PHILADELPHIA – Head coach Mike McLaughlin announced the addition of transfers Candice Lienafa and Christina Pham to the University of Pennsylvania's women's basketball team Tuesday afternoon. The junior and sophomore duo previously competed at Davidson College and Fairfield University.

Candice Lienafa
5-11 | F | Quebec, Canada | Champlain College Saint-Lambert | Davidson

At Davidson: Preseason third-team all-conference selection ahead of 2025-26 campaign … Appeared in 33 games, making one start … Averaged 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game … Shot 37.6 percent from the field and 70.2 percent from the charity stripe on the season … Finished with double-digit points in three contests last season … Appeared in all 32 games, making six starts as a rookie … Named A-10 Rookie of the Week twice (11/18 & 12/30) … Named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team … Scored 236 points on the season with 116 rebounds, averaging 7.4 and 3.6 respectively … Held the team's second-best three-point percentage at .400 and best field-goal percentage, shooting .554 from the floor.
 
High School: Two-time Provincial Championship winner in 2022 and 2024 … Finished third in the Provincial Championship in 2023 … Bronze medalist at Canadian Nationals (2023) … First-team All-Star selection and MVP of the playoffs after averaging 19.6 points during the 2023-24 season … Averaged 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior.
 
Personal: Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
 
Why Penn?: "I chose Penn because I wanted to be part of a school with a strong history and tradition, both academically and athletically. Being able to continue that history as a member of Penn women's basketball while creating new memories of my own made Penn feel like the right place for me."

Coach McLaughlin on Candice: "Candice is a high-energy, highly competitive player with a relentless motor. She can stretch the floor, knock down the three, and is very effective around the rim with a great knack for the basketball and making winning plays. She gives 100 percent on every possession, and that competitive spirit will make a tremendous impact on our program."

 
Christina Pham
5-6 | G | Boston, Mass. | Noble and Greenough School | Fairfield

At Fairfield: Played in 28 games with one start while draining 42 triples at a 37.5 percent clip … Shot 48 percent while averaging 2.9 3-pointers through her first nine appearances (11/8 – 12/19) … Averaged 5.1 ppg and 1.1 apg on .366 shooting from the field … Scored a career-high 18 points at Richmond (12/7) en route to being named MAAC Rookie of the Week (12/8) … Averaged 13.2 mpg and scored in double figures five times as a freshman.
 
High School: Three-time New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) champion … Three-year team captain … Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year during the 2024-25 season … Four-time All-New England selection … Independent School League (ISL) MVP … 1,000-point scorer … All-time leader in games played … Averaged 18.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 5.0 rpg, and 3.0 spg on 45 percent shooting from downtown her senior year … AP Scholar Award recipient.
 
Personal: Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
 
Why Penn?: "I chose Penn because of the opportunity to impact an Ivy Championship-caliber team and earn a world-class education."

Coach McLaughlin on Christina: "Christina is an elite shooter from three-point range who will really space the floor for us. She has a great feel for the game, competes hard on every possession, and brings a consistent toughness that we value. Her ability to play both on and off the ball gives us versatility in our system, and we're really excited to have her as part of our program."

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