Women's Basketball Stomps Columbia, 80-62, For First Ivy Win

Courtesy: Jennifer Werner, Associate Director of Athletic Communications
Release: 01/13/2007

PHILADELPHIA--Senior Ashley Gray scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Penn
women's basketball team to a 80-62 victory over Columbia, Saturday at The Palestra.
It was the first Ivy League win for the Quakers who improved to 5-9 on the season
and 1-2 in Ivy play. Columbia dropped to 3-12 and 0-2 in the League.

Penn's 80-point performance was the highest score in Head Coach Patrick Knapp's
tenure. It was also just the second game of the season in which four player
registered double digits in scoring.

The game was dominated by the Quakers from the get-go. Columbia held a three-point
lead after five minutes of play, but it was the largest lead the Lions would have.
The one-point lead for the Lions, at 9:39 in the first, was their last of the night.

After keeping it close in the first part of the half, Penn distanced itself with a
18-5 run before heading to the locker rooms with a 42-30 advantage. The 12-point
margin was the largest halftime lead for the Quakers, this season.

Seniors Lauren Pears and Ashley Gray scored nine points each in the first while
Gray pulled down five boards and Pears nabbed two steals and dished five assists.

In a reversal of last night's game, it was the Red and Blue that kept running in
the second extending its lead to 25 thanks to a steal by Joey Rhoads and a layup by
Gray. Pears tacked on an assist on the play and finished the night with 10, a
career high. Combined with her 15 points, she marked her first double-double of her
career.

Gray came close to a double-double with eight rebounds and 21 points in the game.
Monica Naltner led all players with nine off the glass.

A clean game, Penn went to the line just three times in the game while Columbia was
5-for-9 from the charity stripe.

Penn will take a short two-day rest and be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at
Manhattan. It is the first ever meeting of the teams and will take place at Draddy
Gymnasium in Riverdale, N.Y. The tip is set for 7 p.m.