Courtesy: Brady Smith, Associate Director of Athletic Communications
Release: 12/07/2005
PHILADELPHIA - In a game that was much closer then the final score would
suggest,
the Penn women's basketball team fell to undefeated Saint Joseph's, 70-57,
in a
Big 5 match-up at The Palestra Wednesday evening.
The Quakers (1-6), who have now lost six in a row, came into the game
expecting
a tough night against the Hawks (7-0), but hung tight with their crosstown
rivals
for the majority of the contest in typical Big 5 fa****on.
With Saint Joseph's holding a narrow first-half lead, a three-point play
at the
nine-minute mark in the first half by Jennifer Fleischer tied the contest
at 22
apiece. Saint Joseph's then jumped out to a seven-point lead that was
eventually
cut back to three by the Quakers, before the Hawks scored six unanswered
points
to close out the first-half with a 42-33 advantage.
Saint Joseph's came out strong at the start of the second half on the
heels of
freshman center Hillary Klimowicz and guard Ayahna Cornish, building a
13-point
lead by the 11:45 mark.
Penn responded quickly with an 11-0 run, capped by a three-point play by
junior
co-captain Joey Rhoads, who scored seven of the 11 points to bring the
Quakers
within two of the Hawks.
But Penn would fail to convert on several op****tunities down the stretch,
and
Saint Joseph's would put together a 13-2 run of their own to seal the
victory,
paced by Whitney Ffrench who nailed 7-of-8 free throws during that span
for
the Hawks.
Rhoads had a stellar game for the Quakers with 21 points on 7-of-14
shooting
and four rebounds while Fleischer added 16 points and 12 boards for her
third
double-double of the season. Junior Lauren Pears had a strong day
defensively
for Penn, tallying seven steals and three rebounds to compliment four
assists.
The Quakers played the majority of the second half without junior
co-captain
and leading scorer Monica Naltner, who left with a knee injury.
Klimowicz was a huge inside force for the Hawks with 15 points on 7-of-8
shooting to go along with 15 rebounds and six blocked shots. Cornish
finished
with 13 points and five boards for Saint Joseph's, who shot 50 percent as
a
team for the game.
The Quakers next hit the road on Saturday, Dec. 10, for a non-conference
game
at American in Wa****ngton, D.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m
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