The University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team is preparing for two home games this weekend, facing Cornell on Friday and Columbia on Saturday. The Quakers are currently on a two-game winning streak, coming off a decisive 64-37 victory over Yale, which marked their largest win against a Division 1 opponent this season.
Friday’s matchup against Cornell will be the 92nd meeting between the teams. Penn has won the last 16 games in this series, dating back to the 2015-16 season. With another win, Penn would extend its lead in the all-time series to 50 games, currently standing at 70-21. Last season, Penn swept Cornell with victories both at Ithaca and at home. Mataya Gayle scored a total of 37 points across those two meetings.
Cornell has struggled offensively this year, averaging just 54.4 points per game—the lowest in the Ivy League. Junior Rachel Kaus and senior Emily Pape are the only players averaging double figures for Cornell. Pape is among the top three-point shooters in the league but the team ranks last in opponent field goal percentage and rebounding statistics within the conference.
Saturday’s game against Columbia will be their 78th meeting. Columbia has won six straight games over Penn, including a victory that ended Penn’s season during last year’s Ivy League tournament semifinals. The Lions are second in scoring in the Ivy League at 72.3 points per game and have a four-game winning streak entering this weekend. Riley Weiss leads both Columbia and the league with an average of 18.6 points per game and recently set a program record by scoring 40 points against Dartmouth.
Reflecting on their recent performance against Yale, head coach Mike McLaughlin achieved his 269th win at Penn on his birthday as his team shot 42 percent from the field while holding Yale to just 24 percent shooting. Senior Simone Sawyer led all scorers with 18 points and continues to lead the Ivy League in free-throw percentage (.909). Other notable performances included Mataya Gayle with six assists and Katie Collins nearly achieving a double-double with ten points and nine rebounds.
Penn leads the Ivy League—and ranks nationally—in free-throw percentage (.779) and boasts strong individual performances: Katie Collins is second among league players in rebounds per game (8.1) and blocked shots (31), while Simone Sawyer tops free-throw accuracy charts (.909). Gayle stands out as well for her assists (second in Ivy League) and steals (fourth).
This season marks only the third time in program history that Penn has had five captains: seniors Saniah Caldwell, Simone Sawyer, Georgia Heine; junior Mataya Gayle; and sophomore Katie Collins.
Penn’s defense is also notable—allowing just 56 points per game, which is best in the Ivy League and ranks them nineteenth nationally.
