HACKENSACK, N.J. – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team advanced to the championship game of the FDU Christmas Classic with a 78-57 win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Monday afternoon.
 
The Quakers used a stunning first quarter performance to tally their ninth win of the season and will play Binghamton in the championship game at 1 p.m. tomorrow; the Bearcats opened the event with a 62-51 win over tournament host FDU. UMES will take on the Knights in the consolation game at 4 p.m.
 
Quaker Notemeal
* Penn led for 36:58 out of 40 minutes.
 
* The Quakers totaled 18 assists (against just 13 turnovers, a 1.38 ratio) and blocked nine shots, a season high.
 
* Penn scored 40 points in the paint and doubled up the Hawks in that category, 40-20.
 
* The Quakers shot 47.4 percent from the field (27-57), a season best against a Division I opponent.
 
* Penn outrebounded UMES, 43-38.

* Katie Collins (18) and Saniah Caldwell (17) combined for 35 points with Collins also recording 11 rebounds (her first double-double this season) and five blocked shots (one shy of her career high).
 
* Tina Njike finished with 12 points, while Simone Sawyer added 11 and pulled down six rebounds including three on the offensive glass.

* Mataya Gayle led all players with five assists (without committing a turnover) and added eight points, three rebounds and two steals.

* Caldwell and Brooke Suttle both had four assists in the game while combining for just one turnover.
 
How It Happened
The Quakers got off to a cold start offensively, missing their first three shots while UMES scored the game's first three points on foul shots. However, Sawyer knocked down a pair of free throws to put Penn's first points on the board and that began an offensive onslaught as the Quakers hit eight of their next 12 field goals and added another seven at the charity stripe. In all, it was a 23-0 run covering more than seven minutes of game action, and when Collins knocked down a pair of free throws with less than a minute left in the quarter Penn had its largest lead at 25-4.
 
The Hawks, meanwhile, couldn't throw it in the ocean; they missed their first 15 field goal attempts on Monday night before finally getting one to go through the hoop with just 17 seconds left in the quarter. That made the score 25-6 after 10 minutes.
 
That final field goal seemed to awaken the Hawks' dormant offense, as they hit four of their first five shots in the second quarter. In particular, UMES began to have success from behind the arc, hitting four of nine shots from downtown in the second quarter. However, the Quakers matched them point for point by attacking the basket, totaling 24 points in the paint in the first half. As a result, they still had a 20-point lead with less than two minutes left in the half and led, 44-26, heading into the halftime locker room.
 
The Quakers opened the second half picking up where they left off as Njike hit a post hook and Collins added another three-pointer. Penn shot an efficient 5-11 from the field in the third quarter, added six of eight free throws, and extended its lead to 22 as Gayle hit a jumper to close out the third quarter.
 
The Hawks outscored the Quakers in the final period, 17-16, but the game was already well in hand as Penn cruised to the victory.
 
Up Next
Penn will take on Binghamton in the FDU Christmas Classic championship game at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
 
For the latest on Penn Women's Basketball, follow @PennWBB on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.