The Guru Report: Freshman Sawyer Shines Again In Penn Win Over La Salle; No. 1 South Carolina Rallies at Home to Beat No. 15 UCLA

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA — Here at Tom Gola Arena, on the visiting side, Penn turned over a new leaf, getting back on the winning track on the season and Tuesday night in the Big Five, while La Salle on Giving Day coughed up 21 points on turnovers as the Quakers prevailed 72-59.

In the process in the City Series, Penn (2-5, 1-2 Big Five) got its first win in the local round robin since the 2019-20 season. 

Formal competition did not occur in the 2020-21 season because the Quakers’ season was cancelled along with the rest of the Ivy schools by league presidents because of the pandemic while last season penn struggled through more Covid-19 issues along with an eight-game penalty assessed to the seniors.

The developing story was also the play of freshman Simone Sawyer, following up a breakout game in a competitive loss at Southern Cal surpassing it with 24 points on 9-for-18 from the field, seven rebounds, and four assists, giving the opposition someone else to think about besides zeroing in on senior point guard Kayla Padillia.

“I thought Southern Cal, the way we played, the way we competed, set a standard for the capabilities of this group, and now can we do it over and over again,” said Penn coach Mike McLaughlin.

Schedule wise an opportunity is coming to do that thanks to the Ivy schedule makers front loading Penn when league play begins, thus keeping the Quakers home in The Palestra their next ten dates, beginning Thursday, when Stony Brook visits at 7 p.m.

As for Sawyer, McLaughlin said, “What can I say, Simone Sawyer can make a play out of nothing. Kayla needed a link to help her, and playing 37 minutes against the press, she’s about as good a player as I’ve seen.”

Sawyer said of her own performances her teammates are part of them.

“Our team is coming together,” she said. “I know we lost a few tough ones out West, but we’re coming back and this is a team win, which is really good. We came out today really aggressive, like I said, we had some tough losses, but we really came back.”

Jordan Obi had 20 points, shooting 10-for-13 from the field for the winners, while Padilla scored 10 with seven rebounds. Floor Toonders continues to add production, grabbing 10 rebounds. 

“It was giving Tuesday, we gave up the ball 22 times,” said La Salle coach Mountain MacGillivray. “You probably have to take better shots if you want them to fall and Penn did a job in their zone, they were active in the man, but I think we’re capable of performing much better than this.”

There were some bright spots for La Salle (5-3, 0-1) in its debut Big Five contest with Gabby Crawford scoring 17 points, shooting 7-for-15 from the field, while Charity Shears was 5-for-10, including 3of-8 from deep, and Claire Jacobs scored 10 with seven rebounds, and Kayla Spruill scored nine.

Veteran guard Molly Masciantonio is considered “activated” from her injury but did not play and MacGillivray believes the squad has enough talent to have played better as wins in Alaska and at Lafayette on the road have shown.

La Salle next hosts Lehigh here Saturday at 2 p.m., the game airing on ESPN+ as the Penn-Stony Brook will do likewise.

Nationally noted: In the wake of the tournament heavy holiday weekend, the headline says it all about what went on locally and nationally before things pick back up on Wednesday night.

For Dawn Staley and her reigning NCAA champion and No. 1 South Carolina squad, the news was good on two fronts. 

Her Gamecocks overcame a 10-point deficit to down No. 15 UCLA at home in Columbia 73-64. More important, reigning national player of the year Aliyah Boston, who was sidelined early in Sunday’s win over Hampton and seen in a walking boot afterwards, was back in health and picked up 18 points, 10 rebounds, and blocked four shots.

It was the 17th straight win over a ranked opponent for South Carolina (7-0) in delivering the Bruins (7-1) their first loss of the season.

Boston has now rang up 65 career double-doubles, 32 against ranked squads in her four seasons in Columbia.

Kierra Fletcher, a transfer from Georgia Tech, also had a double-double for the home team with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Kamilla Cardoso, who transferred in from Syracuse a season ago, had 16 points, her season best, and nine rebounds, besides slamming five of USC’s 15 blocked shots.

The outcome was still in doubt through three quarters, tied 47 all, and then the Gamecocks moved ahead to stay when Zia Cooke scored with 5:37 left in regulation.

Bruins star Charisma Osborne had 24 points and newcomer Kiki Rice scored 16.

Looking Ahead: Wednesday’s local slate in plentiful with Temple looks for a second straight season win visiting Old Dominion at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+, Drexel on the same network plays at Longwood, in a local on both sides, Lehigh is at Rider in the Broncs’ Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J., playing on ESPN+ at 5 p.m., the front end of a doubleheader with a men’s game; Lafayette hosts UMBC at 6 p.m. on ESPN+, Delaware hosts its annual Route 1 in-state rivalry with Delaware State at 7 p.m. carried by Flohoops.

Penn State and Rutgers are part of the first of two nights in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, which ends next season and then the ACC will engage in playing Southeastern Conference schools in a similar arrangement announced Monday.

Rutgers will visit Boston College at 6:30 p.m. on the ACCNX subscription network, while Penn State, off t a 7-0 best in a long time start, hosts Virginia at 7 p.m. on the B1G+ network.

Other first night matches nationally have a nationally ranked battle, Louisville hosting Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. on the ACC network; likewise the same will air Illinois at Pittsburgh at 5 p.m.; Syracuse visits Purdue at 6 p.m. on the B1G network, which will also air Minnesota hosting Wake Forest at 8.

On Thursday, in which the Penn-Stony Brook game at the Palestra and Saint Joseph’s hosting Boston U, the Hawks off to a 6-0 start, are the only locals, eight more of the challenge series will occur.

A nationally-ranked clash has Notre Dame hosting Maryland at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2; Northwestern is at Duke on the ACC network at 5 p.m., while Nebraska is at nationally-ranked Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network;

Another nationally-ranked clash carried by ESPN2 has NC State trying to get back in the Top 10 visiting No. 10 Iowa at 8:30 p.m.

The remainder had Miami hosting Michigan at 9 p.m. on the ACC Network; another national marquee game, this one Top 10 with  Indiana hosting North Carolina at 6 p.m. on the B1G channel; with the remainder being Wisconsin hosting Florida State at 7:30 p.m. on the B1G+ subscription network, and the main B1G channel airing Michigan State hosting Georgia Tech at 8 p.m.

Another Thursday game of note has Columbia off its winning Miami’s tourney traveling in-state a little ways north to visit Marist at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

And that’s your report.