The University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team secured a decisive 89-66 victory over Dartmouth in Hanover on Saturday night. With this win, Penn’s overall record improved to 16-10 and 6-7 in Ivy League play, while Dartmouth fell to 10-16 overall and 1-12 in the conference.
Simone Sawyer led all scorers with 23 points, coming within one point of her career high. Tina Njike contributed a career-best 19 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. Mataya Gayle added 16 points, and Katie Collins scored 15 for Penn.
Penn demonstrated strong shooting throughout the game, finishing at 58 percent from the field by making 37 out of their 63 attempts. The Quakers also dominated the boards with a rebounding advantage of 34-25 and recorded a total of 24 assists. At no point did Penn trail during the contest.
The Quakers established control early when Katie Collins assisted Simone Sawyer for a layup just four seconds after tip-off. This was followed by three-pointers from Sawyer and Njike as Penn quickly built an eight-point lead. By the end of the first quarter, Sawyer had scored 13 points, helping Penn to a commanding 31-13 advantage.
In the second quarter, Njike opened scoring with another layup to push Penn’s lead to twenty points. Dartmouth responded offensively but could not close the gap significantly as Penn continued its efficient shooting—making fifteen of their first eighteen shots in the half. Collins capped off the half with a reverse layup plus a free throw, giving Penn a halftime lead of 51-32.
During the third quarter, Penn maintained offensive momentum by shooting nearly fifty percent and adding another twenty points before entering the final period ahead by twenty-three. In the fourth quarter, Sawyer surpassed twenty points for her third time this season while Gayle extended Penn’s lead back to twenty late in regulation.
This thirty-three point margin marked Penn’s largest win over any Division I opponent this season and completed their sweep of Dartmouth for the year.
Looking ahead, Penn will conclude its regular season against Brown at The Palestra on Saturday, March 7th. Prior to tip-off at 2 p.m., seniors Simone Sawyer, Saniah Caldwell, and Georgia Heine will be recognized for their contributions to the program.
For more updates on Penn women’s basketball, fans can follow @PennWBB on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram or visit PennAthletics.com.
