PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team returns home to the Palestra on Saturday to take on the Yale Bulldogs for the second time this season.
 
The Quakers enter the weekend following their road trip to the Big Apple where they defeated Cornell in overtime on Friday but fell to Columbia on Saturday.
 
Mataya Gayle will be recognized on Saturday for becoming the 27th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
 
GAME 24 - PENN (14-9, 4-6 Ivy League) vs. YALE (6-17, 2-8 Ivy League)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 | 2 p.m.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Live Stats
 
THE YALE SERIES
The Quakers have won four straight against the Bulldogs, including a 64-37 win in New Haven in January. The 27-point victory was Penn's largest over a Division 1 opponent this season. Senior Simone Sawyer led all scorers with 18 points, shooting 7-11 from the field and 3-3 at the foul line where she leads the Ivy League in percentage (50-55, .909); the senior also had three steals. Junior Mataya Gayle (12) and sophomore Katie Collins (10) also scored in double figures for the Quakers, and Collins flirted with a double-double by grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Brooke Suttle again came off the bench to stuff the stat sheet with six points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Yale has struggled to start the season, especially on the defensive end. The Bulldogs have given up a conference worst 68.2 points per game. However, the area where Yale does excel on the defensive side of the ball is on the perimeter as they allow opponents to shoot only 28 percent from behind the arc, good for second in the Ivy League. Offensively, Yale struggles from three-point land, ranking worst in the conference in three-point field goals made per game (3.8). The Bulldogs also have a tough time taking care of the ball, committing the most turnovers in the Ivy League this season (417). Despite their struggles, the Bulldogs are led by one of the most talented guards in the conference in sophomore Ciniya Moore. Moore ranks third in the conference in points per game (17.7). She has scored in double figures in every game this season except for one. Senior Kiley Capstraw is the main orchestrator of the offense, averaging 4.0 assists per game. Capstraw rarely comes off the floor for the Bulldogs as she is the leader in minutes played (35.2) in the Ivy League.
 
QUAKER NOTEMEAL VS CORNELL
*Mataya Gayle led the Quakers with 23 points, while also becoming the 27th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
 
* Penn outscored Cornell in the paint, 38-24.
 
* The Quakers totaled 20 offensive rebounds, converting into 26 second chance points.
 
* Penn won the rebound battle, 45-31.
 
* Four players recorded at least eight rebounds for Penn.
 
* Brooke Suttle recorded 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
 
QUAKER NOTEMEAL VS COLUMBIA
* Katie Collins led the Quakers with a career-high 22 points on five threes.
 
* Penn shot 50 percent from behind the arc, eight of 16.
 
* The Quakers had 14 points off the bench, 10 coming from Abby Sharpe.
 
* Columbia was tenacious on the glass, coming down with 18 offensive rebounds.
 
* The Lions outscored the Quakers 32-20 in points in the paint.
 
* Columbia recorded 24 points off of 23 Penn turnovers.
 
* Tina Njike finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Quakers.
 
PENN IN THE IVY STATS
• Penn leads the Ivies and entered the week 19th nationally in free-throw percentage (.779).
 
• Katie Collins enters the weekend second among Ivy League players in overall rebounds per game (7.9) and leader in blocked shots (1.7) .
 
• Simone Sawyer is first among Ivy players in overall free-throw percentage, at 91.4%.
 
• Gayle is first among Ivy players in overall assists per game (4.4).
 
*Gayle is fourth in steals per game (2.0).
 
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 (10.4)
 
22 • Collins' career high in points against Columbia, with five made threes.
 
27 • Mataya Gayle became the 27th player in program history to score 1,000 career points against Cornell.
 
39 • Blocked shots by Collins so far this season, leading the Ivy League; Njike is fifth, with 22 blocks.
 
57.8 • Penn's points-per-game scoring defense this season, second highest in the Ivy League.
 
77.9 • Penn's free-throw percentage for the season, highest in the Ivy League and 17th nationally.