Penn women's basketball wins on late trey by freshman Ross

With the arrival of the new year, there is no shortage of resolutions being made across campus.

On Wednesday night at the Palestra, Penn women’s basketball fulfilled one of its own: conquering its fear of spiders.

In the first meeting between the two teams since 1995, the Quakers defeated Richmond for the first time in school history, 49-47, off the strength on a late three from freshman Anna Ross.

“Coming off a Princeton loss, we really wanted to win on our home court,” Ross said. “So we all stepped it up and got the win.”

After battling the Spiders to a hard-fought, tie at nine points apiece through the first eight minutes of the game, the Red and Blue began to show some cracks in their offense. Namely, they struggled to find balance scoring the ball.

Sophomore center Sydney Stipanovich and senior guard Kathleen Roche combined to score all 17 of Penn’s first half points and pulled in over half of the team’s first half rebounds.

While the stellar duo shot a solid 7-for-13 from the field in the first half, the rest of the team failed to convert on its 17 attempts.

After receiving Big 5 Player of the Week honors following Penn's loss to Princeton on Saturday, senior forward Kara Bonenberger struggled on Wednesday, going 0-for-6 in the first half while trying to deal with Richmond’s physical defense in the paint.

Penn’s defense largely held up, but the Spiders were able to build an eight point lead by halftime.

However, the second half was a completely different story.

The Quakers came out firing on both ends of the floor, turning Richmond over, moving the ball and attacking the basket.

“The adjustment we made was that everything was more aggressive,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “We trapped them in our zone press [because] I just felt like we had to do change what was going on.”

Within the first two minutes of the second half, senior Renee Busch – the hero of Penn’s Big 5 title-clinching win over Temple – knocked down a three, bringing the Quakers to within three.

Bonenberger reasserted herself on the offensive end of the floor, going up strong in the paint on multiple occasions and notching eight crucial second half points.

Penn quickly took a lead, and from then on it was a tight fisted affair. Despite maintaining the lead for the majority of the half, a couple crucial late game turnovers by the Red and Blue allowed the Spiders to take a one-point lead with less than a minute remaining.

The stage was set for the Quakers to win a game in crunch time once again, and they came through.

In a sequence strongly reminiscent of Busch’s clutch three only two games prior, Ross stepped into a three with just over 20 seconds left and drained it to give Penn the win.

“In those situations, it’s not really that you’re thinking anything,” Ross said. “But you know that you have to make a play, and if you’re open you need to take the shot, even if it’s a tough one.”

“I’m glad [she] had the confidence to take it,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a big shot for anyone, let alone a freshman.”

Stipanovich was the difference in the game, posting a monstrous 19 points, 13 boards and six blocks to notch her fifth double-double of the season.

“She wanted this one bad,” McLaughlin said. “She struggled [against Princeton] ... and she needed to bounce back, which I knew she would.”

The victory extends the Quakers’ streak of home dominance, marking Penn’s 14th win in its past 15 games at the Palestra.

The Red and Blue will take the court once again next Wednesday in a nationally-televised matchup with Villanova.

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