PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team fell to Ivy League rival Columbia on Saturday at The Palestra, 85-55.
 
The Quakers fell to 10-8, 2-3 in Ivy play while the Lions improved to 13-5, 4-1 in Ivy action.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Freshman Mataya Gayle led the Quakers with 21 points, her fourth 20-or-more point performance of the year and her 12th game in double digits this season. She also had three rebounds and a team-high four assists.
 
*Stina Almqvist had a team-high seven rebounds, six off the offensive glass.
 
*Three Quakers—Gayle, Almqvist and Floor Toonders—recorded one block.

How It Happened
Columbia was first on the board, hitting a three within the first minute of the contest. The Quakers had a tough time settling in after the Almqvist layup, as the Lions controlled the game for most of the first, going on a 20-2 run for most of the first stanza. The Quakers didn't hit their second shot until under two minutes left in the quarter with Lizzy Groetsch draining a second-chance layup.
 
Mataya Gayle halted the Lion run, giving the Red and Blue momentum to end the first quarter on a buzzer-beating trey, cutting the Columbia edge to 20-7.
 
The momentum continued for the first couple minutes of the second quarter as Ese Ogbevire converted her first points of the day with a three. Jordan Obi also earned her first points of the game with a hook shot to extend the Quaker run to 5-1 and bring the deficit back down to nine at 21-12. However, the Lions weren't backing down, continuing to attack the rim and contain the lead.
 
The Quakers continued to heat up throughout the quarter as Gayle commanded the Penn offense, hitting two threes, including a dish to senior Floor Toonders who hit a layup at the buzzer to end the half. Just like the first meeting in New York City, Columbia led 41-27 heading into the locker room.
 
The third quarter started off slow but was ramped up by a combo of Groetsch and Toonders, who assisted and scored on back-to-back Penn possessions.  
 
Both programs went back and forth hitting shot after shot for the rest of the quarter with Gayle hitting another step-back three pointer at the buzzer, her fifth of the game, to end the frame trailing, 59-43.
 
Though the intensity never ceased for the Quakers, Columbia refused to hold back in the fourth, outscoring Penn 26-12 over the final 10 minutes. The Lions held onto the advantage and came away with an 85-55 win.
 
Up Next
The Quakers continue their four-game homestand Friday evening with Brown at The Palestra. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.