PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team won its sixth game of the season, defeating Maine 58-35 on Thursday night at The Palestra.
 
The Quakers improved to 6-3 on the season and 3-1 at home, while the Black Bears saw their modest two-game win streak snapped in falling to 3-6 overall.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The 23-point victory was Penn's largest against a Division I opponent so far this season.

*Maine's 35-point night marked the fewest points scored by a D1 opponent against the Quakers since Hartford scored just 30 on January 10, 2023.

*The Quakers scored 19 points off 14 Maine turnovers.
 
*Penn outrebounded Maine, 44-37; the 44 boards were the most by the Quakers in a game since they had 47 at Delaware State on on November 10.
 
*Penn dominated the paint, scoring 30 of their 58 points inside at one end and blocking a season-high eight shots at the other.

*Senior Simone Sawyer led the Quakers with 21 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

*Tina Njike nearly had her second double-double of the season on Thursday night, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds (four of them on the offensive glass).

*Katie Collins also flirted with a double-double, grabbing a career-high 13 rebounds to go with eight points and four blocked shots.

*Mataya Gayle dished out four of the team's 14 assists and added six points and four rebounds.

How It Happened
Playing with a confidence that appeared to carry over from their performance against then-No. 4 Texas on Sunday, the Quakers began the game with high offensive tempo and attacked the rim early. Sawyer got things started with a driving layup for the first points of the game and Njike imposed her will inside the paint as Penn took a 6-0 lead and Maine called its first timeout. The Black Bears struggled offensively with only three field goals in the first 10 minutes, and the Red and Blue scored 12 of their 18 points in the paint as they led 18-8 after one.
 
Sawyer continued to flourish on the offensive end in the second quarter, scoring 11 of her team's 19 points in the period. Maine, meanwhile, struggled to find any sort of consistency on offense, shooting just above 20 percent from the field and 0-11 from deep. Penn thrived on points off turnovers in the first half, cashing in 15 points off eight Maine turnovers, and the defense held the Black Bears to just 10 points in the quarter to lead 37-18 at halftime.
 
With no starters scoring more than five points for the Black Bears, the team turned to their bench after the break; seven of the team's 11 third-quarter points came from Maine's bench. At the other end, the Quakers struggled on offense, shooting just 33 percent in the third quarter. Luckily, their dominant first half had given them plenty of cushion and when Collins ended the period with a three-pointer it expanded Penn's margin to 24, at 53-29.
 
The final period was ugly for both teams, as a total of just 11 combined points were scored (Maine outscoring Penn, 6-5).
 
Up Next
The Quakers will face city rival La Salle Sunday in the Toyota Women's Big 5 Classic opener at Villanova. Tip-off is slated for noon at Finneran Pavilion.
 
For the latest on Penn Women's basketball, follow @PennWBB on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.