The Guru Report: Penn Pounds St. Francis-Brooklyn in Only Locals Game While Some Interesting Results Nationwide

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Penn continued to stay perfect Thursday night in a road win 63-46 at St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday night in Brooklyn Heights to again get off to a 3-0 start.

So far the Quakers have navigated the four-game suspensions of juniors and seniors rotating across the first eight games, the latest handling the host Terriers (0-3), leaving them still in searfch of their first win of the current season.

Kayla Padilla returned from her Tuesday shutdown and combined with Nikola Kovacikova for 41 of the Quakers’ points, scoring 23, while Kovacikova scored 18, shooting 7-for-11, including four three-balls while collecting six assists..

Kennedy Suttle had her third career double double with 11 points and a career high 17 rebounds.

“Our upper classmen were excellent tonight,” Penn coach Mike McLaughlin texted your Guru. “Kennedy Suttle was relentless on the glass. She was the key. She kept so many balls on the offensive glass 

“Kayla made big shot after big shot. She made several heavily contested shots at key times of the game. I thought she was special. Niki plsayed her best game in a Penn uniform. She made several deep threes and  really did a great jump controlling the tempo,” he continued.

“Overall, we learned a lot tonight. Had to play through foul trouble and made several in-game adjustments. We responded very well. Our younger players continue to get tested early and have responded well. Excellent night for the team.,”

Now, comes a bigger test as Penn appropriately kicks off the overall 10-game Big Five series hosting Villanova Monday night at 7 in The Palestra.

In the past, playing the Wildcats has come near the end of the Quakers’ City Series slate, not the beginning of it.

Nationally Noted: A nice win for new George Washington coach Caroline McCombs, formerly with America East champion Stony Brook, who guided the Colonials to s narrow 47-45 win at C-USA favorite Old Dominion (2-1) in Norfolk, Va.

Sheslanie Laureano nailed a three from the corner with 6.4 left in regulation and then the Colonials (2-2) held off the Lady Monarchs, who was averaging 68 points prior to Thursday’s meeting.

Kyara Frames and Aurea Gingras each scored 11 points.

Ajah Wayne was the sole ODU player in double figures with 12 points, while Amari Young grabbed 12 rebounds.

On Monday night, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference favorite Quinnipiac visits the Smith Center at 5 p.m. in the nation’s capital. 

In games involving ranked teams, No. 3 Maryland, which hosts Baylor Sunday, rolled over N.C. Wilmington 108-66 at the Xfinity Center in College Park, while No. 17 Florida State topped Jacksonville 64-39 at home; No. 14 Iowa State in the road won at Drake 98-76; No. 20 UCLA at home beat Cal State Northridge, 73-46, while in a night of nostalgia No. 24 Texas A&M at home in College Station beat Western Athletic Conference contender Stephen F. Austin 82-75.

The Aggies’ opponent was once coached by A&M coach Gary Blair, who will retire at the end of this season. 

It was the first loss for the visitors (3-1) and the home team’s season-opening record is now 4-0.

Kayla Wells led four players in double figures with 24 points for Texas A&M, while Stephanie Visscher had 18 for the Ladyjacks.

“I felt the adjustments we made during the ballgame were good,” Blair said. “If the execution is poor, than that’s on me. This was like the Super Bowl for them because they had everything to gain here.”

Columbia stayed perfect beating host Lafayette 72-59, while Georgia at home topped Southern Conference favorite Mercer 67-52.

ASun contender Liberty beat Colonial Athletic Association lame duck James Madison 66-61 in overtime at home, West Coach Conference contender Gonzaga crushed Big Sky contender Idaho State 69-39 at home.

In the Midwest, IUPUI at home in Indianapolis cancelled its Horizon game with Cleveland State, forfeiting the contest 2-0 due to positive COVID-19 cases within the program, according to the school’s website.

Notre Dame continued to build momentum, beating visiting Fordham 71-56 as Dara Mabrey scored 20 points, Maddy Westbeld had 11 of her 18 points in the second quarter, while freshman Sonia Citron had a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Maya Dodson had a career high 11 rebounds for the Irish (4-0) while Fordham (2-1) suffered its first loss of the season.

Vanderbilt gave new coach Shea Ralph, a former UConn star and assistant coach, her first win as the Commodores beat visiting Tennessee Tech 75-55 in an in-state rivalry game in Nashville.

Looking ahead there are three local games Friday, with Rutgers hosting Harvard at 7, the same time Delaware tips at Delaware State, and at 5 p.m. Lehigh at home meets Northeast Conference pick Mount St. Mary’s.

Marist on Friday visits NCAA runners up Arizona at 8:30 p.m., the remaining Preseason WNIT game has Kansas State, which hosted three rounds previously, visiting No. 5 NC State, which did likewise in Raleigh. ASun favorite Florida Gulf Coast visits MAAC contender Manhattan.

This weekend in the Bahamas the first of the slew of Thanksgiving tournaments, the Battle for Atlantis begins with the potential of No. 1 South Carolina meeting No. 2 Connecticut in Monday’s title game.

The event, one of the few of these affairs that will not have predetermined opponents in all rounds, opens Saturday with UConn opening with Minnesota before Syracuse and South Florida play. Those winners and losers play in the next semifinals and consolation round while South Carolina meets MAC contender Buffalo, while Oregon meets Oklahoma, again the losers and winners meet.

Monday’s title game at noon will air on ESPN2.

And that’s the report.

  

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