City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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Following a COVID-19 canceled 2019-20 campaign Penn’s women’s basketball team couldn't match its typical standards upon its return in 2020-21.

Penn finished below 20 wins for the first time since 2012-13 and posted a losing record for the first time since the 2011-12 last season.

The Quakers announced the non-league portion of their 2022-23 campaign on Friday, a stretch of games they hope propel a bounce back season.

Penn’s season starts on the road at Marist on Nov. 10 before traveling to Northwestern on Nov. 13. The Wildcats are one of just four Big 10 foes the Quakers have matched up with in program history, still looking for their first win against a Big 10 conference team.

The Quakers continue with a Big 5 road game Nov. 15 at St. Joe’s and then host Villanova on Nov. 17. They went 0-3 in Big 5 games last season, falling 83-70 to the Hawks and 66-63 to the Wildcats.

Coach Mike McLaughlin and company next take a West Coast trip, traveling to San Francisco on Nov. 20 and USC on Nov. 23. It's the Quakers first matchup with the Dons since 1979 (second all-time) and first-ever matchup with the Trojans. 

Penn travels to La Salle on Nov. 29 when it returns to Philadelphia before hosting Stony Brook on Dec. 1 to start a stretch of six straight home games to conclude non-league play. The Quakers dropped matchups with the Explorers (63-49) and the Seawolves (75-69) last season.

Two more familiar foes are next up on the schedule when Penn hosts Bucknell on on Dec. 6 and St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 8. The Quakers fell to the Bison (62-46) and took down the Terriers (63-46).

Temple arrives at the Palestra on Dec. 11. The two teams haven’t met since 2019-20 after Penn didn’t play in 2020-21 and the two teams’ matchup was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns and safety protocols last season.

The Quakers conclude their season with home games against Division III Gwynedd Mercy and Hartford. Penn took down the Hawks in both 2019 and 2021.

"I am really excited about the non-conference schedule we have put together," McLaughlin said. "Competing against 13 teams across 11 different conferences, many of which are coming off really successful 2021-2022 seasons, will help prepare us for the challenging schedule we face in our very talented and very well coached Ivy League Conference. 

“With trips to Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, among several others, our players will have the opportunity to grow together as a group while exploring some really incredible regions of our country. I am looking forward to getting our team back on the court together in August to begin this journey."

McLaughlin has a lot to build off of in 2022-23 with a large group of last season’s rotation slated to return.

The Quakers bring back their top two scorers in 2022-23 in senior guard Kayla Padilla (18.5 ppg) and junior forward Jordan Obi (14 ppg, 7.5 rpg). Senior guard Mandy McGurk (4.9 ppg) gives Penn a third starter back in the mix.

Senior guard Sydnei Caldwell (4.7 ppg), sophomore Stina Almqvist (4.2 ppg), senior forward Silke Milliman (2.7 ppg) and sophomore guard Lizzy Groetsch (2.5 ppg) are four more who averaged more than 10 minutes per game last season.

Penn WBB Non-Conference Schedule

Thurs., Nov. 10 at Marist
Sun., Nov. 13 at Northwestern
Tues., Nov. 15 at Saint Joseph's
Thurs., Nov. 17 vs. Villanova

Sun., Nov. 20 at San Francisco
Wed., Nov. 23 at USC
Tues., Nov. 29 at La Salle
Thurs., Dec. 1 vs. Stony Brook

Tues., Dec. 6 vs. Bucknell
Thurs., Dec. 8 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
Sun., Dec. 11 vs. Temple
Fri., Dec. 30 vs. Gwynedd Mercy
Tues., Jan. 10 vs. Hartford