The University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team will play against La Salle University on Sunday in the Toyota Women’s Big 5 Classic. The event, which is being held at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion, marks the second year of the tripleheader format. Penn and La Salle will start the day with a noon tipoff, followed by Temple versus Drexel at 2:15 p.m., and Villanova against Saint Joseph’s at 4:30 p.m. All games will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Philadelphia+ in the Philadelphia region.
Penn comes into this matchup after defeating Maine 58-35 at home. The Quakers’ win over Maine was their largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent so far this season. In that game, senior Simone Sawyer led with 21 points and contributed three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Junior Tina Njike finished just short of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Sunday’s contest will be the 52nd meeting between Penn and La Salle. Historically, La Salle leads the series with 36 wins to Penn’s 15; however, Penn has won nine of the last twelve matchups and three in a row. Last season, these teams also opened the Big 5 Classic, where Penn secured a 74-63 win behind Sarah Miller’s five three-pointers for 21 points.
La Salle enters Sunday’s game with a record of six wins and two losses. The Explorers focus on aggressive defense, averaging eleven steals per game and forcing twenty turnovers from opponents per contest. Ashleigh Connor leads their offense with an average of sixteen point six points per game while shooting thirty-eight percent from beyond the arc.
During Thanksgiving weekend in Texas, Penn split two games—beating St. Thomas (Texas) but falling to then fourth-ranked Texas despite leading after one quarter. Mataya Gayle scored twenty-four points in that loss while Katie Collins added twelve points and nine rebounds.
The Quakers have five captains this season: seniors Saniah Caldwell, Simone Sawyer, Georgia Heine; junior Mataya Gayle; and sophomore Katie Collins—a tie for most captains in program history.
Other notable statistics include Collins’ average of nearly seven rebounds per game (third among Ivy League players), Sawyer’s free throw percentage above ninety-three percent (leading all Ivy League players), and Gayle’s twenty-nine assists this season (tied for most among Ivy competitors).
The winner between Penn and La Salle could affect standings within both city rivals’ programs as well as provide momentum heading into further conference play.
