Women's basketball seeks first Ivy League win away at Penn

Coming off of a 44-point offensive performance against Cornell last weekend, the Columbia Lions (2-14, 0-2 Ivy) will look to rebound when they take on Penn (7-8, 0-1 Ivy) tonight in Philadelphia. Both teams come in after disappointing losses against their Ivy League opponents, hoping to claim their first conference victory of the season.

The Quakers started the season strong at 7-2, but have dropped six games in a row due in large part to offensive struggles, putting up only 40.7 points per game in their losing streak compared the 56.5 they had managed previously. Facing a stagnant Penn squad provides a stellar opportunity for the Light Blue to gain some traction this season.

The Quakers likely won’t go down easily, though, as they look to right themselves at home—Penn is 5-2 on its own court this season, compared to its 2-6 road record. The Quakers will rely on sophomore Alyssa Baron and freshman Kara Bonenberger, especially after the loss of their senior captain Jess Knapp to injury over the break­­—though the Knapp hopes to see some playing time this weekend, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian.

Baron, the second leading scorer in the Ivy League, has shown her offensive prowess several times this season, scoring 27 points in Penn’s opener against St. Francis and following it up with a 30-point performance against Rider. Bonenberger, who has won the Ivy League Rookie of the Week four times thus far, has led the team in scoring four times this year. This duo has combined for over 24.9 points per game and 11.1 rebounds.

“Baron is a tough matchup—she was the first freshman to lead the Ivy League in scoring. She does a great job of scoring off the dribble and off the catch,” head coach Paul Nixon said. “So we are going to have to work really hard to contend, and not fouling because she also does a great job at the foul line.” 

However, Penn’s greatest strength lies in its defense, which has led the Ivy League in most categories in the two-year tenure of current head coach Mike McLaughlin.

“They have hung their hats on being an extremely strong defensive ball club—they’re right there with Princeton, and even ahead of them,” Nixon said of Penn. “And that really has not wavered much as an overall team. So our focus this week is going to continue to be our own offensive execution. We are really honing in on our defense this week. It is important that we have a solid defensive performance this weekend because we are going to be playing a good team.”

 The Quakers are particularly adept at guarding against their opponents’ perimeter game, allowing only 23.9 percent of three-point shots to fall this season, and will provide a tough matchup for a Lions team that is still working to expand its game inside the paint. As the Light Blue seeks its next win, it will need to find a rhythm offensively.

 “At some point this season, we got to break through and put more points on the board,” Nixon said.

 Tipoff is at the Palestra in Philadelphia at 7 p.m. tonight.