The Quakers (13-7, 3-4 Ivy) are looking to even out their conference record for the first time on Friday evening when they travel to play Ivy League leader and No. 23 Princeton (18-2, 6-1 Ivy). Penn is once again looking to snap a 15-game losing streak against the Tigers that has been ongoing since 2019.
The Quakers are coming off of arguably their most impressive win this season against Columbia, then-conference leader and one of the top contenders for the Ivy League Championship this season. Now, they seek to continue riding the momentum and pull off another upset.
“We’ve had a good few days of practice since the Columbia win, … [we’ve] focused on being consistently tough,” sophomore forward Gabriella Kelley wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Penn’s season thus far has been littered with both ambitious performances and painful losses. The Quakers had a rough start to conference play, losing their first three games before recovering to win three of their following four. At 3-4, they now sit fifth in the league, tied with Cornell and one game behind the cutoff for postseason play.
In the teams’ first matchup this season, Princeton beat the Quakers at home, with the game part of a 15-game win streak that both lifted them into the national rankings and also came to an end last weekend.
The league’s best-scoring offense, led by Princeton guards Madison St. Rose and Olivia Hutcherson, posed a challenge to the Quakers in early January. Impressive three-point shooting by the Red and Blue was not enough to catch up to the Tigers after a first quarter that saw them trailing 25-12. The Quakers struggled with foul trouble in the game, outmatched by Princeton’s physicality.
“We know they are a good team, but we proved last time that we compete with them,” Kelley wrote in a statement to the DP. “We are focusing on out rebounding them, winning every 50-50 ball, and playing together.”
Currently second in the conference, Penn’s defense has been quick to adapt to its opponent’s strategy this season. It was able to hold Columbia, another offensive heavyweight in the conference, to subpar shooting splits last weekend.
RELATED:
Penn women's basketball upsets Columbia in a second-half thriller
Penn women's basketball falls short of a 16-point comeback against Cornell
The Quakers are looking to start their second round of conference matchups off on the right foot, as they begin the roadtrip-heavy part of their schedule that sees them travel to three games in eight days. Only two of their remaining games will be at home.
“ … We know we can compete with anyone,” Kelley wrote in a statement to the DP. “For us, it’s about playing our best basketball every day and taking it one game at a time. We have not lost sight of our goal of making the tournament.”
