RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team fell to Richmond, 75-52, Thursday evening in the first round of the WNIT at the Robins Center.
 
The Quakers end the 2022-23 season with a 17-12 overall record, while the Spiders improve to 21-10 and advance to the second round. Tonight's game concludes the Penn careers for seniors Kayla Padilla, Mandy McGurk, Faye Parker, Silke Milliman, and Sydnei Caldwell.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Senior captain Kayla Padilla led the team with 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. She shot 7-for-18 from the floor with two three-pointers, while going 5-for-6 at the line.
 
*Senior captain Mandy McGurk added seven points and five rebounds, while junior Jordan Obi chipped in six points and six rebounds.
 
*The bench contributed 14 points led by sophomore Stina Almqvist and senior Faye Parker, combining for nine. Parker also had seven rebounds and three blocks, both career marks.
 
*The Caldwell sisters, Sydnei Caldwell and Saniah Caldwell, added the other five points off the bench.
 
How It Happened
Penn won the initial jump ball, but it was Richmond who took control of the game with an 11-0 run over the first five minutes.
 
The Quakers scored their first bucket on a Padilla layup with 5:19 to play, scoring the next two baskets to cut the Spider advantage to five at 11-6 with 4:19 left.
 

1Q 4:20 | Richmond 11, Penn 6

Coast-to-coast! Padilla with a quick four points including this rebound, push up the court, and finish at the other end!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/sZjTTez94f

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) March 16, 2023

 
Richmond went on a 10-2 run from that point to go ahead, 21-8 with 1:28 to go in the opening frame and  Obi nailed a triple as time expired to cut the deficit to 10, down 21-11 entering the second quarter.
 

End 1Q | Richmond 21, Penn 11

Jordan Obi gets the Quaker second chance to go at the buzzer!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/n1eiRE20AQ

— Penn WBB (@PennWBB) March 16, 2023

 
Padilla opened the second quarter with a three-pointer just 49 seconds into the period to trim the Spider lead to seven, but Richmond quickly answered back with a second-chance trey to go back ahead, 24-14. Parker's turnaround jumper in the paint with 7:29 to go was bookended by two pairs of Richmond foul shots, leading 28-16 with 7:09 on the clock.
 
A foul by the Quakers sent the Spiders back to the line for two more, as Emilija Krista Grava drilled two more to take a 30-16 advantage, increasing their run to 12-2. That run ballooned to 15-2 to give Richmond a 17-point lead, ahead 33-16 with 5:15 to go.
 
Penn hit back-to-back shots with an Obi triple and a Padilla fast-break layup at the two-minute mark of the quarter to cut it to 35-22, but the Spiders ended the period on a 5-2 spurt to take a 40-24 advantage into the locker room.
 
The Spiders held the Quakers to just 26 percent (9-for-34) shooting over the first 20 minutes, also shooting just 30 percent (3-for-10) from beyond-the-arc.
 
Padilla led Penn with 12 first-half points, shooting 5-for-10 from the field with three rebounds, while Obi had six points and five boards. Parker led the team with two assists, adding four points and five rebounds.
 
Richmond scored first in the second half with a second-chance layup. Padilla ended the Spider run at 9-2 with a shot off the front iron, trimming the Richmond lead to 44-26.
 
The Spiders totaled five straight points to take a 23-point advantage with 6:59 to go as the Quakers spent a 30-second timeout.
 
The lead got as big as 29 points with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter, but Penn ended the stanza on an 8-0 run capped off by Caldwell's triple to cut the Richmond lead to 21 points headed into the final frame.
 
Maggie Doogan scored the first points of the fourth quarter, but Padilla sunk her second trey of the contest to get back within 20 points with 7:41 on the clock.
 
Richmond scored the next seven points to go back ahead by 27, as Penn took its final timeout with 6:40 remaining.
 
A layup from Floor Toonders and two free throws for Padilla brought the deficit back to 25 points with 5:12 remaining but a second-chance trey with 4:03 left gave Richmond back a 28-point cushion.
 
Penn ended the game on a 7-2 run following a Almqvist bucket but the Spiders hung on for a 75-52 decision at Robins Center.