PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Following a blowout loss to Columbia last week, Penn women’s basketball kept it close to Brown but ultimately fell 65-57 to the Bears in the last quarter.
Penn (10-9, 1-5 Ivy) was ultimately unable to keep up with Brown’s (10-9, 4-2) strong offensive duo of forward Alyssa Moreland and guard Grace Arnolie. The Quakers’ 20% success rate on three-point shots and difficulty securing defensive rebounds hindered their fight against the Bears.
“We got a lot of open shots that we, frankly, just needed to make,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “We played incredibly hard … but the rebounding [was just] too much to handle.”
The evening opened with the Red and Blue winning the tip and a quick layup by sophomore guard Mataya Gayle for the first points on the board. The Quakers followed with a stop on the following possession — a glimpse of the offensive struggles both teams would proceed to face.
Facing a Brown press defense, the Red and Blue initially struggled to set up offense and move the ball. The first quarter was marked by three Penn turnovers with the team settling for tough shots. The Quakers made only 23.1% of their three-point shots in the first frame, highlighting their hurried offensive play.
With a minute left in the first quarter, a three-pointer by Brown’s Arnolie pushed the Bears to a 10-5 lead. The Quakers responded well with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Abby Sharpe. The Red and Blue continued to build on this momentum through a subsequent steal by freshman forward Katie Collins and a bucket by senior guard Stina Almqvist. The Quakers didn’t stop there though — Penn’s defense forced a shot clock violation to end the quarter just down 12-10.
In the second quarter, Brown’s offense converted two Penn turnovers. The Red and Blue matched the defensive efforts by then forcing two turnovers but were not able to score on the possessions. By the end of the half, Arnolie’s 11 points and Moreland’s eight were largely a result of Brown’s strength on the offensive boards. The Bears totaled 10 offensive rebounds to the Quakers’ 14 defensive boards at the end of the half. These second-chance opportunities gave Brown the upper hand and allowed them to keep the game close with the Quakers. Penn entered the locker room trailing 28-27.
The second half opened with a struggle by Penn’s offense. After a few empty-handed possessions, Almqvist and junior guard Simone Sawyer’s efforts kept the Quakers in the game.
With an assist by Gayle, Almqvist made a smooth three-pointer. She kept up the pace with two quick jumpers – bringing the Quakers into a 38-34 lead halfway into the third quarter.
“Her aggressiveness was great. … I thought [Almqvist] made the right basketball plays today,” McLaughlin said. “The numbers don’t dictate it … when you look at stat[istics]. She kicked the ball to the right players.”
Sawyer’s efforts on the defensive end helped too — forcing multiple turnovers and contributing eight rebounds for the Quakers. Sawyer played a key role on the other end, leading Penn in scoring with a season-high 14 points. Almqvist was the second-leading scorer with 12 points, bouncing back after scoring just nine in last weekend’s game against Columbia.
As the fourth quarter began, the Quakers trailed in a close 44-42 game. But this is where the Quakers started to feel the heat. Brown started strong — pushing the lead to nine in the first 45 seconds with Arnolie’s three-pointer and layup from a steal.
In the following minutes, the strong offense inside from Moreland and threat of kicking to Arnolie for a three-pointer allowed Brown to maintain the lead. A successful three-pointer from freshman guard Sarah Miller cut Brown’s lead to four, but a Brown stop and back-to-back missed layups by the Quakers sealed the victory for the Bears.
The Quakers face off against Yale in an away game on Saturday, Feb. 1.
“We have no choice but to respond,” McLaughlin said. “If we want this to continue for the rest of the year, we have to get tomorrow.”
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