The Penn women’s basketball team got an early holiday present Friday: a young Delaware State team it could beat soundly while giving some first-year Quakers time in the spotlight.
With a game-high 14 points off the bench for center Tina Njike (a sophomore sidelined by injuries last season), Penn beat Delaware State, 72-45, at the Palestra for its fifth win in a row, and Del State’s fifth straight loss. At a muscular 6-foot-2, Njike showed strong moves to the rim for Penn (8-3) as well as a good touch from midrange with 6-for-8 shooting and four rebounds, plus 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, in 16 minutes on the court.
Freshman Sarah Miller, who lit up La Salle from outside in Penn’s previous game, came out shooting – but missing – this time around. No matter: Against Delaware State (3-9), she and coach Mike McLaughlin had the luxury of time and the good sense to be patient. After missing three threes, a jumper and a layup before the first quarter was done, Miller hit four of her next five shots to finish with 13 points.
The third Quaker to hit double digits was (no surprise) senior Stina Almqvist, whose 11 points fell well below her average but extended her streak – now 18 – of games with double-digit scoring. This was, if anything, an off day for Almqvist. McLaughlin has been urging her to shoot more threes, and she missed all three attempts against Del State, in addition to missing two of her five free throws. (Almqvist is practically automatic from the line.) She had five turnovers, which might be a career high. But it’s a credit to Almqvist that, on an off day, she picked up 11 points, four rebounds, a block and a couple of steals. The success of Penn’s youth movement this year relies on the senior from Sweden.
What Friday’s game lacked was suspense. Del State’s Hornets start a freshman and a four sophomores, and they have struggled. They stayed close to the Red and Blue in the first quarter, trailing by just four after 10 minutes. But then Penn’s shooters got hot and Del State went dead cold, failing to sink a field goal in the second quarter – part of a streak of 16 missed shots — and falling 21 points behind. The Hornets also committed 25 turnovers on the day and lost the rebounding battle, 42-28.
Next up for the Quakers: a Christmas break and a trip to Arizona, where they face Arizona State (5-6) Dec. 30.