Behind strong defense, Penn women's basketball leads American, 38-17, at the half

The chances for an extended Quakers basketball season are looking good so far. 

Just five days after its heartbreaking loss to Princeton in the Ivy League championship, Penn women’s basketball leads American, 38-17, at halftime of the WNIT first round. Thanks in large part to senior Ashley Russell and sophomore Eleah Parker — who have 13 and 10 points, respectively — the Quakers have dominated at the Palestra on both sides of the court. 

In the first half, Penn shot 46 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc while holding American to just 25 percent shooting overall. They have also out-rebounded the Eagles, 23 to 10, picking up nine offensive rebounds. The Red and Blue had 14 points in the paint, while limiting American to just two. 

Senior forward Princess Aghayere got things started for the Quakers with a layup just 25 seconds into the game. Using solid defense and good shot selection, Penn jumped out to a 9-2 lead with 4:51 left in the first quarter of play. 

American senior forward Cecily Carl ended the Red and Blue run, but Parker and Aghayere sunk their foul shots to increase the lead to nine. Junior Phoebe Sterba added a three pointer, and the Quakers led 16-5 after one period. 

Coming out of the break, the Red and Blue were firing on all cylinders. They continued to extend their lead with a flurry of three pointers from Russell and Aghayere. Penn's run ended at 10 after Carl drilled a three pointer from the top of the key. 

Carl’s strong play brought American back to within 18, but sophomore Katie Kinum responded at the other end with a three of her own to push the score to 35-14. The two teams continued to trade baskets before the sounding of the halftime buzzer. 

The Quakers will look to seal the deal and continue their stellar performance in the second half.

Check back after the game for a full recap.