VILLANOVA, Pa. — The Quakers ran it back for another Big 5 Classic win over La Salle.
For the second edition of the women’s Big 5 Classic, Penn women’s basketball took on La Salle for the fifth-place game, downing the Explorers 65-52 to secure fifth in the Big 5.
The teams met under the same circumstances last year at the inaugural Big 5 Classic at Finneran Pavilion, where Penn proved victorious.
This year, the Quakers (7-3, 1-2 Big 5) repeated their winning performance against the Explorers (4-6, 0-3). Sophomore forward Katie Collins led all scorers with 20 points, making nine of 15 field goals, while sophomore guard Ashna Tambe contributed a career-high 11 points.
“This game had crazy ebbs and flows to it,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “I think we finished the game the right way. … It’s not an easy response when you have a big lead and kind of give it back a little bit, and that push and that response tells you about the character.”
Here’s how Penn women’s basketball claimed the win.
In a game of runs, the second quarter decided it all
Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter, with the score at 11-10 and Penn holding onto the lead.
In the second frame, the Quakers pulled away, finishing with a 16-2 run at the end of the quarter. Senior guard Simone Sawyer scored five points during that run, while Tambe added a much-needed spark off the bench.
“I don’t know if we’d be sitting here today if it weren’t for [Tambe’s] effort,” McLaughlin said. “Proud of her growth. … She hasn’t played a whole lot here at Penn, but she has something about her that is very unique.”
After the second quarter, the Explorers never caught up in part due to Tambe.
The sophomore made a jumper, a three-pointer, and an and-one in quick succession at the start of the fourth quarter, which put Penn firmly out of reach of La Salle for the remaining of the game.
Junior center Tina Njike and Collins got the offense going
It was Njike who put the first points on the board with a three-pointer, which ended up being Penn’s only made triple in the opening frame.
As the Penn offense struggled under La Salle’s aggressive man-to-man defense, making only five of 17 field goals. Njike and Collins combined to put up all of Penn’s 11 points in the quarter.
As the game continued, it remained Collins and Njike who filled out the Quakers’ box score. Collins flirted with a double-double, putting up 20 points and nine rebounds, while Njike added a double-double of her own, with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Njike scored both of her attempted three-pointers during the game, which she credits to the work she put in over the summer.
“I told myself to really focus on it, and that it would hopefully pay off in this season,” Njike said. “You’ve just got to trust the work that you put in.”
Penn faced troubles against the Explorers’ zone defense
After impressive showings in the past two weeks, the Quakers also faced some offensive struggles in Sunday’s matchup. La Salle switched to a 3-2 zone defense midway through the third quarter, catching Penn’s players off-guard and forcing multiple steals and turnovers.
By the end of the afternoon, nearly half of the Explorers’ total points came off of turnovers. Penn managed to adapt just in time to not let La Salle catch up to it.
“It was the zone [defense] that gave us the most trouble in that stretch,” McLaughlin said. “We started running a few more things, created a bit more movement. And sometimes it just takes a basket. Once you make one, the second one gets a little easier.”
After two years of it taking place at Villanova, the idea of holding next year’s tripleheader at the Palestra is being explored.
“It would be great for our university,” McLaughlin said. “I know one thing Penn would put on a first class event, just [as] Villanova has done here.”
Penn women’s basketball returns to home court on Dec. 19, where it will face Washington State.
