It doesn't get better than Baron for Penn women's basketball

There is one play that will be remembered more than any other from the best season in the Mike McLaughlin era of Penn women’s basketball.

Quarterfinals of the WBI. Down by two, 7.9 seconds remaining on the clock. Alyssa Baron takes the ball up the court, dribbles just inside the three-point arc, steps back and hits a walk-off trey to send the Quakers to the tournament semifinals.

“That shot I made in the quarterfinals against Fairfield will definitely be ingrained in my memory for a long time,” Baron said.

But that play isn’t worth remembering just because it was the fantastic finish to Penn’s second ever playoff victory.

In just 7.9 seconds, Baron showed exactly why she is one of the best players in the Ivy League. When looking at Penn’s statistics, one thing stands out: Baron leads the Quakers in points, rebounds, assists and steals.

And this year, Baron successfully transitioned from a pure scorer into a leader, as McLaughlin named her as one of Penn’s three captains.

“Especially when I was an underclassman, I wasn’t as vocal both on and off the court,” she said. “So being named captain showed that I am making improvements in that direction.

“Next year, it will be even more important — being a two-time captain — that I lead the team.”

That leadership was on display early in the season. Three games into the season, starting point guard Meghan McCullough went down with an injury, thrusting freshman Keiera Ray into the starting lineup.

So Baron took it upon herself to become the distributor the team needed, dishing out 3.8 assists per game.

“With Meghan out, I definitely had to get the ball moving a little bit more,” she said. “I took it as a role for myself to contribute to everyone else on the team.”

And while many people will focus on Baron’s offensive impact for the Red and Blue, she also improved on the defensive end of the court.

After the final regular season game of the year against Princeton, McLaughlin commented on the major strides Baron had made, right after she had battled two-time Ivy League Player of the Year Niveen Rasheed.

“I don’t know if we would be talking about [Baron] guarding Niveen last year,” he said. “I think that’s her biggest progress [this year].”

“She is always going to score because she is gifted. She is now rebounding the ball. She’s defending,” he said. “I think she has made great progress.

“She is becoming the full package and, after next season, I think you are going to see a complete player. She wants to be that complete player and she will work to do it.”

The junior captain is also taking pride in her work on the defensive end of the court.

“I actually look forward to playing defense now,” Baron said. “I love shutting down the opposing team’s leading player. That is one of my goals heading into games.”

When looking back at Baron’s season, you could just focus on her stat line. Or you could point to her growth as a defender and as a leader.

Or you could simply remember her buzzer-beater against Fairfield.

But there is another play that stands as a testament to Baron’s impact on the Red and Blue.

In the final seconds against St. Francis, the Quakers were down just one in the final 10 seconds after overcoming an 18-point deficit.

And despite dealing with foul trouble all night, Baron nailed the go-ahead layup.

Even on nights when Baron may have struggled, she still made the difference when the team needed her the most.

And Baron is ready to lead the Quakers on one last charge.

“Going into next year, we should be looking forward to another great year, an even better year,” she said. “And just looking forward to an Ivy League championship.”

SEE ALSO

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Penn women’s basketball has its magic run out against Titans

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