Penn women's basketball sweeps Ivy road doubleheader

Last year, all of the stars aligned for Penn women’s basketball. Veterans led the way, young stars emerged and the Quakers ended up taking home the Ivy League title.

With two league losses and an undefeated Princeton squad running roughshod over the Ancient Eight, it’s unlikely that the Red and Blue will have a chance to repeat last year’s magic. But the Quakers have shown all season that they still belong in the top tier of the Ivies.

Penn did so once again this weekend, defeating Yale easily on Friday, 61-42, before outscoring Brown, 83-75, on Saturday to sweep its Ivy weekend doubleheader on the road and take sole possession of second place in the Ivy standings.

The Bulldogs (11-11, 5-3 Ivy) entered Friday’s contest in sole possession of second place in the conference, only one game behind No. 16 Princeton. But the matchup was relatively routine for the Quakers (14-7, 5-2).

Penn took a 12-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half thanks to a 16-2 barrage midway through the period. Although Yale closed within five at the break, from that point on, the Quakers never lost control.

The Red and Blue were even more dominant in the second half, especially on the defensive side of the ball. For a 14-minute stretch, Penn conceded only four points to Yale.

The Quakers’ defense was especially suffocating on the perimeter, limiting the Bulldogs to 1-for-18 shooting from beyond the three-point line.

In her second career start, freshman forward Michelle Nwokedi dropped 13 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks, continuing her torrid pace as of late. Fellow forward Kara Bonenberger also chipped in for the Red and Blue with a double-double, while senior Katy Allen provided a spark off the bench, registering seven key points in addition to her usual defensive expertise.

“I think I finally found my role [on the team],” Allen said. “You never know when you’re gonna get your shot. This week it ended up being mine.”

Saturday’s game yielded a similar result for the Quakers, although it was obtained using different means.

While Penn defeated Yale using relentless second half defense, the Bears (9-13, 3-5) utilized an equally potent offensive attack on Saturday to force the Quakers out of their low-scoring comfort zone.

But Penn’s scorers were up to the challenge. The Quakers were able to edge Brown out in its own fast-paced game, taking a comfortable first half lead and countering several aggressive Brown runs to clinch the sweep in impressive fashion.

“[Friday] was more typical of the way we’ve played,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “To be able to win two different types of game — it’s a great credit to our girls.”

The game marked only the second time this season that the Quakers have been able to break 80 points.

Once again, the same three forwards as on Friday — Nwokedi, Bonenberger and Allen — led the way for the Red and Blue.

“I think we really just found the open player and found who had the mismatch,” Allen said. “Sometimes with the three of us on the court, a guard might be matched up on one of our posts.”

It marked the second double-double in as many contests for Bonenberger, who looks to be hitting her stride and taking pressure off of sophomore star Sydney Stipanovich.

“Kara is playing as well as she’s ever played,” McLaughlin said of the senior captain.

The Quakers were equally effective scoring outside of the paint though, knocking down seven of their 12 three-point attempts against the Bears.

After braving the elements in their trip back to Philadelphia, the Red and Blue will prepare for next weekend’s home doubleheader against Harvard and Dartmouth.

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