PHILADELPHIA, December 22, 2011 – All 6 Division I Philadelphia Women’s Basketball teams were in action. What happened? Let’s see.
Penn 67 Drexel 65 in Overtime at the Palestra
This may have been the gutsiest win for the University of Pennsylvania under Coach Mike McLaughlin.
Drexel guard Marisa Crane made an off-balance layup while falling to tie the game and send it into overtime. Penn rallied in overtime to earn a 67 – 65 win at the Palestra.
Penn held a 50 – 39 lead with 6:13 to play. Penn got the lead after a 3 by Drexel forward Kamile Nacickaite made a three to give her team a 35 – 33 lead with 12:21 to play. The ensuing 17 – 4 run by Penn was keyed by guard Alyssa Baron who scored 8 in the run, forward Kara Bonenberger added 5, and guard Jackie Kates made 4 fouls shots over a six minute span. Drexel did not go away. The Dragons responded with a 15 – 6 run of their own when Nacickaite made 3 from beyond the arc and forward Hollie Mershon got 5 points cutting the Penn lead to 56 – 54 with 1:04 on the clock. Drexel got the ball back after a Penn turnover with 23 seconds to play. After a timeout with 2.2 on the clock Drexel inbounded the ball to Crane who made the shot.
Penn showed resolve in the overtime. The game went back and forth. Penn held a one-point lead when guard Meghan McCullough made a jump shot from the corner giving the Red and Blue 63 – 60 lead with 1:02 remaining. Penn made six free throws down the stretch to earn the win.
It was a big win for Penn as last season the Quakers were defeated by 35 at Drexel.
For their efforts Bonenberger was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week, and Baron was named Big Five Player of the Week.
Villanova 56 Temple 47 at McGonigle Hall
Getting good inside play Villanova led from start to finish to get a 56 – 47 win over Temple. The Wildcats got a career-high 13 points from Freshman Center Emily Leer. Forward Lauren also added 13 points and forward Laura Sweeney got 11 points. Rebounding was a key for Villanova as they matched Temple on the boards each team getting 39. Villanova had 7 three-point shots compared to 2 for the Temple. Senior forward Kristen McCarthy led all scorers with 14 points for the Owls. Guard Shey Peddy added 13. Villanova had 14 assists on 20 baskets. The Wildcats are 6 – 1 on the road this season, and are 3 – 0 in the Big Five. For the season Villanova is 9 – 2. Temple drops to 5 – 6, 0 – 1 in Big Five play.
Burford was named to the Big Five Honor Roll for the week.
Saint Joseph’s 64 UCLA 60 at the Hagan Arena
Saint Joseph’s took control early in the game and lead the entire game. But the Hawks would need to make 13 of 16 free throws over the final three minutes to hold off a surge by the Bruins. Guard Ashley Prim and center Samira Van Grinsven led the Hawks scoring 12 points each. Guard Michelle Baker finished with 10 points. Forward Kelly Cavallo had a team-high 8 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. UCLA forward and Philadelphia native Markel Walker played only in the second half, and scored a game-high 16 points. Saint Joseph’s improves to 7 – 4 for the season.
Fairfield 55 La Salle 52 at the Gola Arena
La Salle nearly erased a 16 point deficit, but the rally fell short as Fairfield scored a 55 – 52 win. Fairfield led 26 – 9 in the first half. La Salle started the second half with a 10 – 2 run getting to within 4 points. A jumper and 2 free throws by guard Alexis Scott brought the Explorers to within 1 at 48 – 47 with 3:09 to play. Fairfield extended their lead, but Brittany Wilson converted 2 free throws making the score 50 – 49 Fairfield at the 1:20 mark. Fairfield scored the next 4 points to put the game out of reach.
Wilson led the Explorers with 15 points. Scott contributed 14 and forward Nadia Duncan had 10. La Salle had just 4 turnovers and forced 13 by Fairfield. La Salle is 3 – 9 for the season.
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