The University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team is preparing for two home games this weekend as they seek their first Ivy League win of the season. The Quakers will face Harvard on Saturday and Dartmouth on Monday at The Palestra in Philadelphia.
Penn enters the weekend with a 10-5 overall record and an 0-2 mark in Ivy League play, following a double-overtime loss to Brown last Saturday. In that game, junior Mataya Gayle led the team with 18 points, four assists, and four steals, while sophomore Katie Collins recorded her second double-double in four games with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Saturday’s matchup against Harvard marks the 96th meeting between the two teams. Harvard leads the all-time series 55-40. Penn head coach Mike McLaughlin has a record of 17-15 against the Crimson. Last season, Harvard won both games against Penn. However, over the past eight years, each team has won eight times across their matchups.
Harvard’s squad is led by junior forward Abigail Wright, who averages 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. The Crimson lead the conference in offensive rebounding but rank lowest in field goal percentage and are at the bottom of the Ivy League in assist-to-turnover ratio.
On Monday, Penn will play Dartmouth for their 92nd meeting; Penn holds a slight edge in the series at 47-44. Coach McLaughlin is 26-4 against Dartmouth. Last year, each team won on its opponent’s court.
Dartmouth currently leads the Ivy League in scoring defense, allowing just 54.7 points per game and holding opponents to a shooting percentage of 38 percent—third best in the conference. Offensively, Dartmouth relies heavily on three-point shots and is led by junior forward Cate Macdonald with an average of 10.9 points per game.
Several Penn players have received individual recognition for their performances this season. Katie Collins is second among Ivy League players in rebounds per game (8.0) and blocked shots (25). Simone Sawyer ranks second in free throw percentage at .900, while Gayle is third among Ivy players with an average of 4.3 assists per game.
Penn also leads all Ivy League teams—and ranks sixth nationally—in free throw percentage (.803). Their scoring defense allows an average of just over 57 points per game, which is third best among league teams.
The team’s leadership includes five captains this season: seniors Saniah Caldwell, Simone Sawyer, Georgia Heine; junior Mataya Gayle; and sophomore Katie Collins—a tie for most captains in program history.
For updates on Penn women’s basketball, fans can follow @PennWBB on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram or visit PennAthletics.com.
