PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team will take part in the FDU Christmas Classic, facing University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday, Dec. 29 and either FDU or Binghamton on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
The Quakers enter the game following a 67-62 win over Washington State on Friday, Dec. 19 for their third consecutive win and eighth win overall this season.
GAME 12 - PENN (8-3, 0-0 Ivy League) vs. UMES (7-8, 0-0 MEAC)
Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 | 4 p.m.
Hackensack, N.J.
Watch | Live Stats
GAME 13 - PENN vs. FDU (8-3, 0-0 NEC) /BINGHAMTON (7-4, 0-0 SNY)
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 | 1 p.m./ 4 p.m.
Hackensack, N.J.
Watch | Live Stats
WINNING STREAK CONTINUES
The Red and Blue look to finish the year out strong as they will aim to add to their three-game winning streak and remain undefeated in the month of December, heading into the FDU Christmas Classic. Penn throttled Maine by 23 in the largest margin of victory over a Division 1 opponent this season, secured an impressive victory over La Salle in the Big 5 Classic, and gutted out a five point win at home over Washington State in its last three games. Simone Sawyer and Katie Collins have been on a tear for the Quakers as of late, both putting up 20 point performances in at least one of the last three games. With a win over UMES on Monday, the Quakers can set a season record with four straight wins this season.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks enter the tournament having lost three of their last four games. The Hawks struggles have come mostly on the defensive end this season, as they have given up 67.5 points per game and 90 points twice. Senior Ashanti Lynch has been a bright spot for the team this season leading the squad in points per game with 12.3 while also recording two takeaways per contest. The Hawks hang their hats on forcing opponents to turn the ball over, averaging 9.5 steals per game. Three players average over a steal a contest along with Lynch, including senior forward Brianna Barnes and sophomore guard Kalise Hill.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
The FDU Knights have an identical 8-3 record to Penn so far this season and would likely be the Quakers toughest matchup in the tournament if they do face off. The Knights are red hot right now, riding a six-game winning streak. They are well balanced on both sides of the floor as they have outscored opponents by an average of 11.6 points per game. Defensively, they only give up 54 points per game and are reluctant to allow opponents easy baskets. Offensively, the Knights are unselfish with the basketball as they have been extremely efficient with distributing the ball, averaging 14.9 assists. They also shoot at a high clip from behind the arc, knocking down 36 percent of their three-pointers. Sophomore Ava Renninger leads the team in scoring with over 15 points per contest. She also does a good job in setting her teammates up to score as well with an average of 5.5 assists. Kailee McDonald and Madlena Gerke also average double figures in points, while both also average over a steal per game.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
The Binghamton Bearcats have won four of their last five games entering the tournament. Similarly to Penn, the Bearcats shoot extremely well from the charity stripe knocking down free throws at a 75 percent clip. The offense has shown flashes of brilliance this season with four 80+ points performances, including an 82 point output over Colgate last time out. Junior Bella Pucci has carried most of the load offensively for the Bearcats this season, averaging 13.8 points per game while shooting an impressive 85 percent from the foul line. Pucci also excels on the defensive end of the court as she is one of six players who average at least one steal per contest. As a team, the Bearcats average 10.9 takeaways per game and force opponents into an average of 21.2 turnovers. The achilles heal for Binghamton has been their inability to prevent offensive rebounds to opponents as they give up 15.8 second chance opportunities on average.
THE WASHINGTON STATE RECAP
*Penn committed just 10 turnovers, a season low against a Division I opponent, and the Quakers' 17/10 assist/turnover ratio was a season best.
*Senior Simone Sawyer and sophomore Katie Collins shared scoring honors among Penn players, with 15 points each. Collins also had eight rebounds and three assists while Sawyer snared two boards.
*Junior Mataya Gayle finished with 14 points, tied for game-high honors with six assists, and led all players with three steals.
*Junior Tina Njike flirted with a double-double, scoring eight points and grabbing nine rebounds (four on the offensive glass). She also had four assists without a turnover.
*Brooke Suttle had a solid day off the bench, with seven points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of action.
*Washington State was led offensively by Eleonora Villa (21 points), Malia Ruud (12), and Laure
AYE AYE, CAPTAINS!
Penn has five players leading the team as captains in 2025-26, tying a program record for a single season. The leadership group is made up of seniors Saniah Caldwell, Simone Sawyer, and Georgia Heine, as well as junior Gayle and sophomore Collins. There have been just two other seasons in program history when the Quakers had five captains: 2004-05 and 2020-21 (which was canceled due to COVID-19).
PENN WBB BY THE NUMBERS
7.7 • Collins' rebounds-per-game average so far this season; that is second among Ivy League players behind Brown's Alyssa Moreland (10.8).
13.6 • Sawyer's points-per-game average over Penn's last eight contests; she has reached double figures in six of them—highlighted by 21-point outings at Hofstra and against Maine—and scored 15 points against Washington State last time out.
15 • Blocked shots by Collins so far this season, tied for most among Ivy players along with MacDonald and Princeton's Taylor Charles; Njike is sixth, with 11 blocks.
54.3 • Penn's points-per-game scoring defense this season, good for second among Ivy League teams (behind Dartmouth's 53.8) and 28th nationally.
82.1 • Penn's free-throw percentage for the season, fourth in the nation.
#FightOnPenn
