All wins and love in Penn women's basketball's Valentine's Day matchup against Yale.
In a game without junior guard Simone Sawyer, the Quakers (12-10, 3-6 Ivy) started back-to-back weekend conference play with a win against the Yale Bulldogs (2-20, 1-8) on Friday evening at the Palestra — defeating their Ancient Eight opponent 71-59.
Coming off back-to-back double-digit scoring performances, sophomore guard Mataya Gayle made it three in a row after only one quarter — having 11 points in the first 10 minutes. The reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year would finish with a season-high 26 points.
Senior guard Stina Almqvist entered Friday with 971 career points, just 29 shy of becoming the 26th woman in Quakers history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
After 12 minutes of game time, Penn had managed to create an eight-point lead, a cushion that would deteriorate during the remainder of the second quarter. A converted and-one by Yale forward Grace Thybulle — younger cousin of Matisse Thybulle on the Portland Trail Blazers — pulled the Elis within two points. On the ensuing possession, Yale guard/forward Mackenzie Egger, hit a pull-up jumper to tie it up at 25-a-piece with 3:27 remaining in the first half.
In the waning seconds of the first half, Penn was 0-for-8 on its last eight attempts and only 1-for-13 on its last 13 — going over five minutes without scoring. The Bulldogs managed to go on a 7-0 run at one point during that stretch. Nevertheless, both teams went into the halftime locker room with 27 points on the board.
“We didn’t have a good second quarter,” said coach Mike McLaughlin. “Our pace, the way we played … it's not how we’re going to succeed.”
Twenty seconds into the half was all it took for freshman forward Katie Collins to break the tie — scoring from short-range to put Penn back in the driver’s seat. But it wouldn’t take long before the Bulldogs responded as Yale guard Avery Lee hit a three-pointer to put Yale back on top. It would be short lived, however, as Gayle hit a three-pointer of her own to reclaim a one-point Quaker lead.
Penn entered the final quarter with a two-point advantage, and the next highlight moment would be from none other than Almqvist — scoring career points 980-982 on a converted and-one on a shot where she endured significant contact underneath the basket.
The Friday night crowd at the Palestra rose to its feet as Penn's junior guard Saniah Caldwell hit a three-pointer from the right shoulder — a shot that put her in the box score.
“I thought our pace in the fourth quarter from right out of the gate was really good,” McLaughlin said.
A beautiful pass from Gayle to a wide-open Collins under the basket led to a layup that extended Penn’s lead to seven — prompting Yale coach Dalila Eshe to call timeout with 6:12 remaining. Collins ended the evening with 21 points and 10 rebounds, enough for her fifth career double-double and career-high in points over her short time at Penn so far.
“Playing with Katie’s a blessing,” Gayle said. “All the hustle plays — she’s so talented.”
Coach McLaughlin added to Gayle’s praise saying simply that her performance tonight was “elite.”
But Penn had no intention of turning off the afterburners. The Quakers increased their streak to 11 unanswered points before another Bulldog timeout. Right out of the huddle, Gayle and freshman guard Sarah Miller hit back-to-back three-pointers to amass the Quaker lead to 14.
And there was no looking back. In addition to Collins and Gayle, Almqvist scored her fair share with 16 points — now only 13 points to reach quadruple-digits.
Looking ahead, the Quakers return to action on Feb 15 to battle Brown back in the Palestra.
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