Penn women's basketball rides historic night to weekend split

Punxsutawney Phil may have declared six more weeks of winter, but there was no sign of ice for Penn women’s basketball on a historic Saturday night at the Palestra.

The Quakers exploded offensively on their way to a 78-57 win over Columbia, a win that provided the squad with a solid confidence booster after Friday night’s demoralizing loss to Cornell.

Entering the weekend doubleheader and fresh off their first road sweep of Dartmouth and Harvard since 2004, the Red and Blue had not lost an Ivy contest in the Palestra since Jan. 11, 2014. But that all changed against the Big Red as Cornell raced out to an 18-point first half lead before holding on for a 60-49 win.

Early in the first half of Saturday’s matchup, Penn seemed like it hadn’t bucked the trend from the night before as the game was a back-and-forth battle. Led by star sophomore Tori Oliver — who finished with a game-high 24 points that night — and freshman Alexis Giuliano, the Lions (6-14, 0-6 Ivy) remained competitive for a bulk of the game early on.

But when the Red and Blue (12-7, 3-2) got hot, they stayed hot — especially from behind the arc.

Penn scored 53 points in the first half — one point shy of the school record and more than the team’s total against Cornell (13-7, 4-2) the night before. The Quakers had three players in double digits by halftime as the team connected on 61.5 percent of their threes before the break.

Coach Mike McLaughlin credited his defense with providing the offensive a spark that ultimately allowed Penn to control the tempo for the remainder of the game.

“I think it was 21-20 with 10 minutes to go in the first,” he said. “We switched out of the zone and into the man. That was the best man-to-man we have played all year. It allowed our defense to turn into offense.”

Led by freshman forward Michelle Nwokedi and sophomore forward Sydney Stipanovich, the Red and Blue had four players reach double digits en route to the blowout.

In her first career start, Nwokedi notched her second consecutive double-double, scoring a career-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds and seven blocks.

“I was nervous,” the Missouri City, Texas, native said. “I had no idea [being named a starter] was coming. I was just ready to help the team in any way I could.”

“She has great tools,” McLaughlin said. “She has an understanding of the college game, the pace and all. She is already off to a good start, and I just think the sky is the limit for her.”

Nwokedi wasn’t the only Penn player with a historic night.

Late in the second half, senior captain Kara Bonenberger scored her 1,000th point, a milestone only 20 other players in school history have reached.

Although Bonenberger had not been keeping a close tab on her point total, her friends and family certainly were.

“My grammy keeps track of all that so she told me, and then I figured out it [would be] sometime either yesterday or today,” Bonenberger said. “I am just honored and privileged to get this opportunity to get to the milestone of 1,000 points.”

Standout performances aside, the victory was undoubtedly a team effort. Eight players scored for the Quakers while 14 different players received playing time.

“Everyone was flowing,” Bonenberger said. “We were playing together. We were playing as a team, and it just showed on the court.”

Despite splitting its two games at home this weekend, both McLaughlin and his team know they cannot focus on the standings at this point in the season.

“As I tell the players, I can’t let them get caught up in what other teams are doing and what their records are,” McLaughlin said. “We are keeping score for Penn. And that is all that really matters.

“We are just going to fight every one we play. ... add them all up at the end.”

The Quakers will next be in action on Friday when they travel to New Haven, Conn., for a matchup with Yale.

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