Penn Defeats Brown 73 – 61, Stina Almqvist Reaches 1,000 Career Points Milestone
PHILADELPHIA, PA 2/15/2025 –
For a chance to earn a coveted spot in Ivy Madness this game is a must win for the University of Pennsylvania Quakers who sat a game behind the Brown Bears coming into the contest at the Palestra. The teams are now tied for fourth place in the Ancient Eight as Penn wins 73 – 61. Nothing is decided yet, but the Red and Blue is in contention for the coveted fourth seed, something the team focused upon during the Ivy Weekend
“Every game from now on is going to be really important for us,” said senior guard Stina Almqvist. “We knew how important it was because these are must win games for us. We’re finding our rhythm. I’m really excited what we can bring for these last couple of games of the regular season.”
Almqvist Reaches the 1,000 Career Points Plateau
During the game Quakers senior guard Stina Almqvist became the 26th player in program history to reach such a mark. She was 13 points short at the beginning of the game. A basket by Almqvist at the 2:21 mark of the second quarter gave her 1,000 career points. And she did it with her parents and sister in attendance visiting from Sweden.
“I come from a basketball family, so they watch all of my games,” said Almqvist. “The broadcasters have been talking about I’m getting closer. Before the trip, my sister who is turning twelve this year was like, you better get it during my three games when I’m there. Just to be able to do that with them in attendance, and with such a great team win was just really exciting.”
For the game the guard from Kinna, Sweden scored a game-high 26 points, two shy of her career-high, on 11 of 17 shooting. Almqvist also pulled down 12 rebounds, a season-high, to record her 5th double-double of the season.
Her teammates celebrated Almqvist with a congratulatory banner after the game.
Penn Takes Command in the Second Quarter
After a close opening stanza where neither team got off to a fast start, the game tilted toward the Red and Blue. It happened as the clock would down in the first quarter when Penn guard Mataya Gayle shook loose to get an opening for a three-pointer that fell just before the horn sounded to give the Quakers a 15 – 12 lead.
Penn won the second quarter 18 – 6. Credit the defense that limited Brown to 3 of 15 shooting (20%), and no three-pointers.
On offense the Quakers were 7 of 10 from the floor and drained 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. They took control scoring the first 7 points of the quarter. Behind a 12 – 2 run Penn was ahead 27 – 14.
“It started on the defensive end,” said Penn Coach Mike McLaughlin. “We do what we call kills, which you get three stops in a row. We had two in that quarter alone. Then it turned into some offensive opportunities. The flow was better and it was really impressive.”
What the Numbers Say
Freshman guard Sarah Miller scored 17 points. It was her Ivy League highest scoring game and first double figures output in the league. Miller made 6 of 10 field goal attempts and sank 5 of 9 three-pointers. Guard Abby Sharpe also notched a league game high with 10 points as 2 of her 3 pointers were good. The guards were the wing three’s making them from the wing and the corner, and provided a lift on offense.
“I feel like it gave us the energy we needed,” Miller said about the made three-pointers.
Mataya Gayle handed out 8 assists, one shy of her collegiate-best, and had 3 steals.
For Brown forward Elizabeth Nelson recorded a career-high13 points as she made half of her 6 three-point shots. Center Gianna Aiello had a team-high 18 points and 8 rebounds. Grace Arnolie filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.
Ivy League Math
Who is going to Ivy Madness. Both teams are 4 – 6 in the standings and the season series is a split. Neither team has beaten the teams above them; Columbia, Princeton, and Harvard. There still is more basketball to be played and nothing has been decided other than Columbia and Princeton have qualified.
Penn won 3 of the last 4 and have four games left to play. A home game with Cornell is next, The Quakers have risen in the standings to be in contention. Their message is clear.
“We know where we sit,” McLaughlin said. “Our only path in would be the fourth spot. We have a lot of work to do. Cornell next week, at Harvard, Dartmouth the following week. We can’t look too far down the road. I think we can capitalize the way we played. I think we can get some results.”
Brown is on a different trend losing their last four in a row, But the Bears are still tied for fourth place with four games on the schedule.
“We talked about that in the locker room. Everybody’s aware that this would have made the path a little easier,” said Brown Coach Monique LeBlanc. “It is important that we’re sticking together right now. We have four games that we believe we can win, and our path is going to be different than we anticipated coming into this weekend.”
Harvard is solidly in the top three in the Ancient Eight. One spot left. Who gets it?
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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