The Bulldogs Finish 5-10 On The Road This Season

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – In a game where the Yale women's basketball team trailed for over 39 minutes and shot only 28-percent from the field, it was Penn who dominated in every aspect, beating the Bulldogs, 59-33, on Saturday night in The Palestra.

Entering what was known to be a tough road weekend, playing first-place Princeton and second-place Penn, the Bulldogs (12-14, 6-6 Ivy) dropped both by double-digits. The Elis came out flat against the Quakers, who were celebrating their four seniors on Senior Night.

The Bulldogs made only seven field goals in each half, shooting 28-percent (14-of-50) for the game, which included 11.8-percent (2-of-17) from long range. Sophomore forward Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.) led Yale with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, all of which came in the first half.

"They play good defense, but I think it was more of us in general," said Werner of Penn's zone defense, which halted the Bulldog offense at every step. "We didn't cut hard and we need to get better at that and we weren't finding the open person."

Though the Bulldog defense caused 14 Penn turnovers in the game, the Quakers still shot 44.2-percent (23-of-52) from the field, including 47.8-percent (11-of-23) in the first half.

The Elis also turned the ball over 19 times, well-above their average of 14 per game. Penn turned those turnovers into 18 points, while limiting Yale to only seven assists in the game. Junior center Emmy Allen (Overland Park, Kan.) and junior guard Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) each had a pair of assists in the loss.

The Quakers outscored the Bulldogs in the paint, 38-16, and off the bench, 42-15. Penn freshman forward Michelle Nwokedi scored a game-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Sophomore center Sydney Stipanovich scored 12 on 6-of-9 shooting, adding to Nwokedi's dominance in the paint.

For the second straight game, Yale was outrebounded by the home team. Penn held a 42-27 advantage on the glass, including 15 offensive rebounds to Yale's nine.

Nwokedi and Stipanovich combined for 21 boards on the night.

"They boxed out really well. Once the shot went up, they would turn into us. Offensively, it was hard to get around them. Defensively, they had everyone crash the boards and it was hard bodying-up everyone," said Werner.

Penn's largest lead in the game was 28 points with 12 seconds remaining in the game. The Bulldogs shot 26.9-percent (7-of-26) from the field in the final 20 minutes, being outscored 29-18.

Sophomore guards Lena Munzer (Highland Park, Ill.) and Meghan McIntyre (Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.) each had four points in the second to lead the Elis.

Penn had a 25-13 rebounding advantage in the second half, while holding a 22-6 scoring edge in the paint.

Up by 15 points at halftime, the Quakers went on a 19-9 run in the first 11 minutes to take a 25-point lead. From that point, the teams would exchange baskets until the final whistle.

Right out of the gate, Penn attacked. The Quakers led 21-8 at the 8:42 mark of the first half, as the Bulldogs struggled to find offensive rhythm. Yale also had 13 of its 19 turnovers in the first half.

As a team, Yale was only 3-of-4 from the line, while the Quakers were 11-of-19 from the stripe, in a physical game between two defensive-minded teams. Penn entered the game allowing only 55 points per game, while the Bulldogs were causing an Ivy-best 18.1 turnovers per game.

Freshman guard Clara Mokri (Los Angeles, Calif.) played a season-high 23 minutes, while recording two steals and hitting a three-pointer, her fourth in two nights. Freshman forward Jen Berkowitz (Wayland, Mass.) had two steals and two blocks for Yale.

Finished with road games, the Bulldogs will prepare this week for the final two games of the regular season when they host Harvard on Friday at 7 p.m. and Dartmouth on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Harvard game will be Special Olympics Night, while the Dartmouth game will be Senior Night for senior guard and captain, Sarah Halejian.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity