The Big 5 season is upon us.
To kick off Big 5 play, Penn faced off against Saint Joseph’s. Despite a 21-point performance by senior guard Stina Almqvist, the Quakers lost in their return to the Palestra with a final score of 57-68. The game marked the Quakers’ first in the new Big 5 pod system, a recent restructuring of the historic city conference.
“I’m from Philadelphia. I understand it. As much as things have changed in college sports, some have not,” coach Mike McLaughlin said of the Big 5. “I think the camaraderie and ability to be around people that share a lot of the same thing and understand this … there’s not a whole lot that understand as much as people that have been around. I think it’s pretty special.”
The first quarter was all Hawks (3-0), with 5-0 start against the Quakers (3-1) fueled by offensive rebounds and strong post presence from their front-court of forwards Talya Brugler and Laura Ziegler. In total, the Hawks grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded the Quakers 43-31.
“I didn’t think our guards tracked the ball well enough to get those 50-50 balls and some balls on the ground,” McLaughlin said. “Again, they’re out on the perimeter — it’s not an easy task — but for us to be a good rebounding team, our guards need to rebound the ball.”
On the Quakers’ side of the ball, freshman forward Katie Collins, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week, was the one off to a hot start, scoring off a hook shot and going 2-for-2 from downtown in back-to-back possessions. She played all 40 minutes of the game up against the front-court of Brugler and Ziegler, who were first team All-Big 5 selections.
“To even play 40 minutes against that talent with all that contact around the rim, to be able to stay vertical and play 40 minutes — to me, that translates,” McLaughlin said.
Almqvist started to heat up with several successful drives to the paint, bringing her tally to a team-high 12 points at the half. But the Quakers’ second star struggled, with sophomore guard Mataya Gayle failing to score in the first half, resulting in a 39-29 halftime lead for the Hawks.
“She still sometimes struggles with pace, understanding when to go fast, when to go slow, when to change speeds, when to score at times. She is on all the time,” McLaughlin said of his reigning Rookie of the Year. “And I don’t want to take that away from her, but to develop herself to that next level, trying to envision things for her in advance … that’s the next level that she’ll get to.”
Midway through in the third quarter, Penn switched to an aggressive full-court defense. The switch moved the needle in the Red and Blue’s direction with the defense forcing a turnover on one end and then Almqvist getting another big basket in the paint on the other. On the next trip back, St. Joe’s was called for a carry and a floater by Gayle cut the lead to eight.
“I thought the score was where we needed it to be. We had that run, we had a little momentum there. You get a deflection, layup there. The whole thing changes,” McLaughlin said. “Perhaps, maybe, you look back [and] we should’ve went pressure a little earlier than we did, but I was also trying to protect some players who were playing a lot of minutes.”
After trading runs, St. Joe’s used a pushed tempo to punish Penn’s press. Brugler was a frequent beneficiary, as was Ziegler, who combined for 37 points and 23 rebounds.
“I feel I learned that experience is very important. Composure was really evident on the other team,” Collins said after the matchup with the Big 5’s best.
A 9-3 scoring run gave the Hawks all the momentum they needed to fly away with the win in their quest to capture the Big 5 crown. And while the Quakers would keep up the fight, including six points from Gayle and another and-one for freshman guard Ashna Tambe in the fourth quarter, they could not complete the comeback.
But still, Penn leaves with its head held high.
“Every Big 5 game is so fun because it means so much more. Even though we didn’t play our best game, I think our effort and defense took us a long way today,” Almqvist said. “These games are the effort level, so we need to stay more focused, and our shots are gonna fall.”
The game is both Penn and St. Joe’s first contest in Big 5 pod play, and the first toward determining their seed for the inaugural Big 5 Women’s Classic. Both teams will also face off with Villanova later this season.
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