
• A pair of juniors paved the way with career outings, as Almqvist knocked in a career- and game-high 24 points on 50-percent shooting and Lizzy Groetsch added a career-high 18 points.
 
• Almqvist was closing in on a triple-double for the afternoon, finishing with a career-best eight rebounds and career-best seven assists.
 
• In similar fashion, Groetsch narrowly missed her first collegiate double-double with a career-high nine board to go with a career-high three steals.
 
• Obi had a well-rounded afternoon with 10 points, seven assists, and six steals, while freshman starting point guard Mataya Gayle chipped in nine points, three steals, three boards, and two assists.

1-0 to start the season for the fifth straight year!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/6v7HQQhtwq

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) November 13, 2023

 
A Look Ahead
• The Quakers hit the road for the next five games, taking up much of the rest of November.
 
• Penn will travel to Siena this 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.
 
Awards Season
With her 24-point performance and setting a whole slew of new career marks, Almqvist was named Big 5 Player of the Week on Monday, the first time in her collegiate career.
 
Magic Number: 60
The statistic that may most indicate a Penn win or loss? 60 points. Penn has won 140 of its last 149 regular season games when scoring at least 60 points in regulation. Since head coach Mike McLaughlin took over at Penn, the Quakers are 178-21 (.905) when they reach that number (150-13 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 179-36 (.833).