The Penn women’s basketball team got the win it needed Saturday at home – not an inspiring win, not a dramatic one, but a comfortable one against a shorthanded and struggling Yale squad, 68-52, to stay in the race for a slot in Ivy Madness.
The Quakers led for all but a few seconds early in the game, causing or capitalizing on Bulldog turnovers and maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the way. It echoed Penn’s game a week earlier at Columbia, with the situations reversed.
This time, Yale committed 18 turnovers to Penn’s seven – the fewest this season – and Penn scored 15 points off turnovers to Yale’s nine. Penn had 15 offensive rebounds to Yale’s 10, and 19 second-chance points to Yale’s 13. Yale actually shot better than Penn, but in the end it had to commit fouls against one of the best foul-shooting teams in the country. Penn got 20 points at the free-throw line on 25 attempts.
A game with 25 foul shots for one team isn’t quick or particularly exciting, but that team is likely to win.
Junior guard Mataya Gayle, who was honored at the Palestra for passing 1,000 career points the previous weekend on the road, added 22 to her total to lead all scorers. She attacked the rim as always, sinking fewer shots than usual for her (6-for-19) but hitting eight of her nine free-throw attempts.
Also in double figures for Penn: Brooke Suttle, who earned her 28 minutes off the bench with 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting and five rebounds, and Simone Sawyer, who had 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting and eight rebounds.
Yale sophomore guard Ciniya Moore couldn’t be denied her 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting, including 3-for-5 on threes, and senior forward Kiley Capstraw notched a career-high 12 rebounds and six assists.
Junior forward Luisa Vydrova registered 11 points.
Penn (15-9, 5-6 Ivy) needs a road sweep next weekend to keep its hopes alive to pass Harvard or Brown for a spot in the postseason, and Friday’s game is at Harvard (15-9, 8-3).