Apparently, the bottom of the Ivy League and the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference are closer than one might expect.
The Penn women’s basketball team rallied, but suffered its third straight loss Sunday, falling 54-45 to the ACC’s Virginia.
Despite the three-game slump, however, coach Mike McLaughlin has noted his team’s potential in playing up to top competition.
“I saw something special in these kids tonight,” he said. “I’m really proud of the way we competed, and I think the only disappointment tonight is that they scored more than we did.”
The Red and Blue (5-8, 0-1 Ivy) were down by just eight at halftime before the Cavaliers (11-8) — who have made three NCAA Tournament appearances in as many seasons— opened the second half with a 14-5 run, extending their lead to 17.
In an effort led by Penn sophomore Brianna Bradford, who scored 11 points in the game, the Quakers fought their way back to cut the margin to three with three minutes remaining.
“I really try and push the ball in transition and get as many defensive stops as I can,” she said. “I just try to bring a lot of energy on defense.”
The rest of the Quakers also brought that energy, forcing 24 turnovers and holding the Cavaliers, who average 66 points per game, to under 60 points.
Despite Bradford’s efforts, it was too little, too late for the Quakers, and Virginia sealed its win with free throws down the stretch.
The game was similar to the matchup against Princeton on Jan. 8, when the Quakers were down 18 and Bradford led a second-half comeback to get the game within seven before losing by 11.
For the team to be more successful, it must improve on offensive possessions, McLaughlin said. He emphasized that the team was strong defensively, but unable to score consistently.
While the Quakers are energized by their recent performances against tough teams, McLaughlin pointed out that he does not consider those losses moral victories.
“We’re not in this for a moral victory,” he said. “We’re in it to make this program go in the right direction in playing these types of schools. I think if we say it’s a moral victory, it’s not fair to our players because we didn’t come here for a moral victory, we came here to win.”
Moral victory or not, the Quakers feel confident as they look to end their losing streak with two Big Five games before their Ivy schedule begins.
“We take our mistakes from this game and practice really hard tomorrow,” Bradford said. “We can’t dwell on the loss — we just have to look forward.”
