PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team will host conference rival Princeton at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3 at the Palestra.
 
The Quakers enter the game fresh off wins in both games of the FDU Christmas Classic, ultimately being crowned the champions.
 
GAME 14 - PENN (10-3, 0-0 Ivy League) vs. PRINCETON (12-1, 0-0 Ivy League)
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 | 2 p.m.
Philadelphia, Pa. | The Palestra
Watch on ESPN+ ($) | Live Stats | Digital Game Program
 
THE PRINCETON SERIES
The Quakers have lost 14 straight games to the Tigers with the last win coming in the 2018-19 season. In that game, Penn scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, a program record against the Tigers. Phoebe Strerba led the Red and Blue with a career-high 21 points. Princeton won last year's matchup at the Palestra, 67-53, and another in N.J., 74-60.This will be the 100th all-time matchup between the teams. 
 
STARTING STRONG
The Quakers 10-3 start is the best since the 2018-19 season. Penn finished that year with a program record 24 wins before eventually falling to Providence in the second round of the WNIT. Penn has won its last five games, including sweeping UMES and Binghamton in the FDU Christmas Classic last weekend. The Quakers look to add another home win on Saturday, having won four of five games at the Palestra this season.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Princeton is the Ivy League's top team so far this season, holding a 12-1 record. Senior Madison St. Rose leads the offense averaging 17.1 points per game. The Tigers can put up points in bunches, including scoring 100 against Penn State earlier this season. The Tigers offense leads the Ivy League this season with 75.9 points per contest while outscoring opponents by a +9.1 scoring margin. Princeton gets to the free throw line regularly, hitting 77 percent of their 14.9 attempts per game this season. The team also does a good job at taking care of the ball, averaging just 14.3 giveaways per game. The Tigers also are elite on the other side of the ball at forcing opponents into turnovers and capitalizing on those mistakes as they average 18.2 points off turnovers. Princeton is one of the hottest teams in the nation, entering Ivy League play riding a 10 game winning streak.
 
FDU CHRISTMAS CLASSIC RECAP
* Penn advanced to the championship game after defeating UMES in the first game, 78-57, behind 18 points from Katie Collins.

* The Quakers defeated Binghamton in a tightly contested championship game, 59-54, extending their winning streak to five.

*  The Quakers totaled 18 assists (against just 13 turnovers, a 1.38 ratio) and blocked nine shots, a season high against UMES.

* Penn shot 47.4 percent from the field (27-57) against UMES, a season best against a Division I opponent.

* Katie Collins (18) and Saniah Caldwell (17) combined for 35 points against UMES with Collins also recording 11 rebounds (her first double-double this season) and five blocked shots (one shy of her career high).

* Katie Collins was named Tournament MVP after another strong showing as she finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots against the Bearcats.

* For the tournament, Collins recorded 39 points, 18 rebounds and nine blocked shots while shooting 14-of-22 from the field including 3-of-4 from distance.

* Junior Mataya Gayle also was named to the all-tournament team as she finished the championship game with nine points, a game-high five assists, three rebounds, and a steal.

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
7.9 • Collins' rebounds-per-game average so far this season; that is second among Ivy League players behind Alyssa Moreland (10.7)

13.1 • Collins points-per-game average this season; she scored 18 points against UMES and 21 against Binghamton earning the MVP of the FDU Christmas Classic.

24 • Blocked shots by Collins so far this season, second in the Ivy League trailing only Yale's Dorka Kastl (28); Njike is seventh, with 14 blocks.

54.5• Penn's points-per-game scoring defense this season, good for third among Ivy League teams (behind Dartmouth's 52.9 and Brown 53.8) and 28th nationally.

80.1 • Penn's free-throw percentage for the season, highest in the Ivy League.

For the latest on Penn women's basketball, follow @PennWBB on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.