NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Led by a double-double from senior forward
Megan Gorman the Yale women's basketball team gave Penn a battle Saturday afternoon at Lee Amphitheater -- but the Quakers, defending Ivy League champions, hung on for a narrow 53-51 win. Gorman had 13 points and 16 rebounds, helping the Bulldogs to a 46-35 advantage on the boards, but Penn limited Yale to 19 second-half points to eke out the win.
"They [Penn] have been to the championship," said
Allison Guth, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball. "We are a team that needs to learn to get there. Our turnovers [17 Saturday] are an Achilles heel."
Yale (15-6, 5-3 Ivy League) had gotten into a defensive battle Friday night vs. No. 25 Princeton, falling to the Tigers 55-39. The Bulldogs almost equaled their point total from that game by halftime Saturday, heading into the break with a 32-27 lead thanks in part to 14 points from senior guard
Roxy Barahman.
Penn (15-5, 5-2 Ivy League) never let the Bulldogs' lead get too comfortable, however. After a three-pointer from junior guard
Tori Andrew extended the margin to 10 with 6:23 left in the third, the Quakers went on a 15-1 run to take a 44-40 lead with 6:43 left in the fourth.
Yale battled back to tie the game on a free throw by Gorman that made the score 46-46 with 3:28 to play. In addition to her points and rebounds, Gorman also contributed three assists and three steals.
"That kid just battled," said Guth of the Bulldogs' captain. "It's exciting to see her score, because she also does all the little things."
But after Yale missed a layup that could have given the Bulldogs the lead, the Quakers hit three of their next four shots to take a four-point lead. Penn then held off a late Yale rally for the win.
In addition to Gorman, sophomore forward
Camilla Emsbo (11 points, 11 rebounds) also had a double-double.
The loss drops Yale into a tie for third in the Ivy League standings with Harvard. The Bulldogs host Cornell and Columbia next weekend. They are one game ahead of the fifth-place Lions and two-and-a-half games behind first-place Princeton.
"This league is so good that on any given night there are no upsets," said Guth. "I still believe in this team. If we get it going at the right time, it could be special for us."
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