The Guru Report: Penn Full Roster Still No Match For Duke; Temple Wins Third Straight

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA - The good news for Penn fans was with the four-games each suspensions assessed to the juniors and seniors for violating a university rule concluded, Quakers coach Mike McLaughlin was able to to use his complete array of weapons against revitalized Atlantic Coast Conference power Duke Sunday afternoon at The Palestra.

The bad news was the experience was still no less a nightmare off a rocket start by the unbeaten Blue Devils (8-0) though once their lead dipped into the 20s the differential didn't get much worse and a third  quarter rally temporarily reduced it to 11 before the visitors stabilized.

The outcome put themselves in position to potentially land their first ranking in the Associated Press women’s poll Monday afternoon since their last appearance in the 2018-19 preseason vote.

While Penn (4-5) didn’t play at all last winter under an Ivy shutdown relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blue Devils under then-new coach Kara Lawson only played a few games before calling it quits themselves for the winter.

“We did everything you normally do but we just didn’t play games,” said Lawson in October when the conference returned to hosting its traditional media day.

The Duke coach is a former star at Tennessee, the WNBA, an Olympic gold medalist, ESPN commentator and when hired prior to last season was serving as an NBA Boston Celtics assistant coach.

Sunday’s appearance was the first time she ever stepped foot into The Palestra, calling slightly less fabled Cameron Indoor Arena in Durham, N.C.. her current basketball home.

“It was exciting, Lawson said. “This is the first time I’ve been here, never have been to the Palestra before. 

“We did a little history lesson on the Palestra and the history of college basketball here.“

Penn’s zone defense was able to bedevil Duke in chunks but not nearly enough to carry the day.

When it was over Lawson said the film would provide the evidence what kind of performance her squad had coming off last week’s upset of No. 9 Iowa.

“Once you see the film you find it may not have been as bad or good as your emotions told you at the time,” Lawson said.

All 12 Duke players scored paced by freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson with 14 points, most of which came from four bullseyes from beyond the arc;  Elizabeth Balogun with 13; and Celeste Taylor with eight points and nine rebounds.

Duke is off for finals before playing Dawn Staley’s top-ranked South Carolina squad.

“The game before finals is always difficult,” Lawson said.

“How was l? I was terrible. Pat (Summitt) would come over to me at practice, `Did you have a final today?’”

Penn got 16 points from Kayla Padilla in her first Palestra appearance since earning rookie of the year status from the Ivy League two seasons ago, while Kennedy Suttle had a double double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, snd Mia Lakstigala also scored 11 points.

“We just couldn’t score the ball enough,” McLaughlin said.

Moving forward, the goal is just to go out and play basketball for McLaughlin, whose coaching navigation this season to date has been unlike anything ever experienced.

“This is the first time we had the entire group together,” he said. “We don’t have an established rotation since every game was different from the last one. 

“Hopefully, this doesn’t hold us back too long,’ he added. I don’t think I never had this situation where they had to sit, then they played, then they sat.

“ I don’t think I could have done it with a better group of people. They responded well, took responsibility, matured and grew.”

But now they have one day to get ready for the next one, hosting Saint Joseph’s in their third Big Five game, Tuesday night at 7 p.m., on ESPN+

The Hawks (2-6) are coming into the game off Saturday’s gritty comeback at home over Yale that snapped a six-game losing streak.

“Saint Joe’s is a really important game for us,” McLaughlin said. “We came up short in both Big Five games. 

“Villanova was a great effort, one of the best efforts I’ve seen in a long time,” he noted. “We were undermanned and pushed them to the last play. 

“La Salle, we execute and play well enough down the stretch. 

“Saint Joe’s is another home game and the last we’ll have in awhile. It’s important to get this group back and find a win.”

-run in the omd 

On Friday before the finals break, Penn goes to America East reigning champion Stony Brook on Long Island.

Temple Takes Third Straight Beating Duquesne: The team coach Tonya Cardoza thought she saw this summer continues to bloom following a ragged season start, this time in Pittsburgh with victory streak number three, 67-55 against Duquesne (4-5) who the Owls (5-3) faced regularly as a member of the Atlantic 10.

Mia Davis, who recently moved into second on the all-time program scoring list, had 22 points and eight rebounds.

Temple moved in front in a tight game just before the end of the third quarter and stayed rhere extending the Owls’ lead the rest of the way.

Aniya Gourdine had 1o points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and five steals, while Jslynn Holmes scored 11.

Next up,Temple will try to stay unbeaten in the Big Five at 2-0 when Saint Joseph’s visits McGonigle Hall at noon Saturday on ESPN+

Another Big East Setback for Villanova: The Wildcats came out of their season-opening Conference slate on the road winless following Friday’s setback at Providence by losing Sunday to Creighton 72-58 in Omaha, Nebraska.

An 11-0 run in the second period carried the Bluejays (5-2, 2-0 Big Eas) to a 40-31 halftime lead.

Uncharacteristic turnovers put the Wildcats (3-5, 0-2) down 60-37 after three so the 20-12 bounce back in the final frame was too little, too late.

Lauren Jesen had 23 points for Creighton, while Emma Rosiek acored 12, Morgan Mally Scored 11, and Carly Bachelor scored 10.

Villanova’s Zanai Jones had a career high 13 point while Brooke Mullin and Lior Garzon  each scored 11.

Maddy Segriest continues to be sidelined with a hand injury.

Next up on Thursday the Wildcats go back out of conference play visiting James Madison at 7 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va.

Princeton Falls Apart Down the Stretch to Fordham: A tightly fought battle in Atlantic 10 contending Rams’ Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx in New York broke in Fordham’s way down the stretch for a 76-67 victory over the Ivy favorite Tigers (6-2).

Abby Meyers matched her personal best with 22 points, including a career high six treys and 14 overall which came in the fourth period for Princeton.

Ellie Mitchell scored 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Julie Cunningham had 12 points nine rebounds for the visitors.

“Great defensive effort against a really good Princeton team,” said Fordham coach Stephanie Gaitley who starred at Villanova. “Super proud of protecting our home court.”

Princeton had taken a one-point lead in the third before Fordham erupted.

 Anna DeWolfe had her second straight 28-point collection for Forham (6-3), while Asiah Dingle and Kendell Heremaia each scored 14 points, and Kaitlyn Downey scored 10.

Princeton next hosts Seton Hall Saturday afternoon at noon at Jadwin Gym on ESPN+

Rutgers Drops Big Ten Opener to No. 8 Maryńland: The conference did the struggling Scarlet Knights no favors having them face and lose to the Big Ten favorite Terrapins 73-59 at their Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J.

Maryland (8-2, 1-0 Big 10) had to fend a late Rutgers (4-6) rally with a 7-0 run to pull away from a narrow 56-52 lead to claim the win.

The Scarlet Knights have lost five straifgt and six of seven overall.

Shug Dickson scored 18 for the home team, while Tyis Singleton had 10 points and 12 rebounds, Lasha Petree scored 11, and Osh Brown had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Angel Reese scored 18 for Maryland, while Katie Benzan scored 15, Chloe Bibby scored 14, and Ashley Owusu scored 12.

“Was so disappointed we let it slip away,” said interim coach Timothy Eatman in place of Hall of Famer C. Stringer this season. “There were a couple minutes we’d make a great play and then Maryland being a great team would answer.

“If we learn to execute and play with purpose we have a chance to be a geeat team. But you have to play with purpose 40 minutes.”

Rutgers next goes to Penn State Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College on the B1G+ network.

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Nationally Noted: Bueckers Injured in No. 2 Connecticut Win Over No. 24 Notre Dame

Sophomore Paige Bueckers, the reigning national player of the year, scored 22 points but went down with a non-contact knee injury with 38 seconds remaining in the Huskies’ 76-54 victory over the Irish, the first meeting in the series since Niele Ivey returned to her alma mater to succeed the retired Muffet McGraw last season.

“Hall of Fame UConn coach Geno Auiemma said “best case, hyper extended knee.” More will be known when the MRI is taken Monday..

Auriemma now has 1,124 victories, trailing Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer for the all-time women’s Division l record at 1,130.

Freshman Sophia Citron had 19 points for the Irish (7-2) over the Huskies (5-1).

Elsewhere Georgia Tech upset No. 20 Georgia, 55-54; No. 15 Texas beat No. 17 Texas A&M, 76-60, giving Longhorns coach Vic Schafer a win over his former Aggies coach, the retiring Gary Blair, Columbia topped Stony Brook, Buffalo beat Rhode island.

Penn State is at No. 6 Indiana Monday night. 

And that’s the report.