Despite another generation of Penn women’s basketball players failing to beat Princeton, the team remains hopeful for a potential rematch.
Before the normal sounds of Palestra basketball began, Penn celebrated senior day by honoring student team manager Mabel Moosbrugger, senior guard Lizzy Groetsch, and a career 1,000-point scorer senior guard Stina Almqvist.
Despite a fantastic showing from Almqvist during her last performance on the Palestra court, Princeton secured its 14th straight win over the Red and Blue, 67-53, on the back of a career-high 20 points from Princeton guard/forward Fadima Tall.
With Brown beating Yale shortly after, both programs ended the regular season tied in conference record and opponents beaten — making the NCAA NET ranking the deciding factor of who gets an Ivy League Championship playoff berth.
“I’m a statistics major, I’ve been following NET rankings all season,” Almqvist said. “I think it’s in our favor … it’s kinda weird it comes down to, like, ranking and some sort of algorithm but, yeah, I think we have a really good chance.”
How it started
Senior guard Groetsch opened the scoring with a quick putback, but her layup would turn out to be the easiest bucket of the first frame for the Red and Blue (15-12, 6-8 Ivy). Fittingly, the only players to record a point, rebound, or assist for the Quakers in the first three minutes were seniors.
“The girls break down in tears talking about Lizzy,” coach Mike Mclaughlin said. “She’s the kid that, I saw her every practice, the first one on the floor. She’s always bringing a younger kid, but it’s kind of like big sister, little sister.”
Penn would soon find itself behind by 15, with Princeton (21-6, 12-2 Ivy) starting the game by finishing difficult shots on a blazing eight of 11 from the field. In particular, guard Ashley Chea would splash three midrange shots for a quick six to start the game.
The Tigers eventually ended the first 10 minutes going 11 of 18 from the field for 25 points, while Penn would go on an abysmal three of 13 shooting spree, with multiple mistakes below the basket would sink the team.
Pendulum Momentum
With 3:55 minutes left to go in the second frame, Penn’s luck seemed to have swung as a flurry of free throws and layups helped establish a 12-4 scoring run with four different Quakers contributing. Forgoing Princeton’s playstyle of midrange shots and contested low-down buckets, most of the Quakers’ success came from physical drives ending with layups or points at the charity stripe. This — coupled with a one-of-13 shooting slump from the field for the Tigers — brought the lead to only seven points.
The drawback of going to the hoop? Princeton’s ability to force turnovers and head the other way — which is exactly what they did to end the half. Scoring four straight points off of forced turnovers, Princeton brought the lead back to double digits, finishing the half up 33-22.
“I thought offensively we weren’t good enough,” McLaughlin said. “I thought we competed at a high level and guarded them at a high level.”
Seemingly exchanging game plans, Penn came out of the break taking shots from midrange or three-point distance, while the Tigers would go 4-for-4 on layups — struggling from beyond the arc themselves.
Failure to gain ground
As the third frame came to a close, Penn and Princeton would exchange buckets — never find themselves pulling away in either direction. An impressive steal and fast-break assist from Almqvist to sophomore guard Mataya Gayle would bring the Quakers within seven points, but a ridiculous and-1 baseline fadeaway from Princeton guard Skye Belker would restore a double-digit lead.
The final minutes of the fourth frame saw more of the same, as bucket after bucket from the perimeter by Penn was miraculously answered on the other end by Princeton’s paint presence. Whether it was putbacks or extra possessions earned through offensive rebounds, Princeton would find a way to stay ahead.
Finally, with the score at 52-43 in favor of Princeton, the Tigers began to pull the game away despite a superhuman scoring run from Almqvist. Matching Almqvist’s six straight points with 13 points of its own — including the team’s first two made shots from the three-point range in the second half — Princeton would pull away for the final time en route to a 67-53 win.
Grateful for her time not only at Penn but in college in general, Almqvist spoke through tears after the game.
“These last few years … it’s just been awesome having so many best friends within, like, a five-minute walk,” Almqvist said. “It’s truly a unique experience.”
The teams have a chance to meet again in the playoffs, but the Quakers must wait for the NET ranking to be announced on March 9.
Penn finished its regular season 15-12 and 6-8 in conference play.
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