Penn women's basketball outlasts Dartmouth, 55-45

On the Penn women’s basketball team’s last road trip of the season, senior guard Brianna Bradford showed that she was not done yet.

The Quakers notched their sixth straight victory, beating Dartmouth, 55-45.

Bradford was the team’s highest scorer of the night for the Quakers (15-9, 8-2 Ivy), amassing a career-high 17 points, including four rebounds and one steal, in her 100th game at Penn.

Penn’s defense kept them alive in the first half against the Big Green (6-18, 4-6 Ivy). The Quakers offense was extremely cold, shooting 8-for-31, including 1-for-16 from behind the arc.

But Dartmouth’s 12 turnovers kept Penn in the game.

After going back and forth for the entire half, Bradford and sophomore forward Katy Allen notched back-to-back shots to put the Quakers up by four at the half.

The first half was one of the lowest scoring of the season for the Quakers, with Penn leading the Big Green, 20-16.

But the Quakers again maintained and extended their lead in the second half. Bradford continued to dominate, propelling the Quakers to a 39-28 lead, its largest of the night, with just under 12 minutes left.

Junior guard Alyssa Baron picked up four fouls early in the second half, and the Quakers played without her for much of the stanza, only playing 24 total minutes. Freshman guard Keiera Ray also had some foul trouble, recording three fouls early in the second half.

Even with Baron and Ray tempered by their foul count, the Quakers amassed a 10-point lead, 46-36, with just under five minutes left.

However, the Big Green gave the Quakers a run getting within seven points at the end of the half.

With Baron back in the game, she and Ray combined for four points with fewer than two minutes left, giving the Quakers an 11-point lead that Dartmouth couldn’t put a dent in.

After Harvard beat Princeton Friday night, ending the Tigers’ 33-game Ivy winning streak, Penn now controls its own Ivy destiny. If the Quakers win their four remaining games, they will earn an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2003-04.

The Quakers face Harvard Saturday night at 6 p.m., in what will be their final Ivy road game of the season.

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