As she contemplated her final game at the Palestra, senior guard Caitlin Slover broke down to the verge of tears.
“I always wanted to play in the Big 5. I always wanted to be here,” Slover said after practice last Wednesday. “Just like everything else in life, everything comes to an end.”
Playing, as always, in front of her parents and grandparents, Slover totaled 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists over the weekend. But it wasn’t enough, as Penn lost 80-61 against Columbia Friday and 60-42 to Cornell Saturday.
Penn (1-24, 0-11 Ivy) exited the weekend with eight straight home losses and 24 losses overall, both of which are program records. While the Quakers have gone on an eight-game skid three other times in their 40-year history, their worst previous record was 3-23 in 1995-96.
Against Columbia (16-10, 7-5), the Quakers planned to double-team junior Judie Lomax every time she touched the ball. Although Lomax was limited to a season-low four rebounds, she still managed 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting.
Lomax’s presence also helped free up open outside looks, as the Lions shot 12-for-20 from three-point range. Columbia’s pressure defense forced 21 Penn turnovers, but the team’s 61 points and freshman Brianna Bradford’s 15 points were both season highs.
In a defensive struggle Saturday, Cornell (7-18, 2-10) used a late surge to pull away after Slover had given Penn its final lead on a three-pointer with 12 minutes to play.
In a familiar refrain this season, the Quakers shot 3-for-20 from beyond the arc.
The Big Red relied on a balanced attack with five players in double figures, including Penn nemesis Allie Fedorowicz’s game-high 13 points.
The Quakers will have three more chances to secure an Ivy win this season when they head to Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend and take on Princeton March 9.
