So was the Penn women’s victory over Columbia a mirage? Was that 11-game winning streak a fluke?
No, but the loss at Princeton reflects the Quakers’ inconsistency.
They have made great strides from the start of the season, when they went 1-5 with losses against some beatable opponents — Northwestern, the University of San Francisco (where they blew an 18-point lead) and St. Joseph’s.
Princeton disrupted Penn’s usually effective ball movement, and the team managed just five assists to Princeton’s 19. Sure, Kayla Padilla and Jordan Obi are capable of creating scoring chances for themselves, and those accounted for most of Penn’s 40 points. But with Padilla less effective than usual at 5-for-17 shooting (despite a strong start), Princeton’s lead wasn’t in danger.
Penn does not yet have consistent alternatives on offense. Against smaller teams, Floor Toonders is a great threat inside, but though she managed eight rebounds (to match Princeton’s Ellie Mitchell), she went zip-for-2 as Princeton tied her up repeatedly when she got the ball.
Coach Mike McLaughlin tried Simone Sawyer, Michaela Stanfield, Stina Almqvist, Saniah and Sydnei Caldwell, and Silke Milliman for at least five minutes each, a total of 54 minutes of playing time — yielding a collective total of six shots, two points, seven rebounds and zero assists. These were good players mired in futility.
Princeton may well win the return match at the Palestra March 3, but by that point it should be a more mature, more consistent Penn team that comes to play.
More immediately, Penn faces two good tests: Saturday in West Philly against Yale, and a week later at Harvard.