The University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team secured a 65-52 win over La Salle on Sunday at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion, opening the Toyota Women’s Big 5 Classic with a victory.
Penn established a strong lead by halftime after going on a run late in the second quarter. La Salle responded with a 15-0 run in the third quarter, narrowing the margin to five points as the game entered its final period. However, Penn regained control early in the fourth quarter and maintained their advantage for the remainder of the contest.
With this result, Penn improved its season record to 7-3, while La Salle dropped to 6-3.
Sophomore Katie Collins led Penn’s offense with 20 points, one shy of her career high. She added nine rebounds—five offensive—three assists, and two blocked shots. Junior Tina Njike contributed her second double-double of the season, recording 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds along with two steals and one block. She was successful on both of her three-point attempts.
Seniors Saniah Caldwell and Simone Sawyer each scored eight points; Caldwell also had six assists while Sawyer finished with five assists against just one turnover and collected two steals. Off the bench, sophomore Ashna Tambe played nearly 25 minutes and posted career highs with 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Eight of Tambe’s points came during Penn’s decisive run at the start of the fourth quarter.
La Salle was led by Aryss Macktoon’s 15 points; she also tallied seven rebounds, five steals, three assists, and two blocks. Ashleigh Connor added 12 points alongside five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals for La Salle.
Penn took an early lead but fell behind briefly in the second quarter before responding with a run that gave them an eleven-point advantage at halftime. In the third quarter Penn extended their lead to as much as twenty-one before La Salle mounted their comeback using an aggressive defensive scheme that forced several turnovers from Penn.
Head coach Mike McLaughlin called two timeouts during La Salle’s rally before Collins ended Penn’s scoring drought late in the third period. As teams entered the fourth quarter separated by just five points (45-40), Tambe helped spark another run for Penn that restored a double-digit cushion which they held until game’s end.
Next up for Penn is a home game against Washington State at The Palestra on December 19 at 11 a.m.
“Penn restored order to start the final period. Tambe—who scored eight points in the period—got it started with a transition bucket, Collins hit a mid-range jumper along the right baseline, then Tambe converted from the same corner but behind the three-point line. Tambe then completed what would be a 10-0 run with three the old-fashioned way, putting back a Sawyer miss and getting fouled. Penn was back up by 15, La Salle was calling timeout, and the Quakers were on their way as the margin never got to single digits again.”
For updates on Penn women’s basketball follow @PennWBB on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram or visit their website at PennAthletics.com.
