Penn Quakers Women’s basketball is going dancing

By Chuck Booth | Mar 12, 2017

Dec 6, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Banners of the Philadelphia big five hang in the rafters at Palestra before a game between the La Salle Explorers and the Villanova Wildcats. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

For the Ivy League women’s final, it all comes down to the Penn Quakers and the Princeton Tigers just as it should.

The Penn Quakers are going dancing for the third time in the last four years after beating Princeton 57-48. This one was a little different as they had to also win the first Ivy League tournament in order to make it. Thanks to a double-double from the tournament’s most outstanding player, Michell Ndwokedi, the Quakers were able to down Princeton for the third time this season.

It also means a little more that the clinching victory came against Princeton given the historic rivalry between the two schools. When asked about how it means to beat the Tigers three times in a season the players laughed and said,

“It doesn’t get better. In this tournament it was such a great experience and being here on the Palestra floor, it doesn’t get much better than this.”

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It started off as an even matchup but the Penn Quakers pulled away in the second quarter when they limited the Tigers to only four points. Besides that, it was a pretty even game but a 14-4 advantage in a quarter will go a long way towards securing a win. The Quakers closed the first half with a 29-18 lead and wouldn’t look back from there.

Princeton tried to claw back into the game by shooting the ball at a high volume but the Penn defense stifled their best attempts only allowing them to go 18-64 from the field for a 28 percent shooting percentage. Couple that with the Quakers efficient play on offense and they’re a tough unit to stop.

Live it up:

Michelle Nwokedi and Anna Ross were named to the all-tournament team and Nwokedi was named MVP of the tournament with double-doubles in each game. Their performances may have shined brighter than the others but both wins this weekend were due to a total team effort. It will be tough to stop these Quakers in the NCAA Tournament if they perform under pressure like they did in this tournament.

Next: Quakers tumble in overtime to the Princeton Tigers

The Penn Quakers will likely be a 10 seed once the tournament once the women’s bracket is revealed but right now they can bask in glory as their names go down in history as the winners of the first-ever Ivy League Tournament champions. Next up, the road to Dallas.

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