Box Score PHILADELPHIA - In a game of runs, the Quakers delivered the final punch, as the University of Pennsylvania (22-8, 11-3 Ivy) women's basketball team defeated visiting UAlbany 76-61 on Friday night in the opening round of the WNIT. Penn advances to take on St. John's Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. in New York. 

PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Senior captain Michelle Nwokedi led a group of four Quakers in double figures, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Nwokedi went 1-for-2 from deep, pushing Penn to 10-1 this season when the Texan hits a 3-pointer. 

*Ivy League Rookie of the Year Eleah Parker posted 13 points on an efficient night from the field, going 4-for-6 while matching a career high with five free throws. The freshman also swatted three shots, pushing her season total to 59.

*Lauren Whitlatch was key for the Quakers early, hitting three 3-pointers for Penn's first nine points of the night. The senior finished with 11 points, her 12th game in double figures this season.

*Anna Ross closed out the game late for the Red and Blue, ending the night with 11 points, including nine in the fourth quarter alone. Ross also dished six assists, pushing her season total to 148.

*Freshman Tori Crawford had a career night, posting nine points with five rebounds on 3-for-4 shooting from the floor, including a perfect 3-for-3 clip from the free throw line. 

*Kendall Grasela matched her season-high with three points, serving a key role for the Quakers in holding off the Great Danes in the third quarter.

*Penn now has 22 wins on the season tying the 2000-01, 2013-14 and 2016-17 squads for second-most in program history. The school record is 24. 

*The Quakers shot 40 percent from 3-point land on the night, going 8-for-20. Penn is 18-4 this season when notching at least six shots from deep. 

*Penn improves to 2-0 all-time vs. UAlbany and Coach McLaughlin is now 6-3 against teams from the America East Conference. 

*Led by seven makes from the charity stripe from Nwokedi, Penn hit 24 free throws, outscoring UAlbany by 13 in the category. The 24 makes are the most for the Quakers since Dec. 19, 2015. 

*The Quakers forced 19 turnovers from the Great Danes, converting those into 17 points. 

*Penn improves to 2-1 all-time in the WNIT in their second appearance, earning its first postseason victory since a 65-58 win over Hofstra in the 2015 variation of this same tournament. 

*UAlbany's leading scorer, Jessica Fequiere, had 11 points in the first half. The Quakers held the senior to just four in the final 20 minutes. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Reminiscent of some of Penn's best games this season, the Quakers shot out of the gates on fire and with high energy, finding themselves ahead 18-3 within the first five minutes. Whitlatch keyed the Quaker offense, connecting on three-straight 3-pointers for Penn's first nine points, while Nwokedi, Ashley Russell and Katie Kinum added in long-range bombs of their own for the home team. The lone shots not from either the free throw line or beyond-the-arc for Penn in the first quarter were layups from Nwokedi and Parker. Despite the early advantage, UAlbany climbed back, closing to within 27-20 on a banked in 3-pointer to end the opening period.

The Great Danes would extend their momentum heading into the second quarter, pushing their run to 14-0 to earn a 28-27 lead. Penn responded with a 6-0 run of its own, all from its senior class, to stifle the visitors' momentum. Late in the half, the Quakers found efficiency from Crawford, who impressed inside with nifty moves to find points, allowing Penn to find its footing for a 39-32 halftime advantage.

It was a concerted effort from Penn to start the half to pound the ball inside, and it did just that. The Quakers found Parker early and often, who scored eight-straight points for the Quakers to open the period. The Great Danes continued their efficiency from the field, not allowing the Quakers to break away, before Penn found itself in foul trouble with Nwokedi, Kinum and Whitlatch all earning their fourth whistles. After UAlbany cut the lead to four with a three, the Quakers saw production from Crawford and Grasela to maintain the distance they needed. Beth Brzozowski came off the bench for a timely 3-pointer, extending the lead to eight, helping Penn to a 59-50 edge with 10 minutes to play.

More productivity from Crawford in the fourth helped Penn fend of the Great Danes before Ross took over to close the game. After UAlbany fought back to cut the deficit to five, the senior captain promptly hit nine of Penn's next 12 points, including a wide open three-pointer and a finish off the glass with the shot clock winding down. Russell found a wide-open Nwokedi in the paint on an inbounds pass to cap a 10-0 run for the Red and Blue, sealing the victory to move to the next round of play. 

QUOTING COACH
"They want to win. They want to be the best. These seniors want to leave the right way. It's very, very satisfying."

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Quakers will head to the Big Apple for a showdown at St. John's on Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. in the second round of the WNIT.