The Guru NCAAW Report: Penn Edged in Overtime; Princeton Tops Seton Hall While Penn State Takes WBCA Showcase Triumph over Marshall

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA – Not happy with the loss, Penn coach Mike McLaughlin was still pleased with the resiliency of his Quakers Thursday night at home in The Palestra in which both teams were in back-to-back situations in a non-conference affair claimed by Big West tourney champion UC Irvine 72-68 in overtime.

The triumph enabled the Anteaters (5-1) to become visiting munchers sweeping the West Philadelphia duo of Drexel and Penn coming across the country to gobble up both in arenas a few blocks apart on 33rd street.

Penn (3-3) got devoured out in the Main Line Wednesday at Villanova in a pod game that put the winning Wildcats in position to play for the top spot on their side of the Big 5 Classic tripleheader in their arena when they travel to Saint Joseph’s at Hagan Arena on Dec. 1.

Penn will open the first Women’s Classic Friday, Dec. 6, at 3:30 p.m., playing for third against an opponent to be determined from the other side in the new tourney format begun a year ago on the men’s side, replacing the annual City Series round-robin format.

Drexel, making its women’s official debut in the Big 5 a year after the Dragon men were welcomed, can claim first in its pod by winning at Temple in the Owls’ Liacouras Center Saturday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+).

Otherwise, the Owls can claim that spot outright with a win at La Salle at 2 p.m., on Dec. 1 the same time as the meeting of the Hawks and Wildcats.

Sometimes things can’t be avoided in terms of that conflict affecting neutralists that day just as the situation that put Penn in this week’s back-to-back due to the Quakers’ home unavailable Friday night.

Ultimately, it became an add-on to several similar situations McLaughlin intentionally schedules as next week’s multi team event at Florida Gulf Coast and in Arizona the end of December to prepare his younger players the back-to-backs that will occur during the Ivy League schedule that kicks in with the arrival of the new year in the calendar.

“Last night I felt we got outplayed, but I felt our play was really better tonight, I just felt bad we couldn’t find a way to win it,” McLaughlin said. “I felt we showed a lot of resiliency against a good team. One more play goes a different way and we are having a different conversation right now.”

Neither team led by more than six points, Penn’s best was five, with 21 exchanges and ten ties.

Penn’s reigning two-time Ivy freshman of the week Katie Collins, who had a team-leading career high with 18 points, shooting 7-15 from the field with seven boards, two assists, two steals, and two boards, missed a jumper late in regulation that would have extended the Quakers’ lead to three.

On the ensuing possesion, UCI’s Hunter Hernandez, joined by Summah Hanson with game-high 20 points each, was fouled and went to the line with a chance to win it but missed her first shot before making her second sending the contest into overtime.

The Anteaters, however, took it from there in the narrow victor.

No one else was in double figures for the visitors besides Hernandez and Hanson.

Penn’s Stima Almqvist, her 13th straight game across two seasons in double digits, collected 17 points with nine rebounds and three assists.

Ashna Tambe had three from deep to fuel 10 points and Mataya Gayle had nine points and eight helpers with four boards.

Next up before the Florida trip on Thanksgiving weekend is a Tuesday visit from area Division III Immaculata Tuesday at 6 p.m. (ESPN+).

Meanwhile, the other two locals who played, Princeton and Penn State, pulled off victories on the road.

Princeton, in the first of two in the annual central New Jersey round-robin, won at Seton Hall 78-75 at Walsh Gym in South Orange ahead of  Sunday’s shorter trip back north to Rutgers in Piscataway.

Skye Belker matched a personal best with 21 points while substitute Tabitha Amanze set a career mark with 12, shooting 4-6 from the field for the Tigers (3-2), multi-reigning Ivy tourney champs and regular season co-champs with Columbia.

Fadima Tall and Ashley Chea each scored 10 points.

Seton Hall (4-1), hit with the Pirates’ first loss of the season in five games, got 20 points from L’yanna Lops while Maryland transfer Faith Masonious scored 15, Savannah Catalon collected 13, and substitute Jada Eads scored 12.

Two straight from Cristina Parrella late in the game put Princeton up 72-61 before the Pirates cut the deficit to five with 2:16 left but the Tigers sealed it with four from the line.

Penn State (6-0), appearing in the first “Showcase” from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) sponsored by State Farm, defeated Marshall 74-59 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

Gracie Merkle had 28 points and 11 boards in the win over the Thundering Herd (1-4), the first of the season outside Happy Valley. Alli Campbell scored 12 points and reserve Gracie Hall Collected 10 points.

Georgia beat Tulsa 60-44 in the earlier game. The event is not in a pure tournament format, but the Nittany Lions will meet the winning Bulldogs Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on Peacock after Tulsa and Marshall meet at 1 p.m.

Looking Ahead

Locally, on Friday night Saint Joseph’s is at Utah at 9 p.m. on ESPN+, Lehigh hosts Hofstra in Stabler Arena in Easton, Pa., at 6 p.m. on ESPN+, while Lafayette visits No. 13 West Virginia at 7 p.m., also on ESPN+.

Nationally, in games of note, Mountain West favorite UNLV hosts No. 9 Oklahoma at 9:30 p.m. on the Mountain West Network while at 7 p.m. on the ACCN, Florida State hosts Florida. In another in-state game, Creighton hosts No. 21 Nebraska at 5 p.m. on FloHoops.