There’s a bit of deja vu in the air.
This weekend, Penn women’s basketball will battle La Salle for fifth place in the second-annual Toyota Women’s Big 5 Classic at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion. The two played in the same match a year ago in the inaugural edition, and Penn is looking for a repeat performance.
Last season, the Quakers overpowered the Explorers 74-61 in the championship to take fifth place in the Big 5. In the game, four players notched points in double figures while Penn coach Mike McLaughlin secured his 250th win with the program.
“What they did since we went into this format [for the Big 5 Classic] has added a little excitement. There’s an end. There’s a definitive winner. There’s a definitive second place, third, and on. I think it made the first two games more purposeful,” McLaughlin said. “Being a part of it last year was pretty exciting.”
“Big 5 has been fun every single year. It’s a super exciting opportunity, especially to play at Villanova and playing La Salle,” senior guard Simone Sawyer added.
McLaughlin is rolling out a similar squad this year. The offense is powered by junior guard Mataya Gayle, who is notching 10.6 points and 4.1 assists per game. Meanwhile, last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year and sophomore forward Katie Collins is averaging a team-high 11 points alongside hauling in 6.9 rebounds per contest. Collins primarily played the center position last year, but she has moved to power forward this season.
A notable departure for the Quakers this offseason was 2025 Wharton graduate Stina Almqvist, who led the team in total points last season and notched 1,110 points over her career. McLaughlin has turned, in part, to junior center Tina Njike to help fill in Almqvist’s scoring prowess. Njike had a quiet first two years at Penn, partially due to injury, but she has averaged 9.3 points in eight starts at center this season.
“We flowed the ball through each other, played through the middle, played to our post kids. We’re timely on our cuts. We’ve been very effective,” McLaughlin said.
Alongside Njike, senior guards Saniah Caldwell and Sawyer round out the Quakers’ offense.
“The Big 5 is just definitely a higher level,” Sawyer said, who is averaging 10.1 points per game. “All games mean a lot, but the Big 5 is a big deal in Philly.”
Penn dropped both of its Big 5 matchups to Drexel and Saint Joseph’s. Against Drexel, Penn struggled early. The Dragons limited Penn to just one point in the second quarter while Drexel poured it on from beyond the arc. Similarly, against St. Joe’s, Penn allowed run after run as the Hawks soared past Penn 74-53.
“We learned a lot from those games, and then even bringing [those lessons] into the games after, I think it showed,” said Gayle. “Going [in]to our third game, obviously, we want to get a win under our belt. We respect the team, but I think it’s definitely a pride game for us.”
“We’re all ready. We’re hungry to win,” Gayle continued. “These last two weeks, we’ve really grown a lot as a team. I think losing teaches you a lot as a team, and we’ve lost to some very talented teams. We’ve watched a lot of film, we’ve talked a lot, we’ve shot a lot.”
Like Penn, La Salle dropped both of its Big 5 matchups, falling to Temple and Villanova.
The Explorers have been led by guard Ashleigh Connor, who is averaging a team-high 16.6 points alongside four assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. Limiting Connor will be key for the Quakers this time around. The junior sharpshooter is shooting a blistering 38.5% from beyond the arc. Last year in the Big 5 Classic, Connor scored a team high of 13 points.
Tip-off for the fifth-place matchup of the Women’s Big 5 Classic is set for noon on Sunday at the Finneran Pavilion at Villanova.
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