You’re playing at Villanova, which has beaten you 45 out of 48 times. You’ve been behind all game, your top scorer is struggling, your hot-shooting freshman guard is on the bench in foul trouble, and a 9-0 Nova run puts you 16 points down in the third quarter.
Looks bleak. But the Penn women nearly pulled off the upset Tuesday night, ultimately falling to Villanova, 68-62.
The Quakers were behind but staying within reach through the first half, pulling within two points repeatedly in the second quarter and trailing by seven at the break. But Penn missed its first five shots of the second half, and point guard Mataya Gayle sat after picking up her fourth foul. At 46-30, it looked like the Wildcats were putting the game away.
Then forward Jordan Obi took an inbounds pass for a quick layup, freshman guard Ese Ogbevire sliced through Nova for a layup of her own, and Penn was at least back in the game. There were no big runs, but solid shooting by the Quakers kept up the pressure. In the space of two minutes, Stina Almqvist, who struggled early in the game, notched a block and three layups, getting Penn within five points with 4:21 left, and within four with 3:28 to go. An Obi layup made the gap just three points, 65-62, with 33 seconds left, but Penn could get no closer.
The Quakers shot 48% from the field to the Wildcats’ 37%, but forward Christina Dalce made up the difference for Nova. The 6-foot-2 junior from New Jersey had her best day in a Villanova uniform, with a career-high 18 points plus 17 rebounds — 10 on the offensive boards, where she is a national leader — and three blocks. Give her most of the credit for Nova’s 14 second-chance points (to Penn’s four).
The Quakers did not quite have that presence in the paint, despite another great outing for Obi, the 6-foot senior whose power, moves and shooting touch once again kept Penn in the game — this time with 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting plus 10 rebounds. Floor Toonders, the 6-foot-4 senior who missed the first six games of the season with an injury, took another long-legged stride back toward the starting lineup: She played 34 minutes off the bench, moved well, took no shots but collected seven rebounds and six assists. But injured 6-foot-2 freshman center Tina Njike has yet to play for Penn.
Other freshmen, though, made their mark Tuesday. Ogbevire was a perfect 4-for-4 for eight points. And Gayle, in 23 minutes on the floor — before fouling out — put up 17 points on (for her) tepid 7-of-18 shooting, with just 1-for-6 from behind the arc.
The refs were … assertive, let’s say, especially in whistles away from the ball, and Penn suffered disproportionately. Along with Gayle, Almqvist, who seemed to hit for 20-plus points routinely before being shut down Sunday at No. 23 Marquette, got in foul trouble and was held to 14 points and five assists in 26 minutes — not bad by any means, but well below her pace this season. Penn was over the limit on fouls with 4:03 left in the final quarter, and Villanova scored six of its last nine points from the free-throw line.
Next up for the Quakers (5-4): a trip Friday to Massachusetts to face Merrimack, which has a 3-6 record but most recently beat Yale. Villanova (6-2) plays Saint Joseph’s on Saturday for the Big 5 title.