Penn women’s basketball fell 74-53 to local rival Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 24 to conclude Big 5 pod play.
The Quakers (4-2, 0-0 Ivy) won the tip-off, which junior guard Mataya Gayle capitalized on with a quick layup, but play soon slowed. Six scoreless possessions from both teams followed, with many rushed shots and a shared struggle to get into organized offense.
The Hawks (5-1, 0-0 A10) eventually broke the silence with a three-pointer and gained momentum. Turnovers from the Quakers allowed St. Joe’s to extend its lead, ending the quarter up 18-6 after a 12-0 scoring run.
After the break, Penn broke its offensive silence with a three-pointer from both senior guard Simone Sawyer and senior guard Saniah Caldwell. The offensive spark kept burning, as the next plays resulted in a fast break layup and a foul for Sawyer.
Upon the completion of an old-fashioned three-point play, the Quakers introduced their full-court pressure defense. Surprised by the pressure, St. Joe’s allowed a quick turnover, and in convergence with a layup from sophomore guard Ashna Tambe, Penn brought the score to 23-17.
As time ticked closer to halftime, however, the energy slowly drained from Penn’s offense. After a media timeout with just over four minutes left of the period, St. Joe’s guard Gabby Casey ignited the Hawks’ offense with a quick three-pointer, followed by a series of fast-break points with the help of guard Aleah Snead.
After a first half plagued with turnovers and offensive inefficiency demonstrated by 21.4% three-pointer accuracy, Penn came out of the halftime break with an adjusted game plan.
Penn elected to switch from a man-to-man defense to zone coverage in the third quarter. After initial defensive success for the Red and Blue, the Hawks adjusted quickly. With three minutes left in the quarter, after a made three-pointer from guard Emily Knouse, the Hawks’ offense quickly found its new groove.
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The Quakers sought a new look on offense too, attempting to capitalize off of junior center Tina Njike inside. The strategy was successful with some converted fouls, but Penn couldn’t stop the Hawks on the other end.
Despite the change-up from Penn on defense, the switch became ineffective as the Hawks forced turnovers and converted on scoring opportunities. A fast-break layup from guard Jill Jekot put her into double digit scoring. Then, teammate and guard Emily Knouse drilled a triple and started a 10-0 scoring run for St. Joe’s in the closing two minutes of the third quarter.
Despite the struggle, Sawyer continued to put up a strong effort and shine on both ends of the court for the Quakers. She led the team in both scoring and rebounds, expanding beyond her role as a defensive powerhouse in previous seasons.
“This is the best basketball Mo has played since she’s been at Penn,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “She’s rebounding the ball at a level that she had never had. She defends, plays hard. She’s our best athlete. She gets in the open court, as you saw a little bit today. So I think when you talk about progress, she’s really taken a big step forward.”
The Quakers didn’t give up fighting and began the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to make up the point deficit.
A spread scorebook from St. Joe’s, including four players in double digit scoring, put out any defensive spark the Quakers may have found.
“We’re growing as a group. We’re struggling a little bit on the offensive side of the ball. We’ll get there, but we have some work to do before Ivy play,” McLaughlin said.
The Quakers will continue nonconference play with a two-game road trip to Texas, where they will be first take on St. Thomas on Friday, Nov. 28.
