The Quakers appeared in control of their game against Niagara at the Palestra yesterday, leading by two with 17 seconds to play and reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week Alyssa Baron at the foul line.
But after Baron’s miss on the second free throw, Niagara’s Kayla Stroman hit a three-pointer with six seconds remaining, leaving Penn with a crushing 52-51 loss.
“This happened plenty of times in high school,” Baron said. “You win some, you lose some, [and] any time it hurts.”
The game played out as a cat-and-mouse chase, with the teams exchanging the lead ten times over the 40 minutes, never with a difference of more than six points between them.
Penn (2-3) garnered a 32-26 lead before heading into the locker room, but lost momentum when Niagara (1-5) scored the first nine points of the second half. The Quakers struggled offensively throughout the final frame, sinking just 23 percent of their shots.
“I don’t think we came out of the gate at the start of the second half,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “We have to improve on that — four minutes there — I think we gave it away.”
But the game remained close until the final buzzer, when Baron’s last-second shot attempt missed.
“I think [Baron] will be in that situation again. I thought she did a good job,” McLaughlin said. “Overall, she got to where she wanted to go on the court … She’ll learn from being in that situation.”
Despite missing two key shots, Baron finished with 13 points and a team-high four assists.
Senior Jess Knapp led the Quakers in scoring with 14 points, while Niagara’s Liz Flooks took care of nearly half of the Purple Eagles’ shots with 25 points.
Yesterday’s game marks the second straight loss for the Quakers against winless opponents.
However, despite their inability to hit their benchmark of three wins to surpass last season’s record, Knapp sees yesterday’s game as a true mark of change.
“I’m never going to settle with a loss,” Knapp said. “But we’re definitely making huge strides. In the past, I don’t even know if we would’ve been in the game that close, so that says something.”
“They have to learn that this is part of the process. I think this is a step that builds character. We’ll get back at practice tomorrow, and we’ll get better,” McLaughlin said.
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