NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Senior captain Jordan Obi dropped a career-high 30 points to go with 13 rebounds for her second straight double-double, guiding the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team past Merrimack, 71-62.
 
The Quakers improve to 6-4 for the season, while the Warriors slide to 3-7.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Obi's career-high 30 points came on 11-for-16 shooting, tying her career best for field-goals made. She went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and 4-for-5 at the line.
 
*On top of a game-high 30 points, she also had a game-high 13 boards, missing her career mark by two.
 
*Her second straight double-double of the season also marks her 15th of her career, moving her into a tie for 13th in program history with Auretha Fleming (1980-84).
 
*Freshman Mataya Gayle added 14 points, four assists, a game-high three steals, and three rebounds.
 
*Obi and Gayle are the only players on both teams to play the full 40 minutes.
 
*Junior Lizzy Groetsch had another well-rounded performance with nine points, eight boards, a career-high five assists, two steals, and two blocks.
 
*Junior Stina Almqvist chipped in seven points, seven rebounds, and a career- and game-high four blocks.
 
*The Quakers shot 40 percent for the game (24-for-60).
 
*Penn forced the Warriors into 17 turnovers, converting them into 22 points.
 
How It Happened
A flurry of threes kicked off the first two and a half minutes of the game, as Obi drilled two and Gayle added another. Obi followed with a layup to put away eight points in the opening three minutes to give Penn an early 11-5 advantage.
 

1Q 7:10 | Penn 11, Merrimack 5

Obi doing whatever she wants right now! She's up to 8pt in less than three minutes of the game!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/XkT01xB5gY

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) December 9, 2023

 
However, the Warriors chipped away at their deficit to draw it even at 11 by the midway mark of the first frame. That stretch led to a back-and-forth battle for much of the game, even to the point where Merrimack pushed ahead to its largest lead of the game with 8:33 left in the half, 23-16.
 
Obi slowed down the Warriors with the first of several and-ones and Groetsch added a pair of free throws to draw the Quakers within two. Less than a minute later after another Warrior bucket, Marianna Papazoglou pushed the momentum more in favor of the Quakers with a three from the corner to get Penn within one, 25-24, to force a Merrimack timeout.
 

2Q 6:33 | Merrimack 25, Penn 24

Count it! Papazoglou from the corner gets Penn within one and forces the Warriors into a timeout!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/zsLvdYlXQN

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) December 9, 2023

 
The rest of the quarter saw the score sway six more times before a jumper by the Warriors with 10 seconds left lifted them to a 37-35 lead at the break.
 
Out of the locker room, the Quakers reclaimed control, drawing the tie off an Obi layup and then the lead off a connection in transition between Gayle and Groetsch for the and-one and three-point advantage. That was the last time the score switched directions, as Penn built up to its largest lead of the game, 49-39, with three minutes left in the third on a Gayle jumper.
 
In the fourth, the Quakers maintained the lead throughout, but it didn't go without some work. The Warriors battled back, getting as close as three points with four minutes left. However, Almqvist and Obi each found buckets down the lane before Obi drilled her fourth three of the game to push Penn ahead by seven, 67-60.

4Q 2:05 | Penn 67, Merrimack 60

Obi is having a NIGHT! Gets a steal and layup, then follows it with another three! Up to 28pts for the senior captain!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/dmOuBDyb5W

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) December 9, 2023

 
In the closing two minutes, Almqvist and Obi both hit two free throws to put the final touch on the game.
 
Up Next
The Quakers wrap up their four-game road trip back in Philly on Sunday, concluding Big 5 action at Temple. Tip is set for 2 p.m.