Last season, Penn women's basketball fell short of its ultimate goal of an Ivy title, but the campaign was certainly not without its highlights and positive moments. Most notably, the team fell short against Princeton during Ivy Madness due to a heavily debated foul call in the final moments of the game. Although this call was crushing for fans, it is evidence that there is hope for the Quakers' ability to fight to the last second.
Much of the Quakers' success was thanks to then-freshman guard Mataya Gayle, who not only led her team to Ivy Madness but earned both the Ivy League and Big 5 Rookie of the Year awards. After Gayle showcased such talent in her rookie season, we can only expect to see growth in the year to come. Another talented first year for the Red and Blue was guard Ese Ogbevire, who took home two Ivy Rookie of the Week awards and scored 14 points in Penn's Ivy Madness-clinching win over Harvard.
While there is much potential in the younger players, it is also important to discuss who the team has lost. The team graduated three seniors, most notably Jordan Obi, the forward who captained the team and became the 25th ever Penn women’s basketball player to reach the elusive 1,000 career point mark. Obi has transferred to Kentucky to complete her final year of eligibility. As a powerhouse on the court and leader on the team, her presence will be missed, but the Quakers have retained other veterans from a season ago, namely senior forward Stina Almqvist, last season's scoring leader.
With the Big 5 slate being released, let’s dive into expectations for each matchup.
Nov. 15 against Saint Joseph's
With a record of 28-6, St. Joe’s overall had a strong 2023-24 season, earning coach Cindy Griffin the Big 5 Coach of the Year award. Despite this regular season success, the Hawks failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, making their exit at the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals with a 57-47 loss to Rhode Island.
In their November 2023 matchup against the Quakers, the Hawks came and conquered. Led by an 18-point performance from then-sophomore guard Laura Ziegler, the Hawks earned a blowout 77-49 win. Despite the lopsided margin, the game's early stages were tightly contested. The Quakers trailed by just one point at the end of the first quarter, but quickly saw the Hawks’ lead balloon to 28.
St. Joe's defense, which ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in limiting opposing scoring, proved to be the biggest issue for the Quakers, who struggled to secure and convert quality looks at the basket. Learning from these mistakes will be critical to Penn's attempt to bounce back in this year's matchup.
Nov. 20 at Villanova
The Quakers can walk into their game against Villanova with much more confidence. During their game in December of this last season, the two teams seemed fairly evenly matched, battling it out until the last second. Despite trailing by 12 entering the fourth quarter, the Quakers cut the lead to six in the final period before eventually falling 68-62.
Although a loss is a loss, in comparison to the blowout against St. Joe’s, Villanova seems like a much more feasible win this year. Given that the Quakers outscored the Wildcats in the fourth, this year's matchup could easily go the other way.
With a record of 22-13, Villanova had a fairly successful 2024 campaign. Though they — similarly to St. Joe’s and Penn — were not selected for March Madness, the Wildcats were selected for the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament, in which they were a one seed. The Wildcats danced all the way to the championship game before falling to Illinois 71-57.
Last season Villanova was led by guard Lucy Olsen, who led her team in points, assists, and steals. In last year's game Olsen scored 14 points, topped only by her teammate, forward Christina Dalce, who notched 18. But both players now have new homes, with Olsen transferring to Iowa State and Dalce gone to Maryland. The loss of the Wildcats' two leading scorers will undoubtedly be a major storyline in the season ahead, including their matchup with the Red and Blue.
In spite of last season's disappointing Big 5 losses, there is reason to think there may be a comeback for the Quakers. With veteran leadership and a maturing crop of young talent, it would be foolish to count the Quakers out.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that Lucy Olsen and Christina Dalce transferred after last season and no longer play for Villanova.
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