
First with her career-high 10 rebounds Friday and then with her first career double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds to clinch the victory Saturday, Caitlin Slover had a weekend to remember.
The Penn women's basketball team lost to Yale, 61-51, Friday in New Haven, Conn. But thanks to the junior guard's career night, the Quakers bounced back in Providence, R.I., to take one from Brown in overtime, 55-48.
Penn came out flat against Brown. It was Slover, a Southhampton, Pa., native, that kept the Quakers alive in the first half.
While the rest of the team sank only 6-for-24 shots and turned the ball over 11 times, Slover managed to net nine points in the first frame alone, despite the Bears' full-court press.
"I was . trying to give everyone a jump start," Slover said. "I tried to help my team out and give them some energy."
The Bears grabbed 16 offensive rebounds the previous night against Princeton. Saturday morning in their shootaround, the Quakers decided they would allow the Bears no more than nine offensive rebounds that night.
And the Red and Blue hit their mark exactly. They had 12 offensive rebounds - four by Slover - to Brown's nine.
"We can't give them second shots. Bottom line is that was key," coach Pat Knapp said. "We got in there and rebounded."
With just under two minutes left in the game, the score teetered back and forth between the two teams. Then, with five seconds left in regulation, Brown guard Sadiea Williams, who netted 11 points on the night, took an off-balanced shot in an attempt to steal a win.
"It was a prayer and hopefully we'd get the rebound," senior forward Carrie Biemer said, "but I can't lie [and say] that I wasn't nervous."
Biemer's prayer was answered as the shot missed and the 44-44 game went into overtime.
Slover's hustle was evident in overtime, as she came up big for the Quakers by nailing five free throws - she was 7-for-8 from the stripe on the night - and grabbed one steal in the extra frame. With strong overtime performances from senior Kelly Scott and freshman Tyler Cumbo as well, the Quakers managed to pull out the victory.
Although Friday night's matchup at Yale seemed to be headed in the same back-and-forth direction as Saturday's game - the score was tied 27-27 at halftime - the Quakers let the game slip away after the break.
Yale's Yoyo Greenfield and Mady Gobrecht scored 14 points each, while the Quakers' offense turned the ball over 21 times. The Red and Blue were outrebounded 38-35.
"We did not get second, third, fourth [and] fifth opportunities and let Yale score too easily," Knapp said.
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