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Junior forward Sydney Stipanovich kept Saturday's NCAA Tournament game close with a 16-point, 13-rebound performance, but it wasn't enough, as Penn women's basketball fell, 65-53.

Credit: Ananya Chandra

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Penn women’s basketball went Dancing this weekend, but they only got out on the floor for a single song.

A 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Quakers took on seventh-seeded Washington at College Park, Md., Saturday, falling in what was largely a tight contest, 65-53.

One of only six players to enter the game for Penn (24-5) prior to the final minute, junior forward Sydney Stipanovich kept the Red and Blue afloat for much of the day with a 16-point, 13-rebound performance. Sophomores Anna Ross and Michelle Nwokedi added 13 and 10 points apiece, but they weren’t enough to match up with a Huskies offense that averages 71 points per game.

It seemed like it might be a quiet contest at the same arena where the Quakers fell to Texas in the opening round of the 2014 Tournament. Neither team could find the basket until sophomore guard Lauren Whitlatch drained a three to get Penn on the board more than two minutes into the game.

Early on, defense reigned supreme. In the opening quarter alone, Stipanovich grabbed eight rebounds while Nwokedi managed to block four shots. That defense also held Washington (23-10) to seven points — the fourth-lowest for the Huskies in a quarter all season. Even still, the Quakers couldn’t take complete control of the game.

“We knew they were going to play 40 minutes of game like our kids do,” Washington coach Mike Neighbors said. “We just wanted to make sure it was at our pace. We kept saying if we could keep it close going into the third quarter, our conditioning would take over.”

Going into the second quarter up 13-7, the Red and Blue appeared ready to take control of the game. But Washington showed why their offense was worth fearing. Talia Walton opened the second frame with a three, kickstarting a 10-0 run that put the Huskies on top for the first time.

As was recurrent throughout the game, it was Stipanovich who broke the run, hitting a long jumper off a feed from Ross with seven minutes left in the half. A three from Whitlatch a few possessions later brought the Huskies’ lead to 19-18. A jumper from none other than Stipanovich tied the game at 20 before the squads settled into trading shots.

When Plum made a layup with 2:52 left in the half to go ahead 24-22, the scoring dried up. For 2 minutes and 51 seconds, no one could score.

But then Kasey Chambers decided she wanted a third straight game with a buzzer-beater. With a second to go before the break, the junior guard drilled a long three-pointer, sending the Quakers to the locker room with a 25-24 lead.

“We knew we could get [the halftime lead],” Whitlatch said. “Washington’s a great team, they have a lot of great players but so do we, and we understood that. The whole time, we believed in ourselves, and I think that’s all you could ask for.”

Plum tied the score at 25 early in the third quarter. The next possession, Chantel Osahor stole the ball from Ross and tossed up a three. It didn’t go, but Katie Collier got the offensive board and dished the ball to Alexus Atchley for a layup.

In the moment, the sequence didn’t seem significant. But it was emblematic of what would eventually doom the Quakers. By the game’s end, the Red and Blue had committed 17 turnovers and conceded 13 offensive rebounds to the Huskies. Both made it nearly impossible for Penn to maintain any momentum.

With 36 seconds remaining in the third quarter, a pair of free throws from Ross gave the Quakers a 40-39 lead. It was the last one they would hold. Walton sank a trey before the end of the quarter, and Washington didn’t look back.

Chambers hit a three to make it 46-43 with 7:30 to play. Atchley responded with a three. And then another from Walton. And then a jumper from Plum. And then a layup from Collier.

For two minutes, a jumper from Stipanovich was the Red and Blue’s only score. When the media timeout finally rolled around, it was 54-43, and the Quakers were noticeably deflated.

“Eventually fatigue naturally kicks in,” Penn coach Mike McLaughlin said. “But there’s no excuses. They won’t make any for themselves either. I’m sure fatigue became some type of factor, but they’re used to it.”

Yet another midrange shot from Stipanovich followed by a basket from Nwokedi and a huge three from Ross helped make it 56-50 with four minutes to play. But the run wouldn’t be enough.

“We thought we could get back in it with our own little run, but that didn’t happen,” Ross said.

A combination of turnovers and missed shots kept Penn behind as time dwindled, before both teams eventually pulled their starters with 37 seconds to go.

With that move, Penn coach Mike McLaughlin sent Brooklyn Juday —the team’s lone healthy senior — to the court for the final time. Juday was out there as the final buzzer signaled the end of an historic season, and Juday was left to reflect on the end of a career.

“It was bittersweet knowing that it was the very end, but nice knowing that the end was in such a great place to play,” she said.

While Juday is looking back on her years at Penn, Whitlatch is looking forward.

“This isn’t the end, we’re just getting started.”

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