Alyssa Baron was not going to be stopped.
After the Penn women’s basketball team lost to Cornell, 45-42, Friday night,the Red and Blue’s sophomore leader scored 25 points as she carried the Quakers to victory over Columbia Saturday, 61-41.
“I wasn’t letting that one slip away,” Baron said.
The Quakers (10-13, 3-6 Ivy) needed a strong offensive output against Columbia (2-21, 0-9) following their poor performance against Cornell (10-12, 4-4).
On Friday, the Red and Blue grabbed 25 offensive rebounds, compared with four for the Big Red, but were only able to score 12 second-chance points.
“We left a lot of points out there,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “I’ve never seen us buried like that.”
Despite their inability to finish on the offensive end, the Quakers stayed close to Cornell thanks to strong defensive play.
As time ran out, senior captain Jess Knapp attempted a three pointer that fell just short, symbolic of the Quakers’ struggles throughout the game — the Red and Blue shot just 22 percent from the field.
Though the Big Red only made one more field goal than Penn, they made half of their attempts.
Baron was the only Penn player in double figures Friday.
Just 22 hours later, the Quakers looked like a different team. Rather than let their offensive woes carry over, Penn shot over fifty percent from the field.
“I was really impressed with how the girls came out after last night’s loss,” McLaughlin said. “They showed a lot of composure.”
Baron, who missed just two shots on twelve attempts, thought it was business as usual.
“That’s just how the Ivy League works,” Baron said. “You just have to forget about the loss, and get ready for the next game.”
Along with Baron, freshman Kara Bonenberger led the strong scoring effort with 13 points. At one point, Baron and Bonenberger combined to score 17 consecutive points for Penn.
While their offensive output was a tale of two gymnasiums, the Red and Blue’s defense held up the entire weekend.
Though Cornell shot the ball well, Penn forced the Big Red to commit 24 turnovers. Against Columbia, the Quakers’ stifling pressure allowed the Lions to shoot just 36 percent from the field and 3-for-16 from three.
Ultimately, the Quakers came home disappointed with their road trip split.
“We definitely wanted both wins,” Baron said. “And we had a chance to get both.”
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