It had to get worse before it got better for the Red and Blue.
On Saturday, the Quakers (10-6, 0-3 Ivy) took on the Crimson (9-7, 2-1 Ivy) in a 53-42 defeat, extending their losing streak to three in Ivy League play. Penn’s 0-3 start to the Ivy conference marks the first for women’s basketball since 2010, which was Mike McLaughlin’s first season as head coach.
Here’s what Penn struggled to do and what Harvard did well on Saturday that resulted in a Quaker loss against the Crimson.
An ineffective full-court press
The game opened with some fiery adrenaline. From the get-go, the Quakers put the pressure on with a full-court defensive press that stifled the Crimson’s early scoring. The Quakers held Harvard to 3-13 in field goals and 1-3 from the three-point line in the first quarter. Penn led by 10, which was the biggest lead for the Quakers throughout the game.
However, this defensive presence quickly dissipated, and so did Penn’s lead. In the second quarter, the Crimson counter-attacked with their own press, and the noticeably exhausted Quakers struggled to contain and respond. Harvard outscored Penn 12-2 in the second quarter and 22-12 in the third quarter.
“We didn’t respond great,” coach McLaughlin said in a press conference. “We had some transition opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of. It’s just a question, maybe too many dry spells, you know, that made the difference in the game.”
Although the Quakers gave flashes of defensive energy in the beginning of each quarter, it ultimately was not enough to spark a scoring run.
Two points scored in the second quarter
Penn’s overall offense in this game can be explained through one quarter – an offense that scored only two points in the second quarter. The Quakers went 15-55 from the field and 5-21 from the three-point line as a collective team. Penn ended with a total score of 42 points, a stark drop from the 74.4-point average in Penn’s last two previous Ivy League games.
“You know, missing not good shots is never a good thing. I didn’t think we had great shots in the basket … we had opportunities. We did miss a couple of tough ones,” Coach McLaughlin said.
Penn’s accumulated turnovers and missed layups resulted in several scoreless droughts in the second and third quarter that ultimately decided Penn’s fate.
“We scored like two points in about 11 minutes and that’s a tough one,” he said.
Harvard’s physicality
Although the Quakers seemed intent on protecting the paint throughout the game, Penn’s dwindling defense led to the Crimson attacking the basket more frequently. Harvard’s physicality in the paint helped them generate free throws, while Penn struggled to convert field goals and threes in the last two quarters. Harvard went perfect from the free-throw line, going 13-13.
“Credit to them, they applied pressure really well,” junior guard Mataya Gayle said, “but I think we kind of got away from our principles, and that showed in our efficiency.”
“It’s not where anyone wants to be, but this team’s got a lot of basketball to go. Monday is really vital for this program to get where we need to go, and we’ll respond,” Coach McLaughlin said.
And the Quakers did, in fact, manage to turn it around.
In their second game of this weekend’s doubleheader, the Quakers were finally able to find their footing in Ivy League play as they beat Dartmouth 67-59. Both teams were looking for their first conference win of the season heading into the matchup, and it was thanks to a convincing team effort that the Quakers finally managed to pull through.
Here’s what the Quakers showed against the Big Green (9-8, 0-4 Ivy).
A must-win mentality
McLaughlin said on Saturday that Monday’s game would feel like a must-win, and he certainly managed to instill that mentality in his players. From tip-off to the final buzzer, the Quakers put their heart into every minute of the game.
It was an intense game from the get-go, and several players for the Red and Blue ended up on the floor hustling for the ball at some point during all four quarters. The Quakers were willing to go the extra mile for this win, showing aggression in their full-court press and putting up six forceful blocks compared to the Big Green.
“If you’re good at [basketball], you have to play that way,” Coach McLaughlin said. “It would have been a huge uphill battle to not have a win after four games, and we all know that, so I’m glad we played well against a good Dartmouth team.”
Four players, four unique strengths
The Penn players scoring more than 10 points had their roles cut out for them on Monday. For Gayle, that meant running the full court to make a layup when she had the chance, driving through the Dartmouth defense, and kicking a ball out to wide-open senior guard Simone Sawyer for a three-pointer a few minutes later.
Sawyer, in turn, was perfect from the three-point line until the last two minutes of the game, making four out of five threes, a substantial part of her 15 total points.
“I haven’t shot great the past few games, so it felt good to just keep shooting, and the confidence kind of came back for me,” Sawyer said.
Meanwhile, junior center Tina Njike had her third double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 16 points and 13 rebounds. Six of those were offensive rebounds, highlighting her invaluable role in the Quakers’ offense.
Sophomore forward Katie Collins rounded out the quartet as one of the most impactful defensive players on this team. It took her a while to start scoring, but at the beginning of the fourth quarter, she scored six points in quick succession, the only field goals for the Quakers over four minutes.
“I know numbers are what they are, but we wouldn’t have the success right now without Katie on the floor as much as she is,” McLaughlin said.
The full-court press works for the Quakers
Starting midway through the first quarter, Penn began to employ a full-court press, at times successfully trapping the opponent in their own half. Even as the minutes dwindled in the fourth quarter, they rarely let up, squashing a late-game effort by the Big Green that brought the score differential to two possessions.
In the second game of a two-game weekend, this physical and psychological intensity was an impressive feat, which ultimately set the Quakers apart from Dartmouth.
The Quakers will take on Yale on Saturday, Jan. 24, in New Haven, Conn., a battle of two teams with the same conference record.
