SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team concludes its west coast trip this weekend, squaring off against San Diego State (Sat) and UC San Diego (Sun).
 
GAME 5: PENN (3-1) at SAN DIEGO STATE (3-2)
Saturday, November 25, 2023 | 4:00 PM ET
San Diego, Calif. | Viejas Arena
Watch Live on Mountain West Network ($) | Live Stats
 
GAME 6: PENN (3-1) at UC SAN DIEGO (2-3)
Sunday, November 26, 2023 | 5:00 PM ET
La Jolla, Calif. | LionTree Arena
Watch Live on ESPN+ ($) | Live Stats
 
The Series Against San Diego State
• Saturday's game will mark the second time the two programs face off, first meeting back in 2011 on the Aztecs' court.
 
• The matchup in December 2011 fell to the hands of SDSU, taking a 51-37 decision although the Aztecs only shot 31.5 percent from the floor.
 
• The game was a part of the Surf 'N Slam tournament, the championship matchup at Viejas Arena. Alyssa Baron and Jess Knapp were both named to the All-Tournament team.
 
• Baron led the way with 15 points, including 7-for-8 at the line, while Kara Bonenberger chipped in eight points and five rebounds.
 
About The Aztecs
• San Diego State enters the game with a 3-2 tally, dropping the first two games of the season to Portland (72-58) and California Baptist (76-68) before riding a three-game win streak into Saturday's matchup. They have topped UC Davis (77-68), Sacramento State (68-45) and Westcliff (64-42) in the stretch.
 
• The Aztecs have four players averaging double figures in scoring led by Adryana Quezada at 13.0 points per game. She is shooting 53 percent from the floor on just 27 minutes per game. She also leads the team in boards, pulling in 6.6 rebounds per game.
 
• Their Westcliff game on November 21 kicked off a five-game home stand, involving the Quakers, UC San Diego, Stanford and Cal State Los Angeles.
 
• The Aztecs finished last season with a 23-11 tally, advancing to the Mountain West semifinals, earning a bid to the WNIT before falling to UC Irvine in the opening round, 55-45.
 
The Series Against UC San Diego
• Sunday's game will mark the second time in program history that the squads clash, as Penn secured a 60-55 win on the Tritons' court in 2021 on the same exact day, November 26.
 
• The opening game of the Loyola Marymount Thanksgiving Classic, the Quakers jumped ahead 20-8 through the first quarter held off the Tritons down the stretch.
 
• Jordan Obi, in her first collegiate season and fresh off her first Ivy League Rookie of the Week, led the way with a double-double performance of 20 points and 10 rebounds.
 
• Mia Lakstigala and Kennedy Stuttle combined for 24 points, while Kayla Padilla added a well-rounded stat line of nine points, four steals, three assists, two rebounds, and a block.
 
About The Tritons
• UC San Diego enter the matchup on Sunday with a 2-3 record, taking victories over Life Pacific (88-32) and La Sierra (94-40).
 
• Izzy Forsyth and Sumayah Sugapong lead the team in scoring at 13.8 and 13.6 points per game, respectively. Forsyth is shooting 56.3 percent from the floor.
 
Penn's Last Time Out
• The Quakers opened the California trip on Wednesday afternoon at Division III Chapman, cruising to a 92-46 decision to shirt to 3-1 for the season.
 
• All of Penn's available players saw time with 11 of the 14 scoring.
 
• Stina Almqvist registered her third 20-plus point game on the year, knocking in a game-high 20 points of 9-for-15 shooting. She added eight rebounds, narrowly missing her third straight double-double.
 
• Obi put away 18 points to go with a game-high nine rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and two assists.
 
• Lizzy Groetsch and Abby Sharpe each added double-digit scoring efforts, finishing with 13 and 10, respectively.
 
• The Quakers shot 58.1 percent from the floor, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.3 percent from the line.
 
Production from Almqvist
• The Kinna, Sweden native has been putting up career numbers in her first four games of the season, averaging 20.5 points and nine rebounds per game, ranking her third in the Ivy League in both categories.
 
• Additionally, she ranks eighth in the league in assists at 3.3 per game.
 
• Her efforts have already earned her awards this season, being named Big 5 Player of the Week for the first time in her collegiate career.
 
Defense Wins Ball Games
• The Quakers have been putting up solid numbers on the defensive side of the ball, partially on the stinginess from Obi, Groetsch and Mataya Gayle.
 
• Obi ranks second in the league in blocked shots per game with 1.5.
 
• All three of the Quakers rank in the top six in the league in steals per game, as Obi and Gayle take the top two spots with 3.3 and 2.8, respectively, and Groetsch comes in at sixth with 2.3.
 
• Penn currently leads the Ivy League in scoring margin at 11.8, scoring 75 points per game while holding opponents to 63.3.
 
A Look Ahead
• Following this weekend's games, the Quakers make a quick stop back in The Palestra on Wednesday night, hosting La Salle for their second Big 5 matchup of the season.  
 
• December will kick off another four-game road trip, although two are close by against Villanova and Temple. Penn will travel to Milwaukee the first weekend in December to battle Marquette, and head to the east side of Massachusetts on December 8 for a bout with Merrimack.
 
 • The calendar year wraps up in The Palestra on December 30 with Maine and New Year's Eve against Gwynedd Mercy.