The new year came with new problems for Penn women’s basketball.
In the first game of Ivy League play, Penn struggled against a fast-paced Columbia squad. Fighting against a stifling defense that was quick to turn stops into buckets, star senior guard Stina Almqvist posted her worst offensive night of the year with only nine points — snapping her 20-game streak of posting double-digit scoring. Sophomore guard Mataya Gayle was also “a little hesitant at times,” according to coach Mike McLaughlin.
“[Columbia were] playing a very soft 1-2-2 [defense], and I don’t think [Gayle] was assertive enough,” McLaughlin said. “We lost our rhythm a little bit.”
The first and fourth quarter sank the Quakers as Columbia outscored Penn by 19 across the two frames, leading to a 74-59 loss.
Starting the match missing nine straight from the field, with three turnovers to match, the Quakers (9-5, 0-1 Ivy) looked overwhelmed by the defensive physicality of Columbia (10-4, 1-0) from the first minute of play. Each Penn possession was marred with sloppy passing, as the Lions preyed on every mistake.
With each Penn airball or turnover, Columbia’s offensive game plan was clear: Run the court for a layup or kick out for a three-pointer. The Lions ranked No. 7 in the Ivy League in defensive points allowed and three-point percentage heading into the matchup but also lead the Ancient Eight in scoring.
How? Hustle.
Leading the Ivy League in offensive rebounds while being No. 2 in turnover margin, Columbia’s recipe for success all season proved too much for Penn to handle early on.
Having no luck on offense and looking like a turnstile on defense, the Red and Blue were down 12 points with just over five minutes of game time elapsed. Three-point plays from Almqvist, junior guard Simone Sawyer, and junior guard Saniah Caldwell to end the first frame were a big momentum shift on offense — improving the deficit to within single digits. Sawyer’s offense was a highlight of the matchup — ending the game as Penn’s leading scorer with a season-high of 14.
“My teammates did a really good job of moving the ball and getting me to open spots,” Sawyer said.
In the second quarter, a more motivated Penn team came out to play. With the Penn offense limiting its turnovers, forcing the Lions into a half-court offense, the team went on a seven-to-nothing run to be down by only two points. A game that looked over before it began suddenly became a tight contest.
As the quarter ran down, a five-point scoring run from Gayle gave the Quakers their first lead of the match with only 26 seconds left to go. An impressive comeback was completed with the Palestra crowd backing the team in full force.
Continuing her hot streak, Gayle opened the second half with another three-pointer, putting Penn up by four points — earning Penn’s largest lead of the game so far.
As the second half moved forward, the game of scoring runs had ended. Each team slowed down in transition, deciding to trade haymakers in the half-court.
With both squads looking for an edge, it was the Red and Blue’s sloppy play from earlier that broke the stalemate. Coming out of a media timeout, a three-pointer off of an offensive rebound and a transition bucket by Columbia forced Penn to take a second timeout as the Lions went up four. Columbia would keep this lead heading into the final frame, as the Lions stood five points clear of Penn.
With the game on the line, Columbia got hot once again. With a mid-range jumper from Columbia guard and leading scorer Riley Weiss followed by two corner three-pointers coming off of a fast break opportunity and a steal, the Lions were able to balloon their lead to 12. Back against the wall, Penn stayed in the match but failed to climb back out of the hole it found itself in — with Almqvist and Gayle combining for three points in the fourth quarter.
“I think Stina has to take that next step,” McLaughlin said. “She’s going to be struggling again; I’d like to see her next time do the other things a little bit stronger to impact the game — you don’t only have to impact the game by putting the ball in the basket.”
Ending on a symbolic note, Columbia finished the game with a steal and score from guard/forward Perri Page, a charge taken by Weiss that earned her free throws on the other end, and one final transition layup leading to an end score of 74-59.
Conference play continues for Penn women’s basketball in the Palestra on Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. against Dartmouth.
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