PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Cornell women's basketball used a superior defensive effort top keep it close, but Penn was able to finish strong to sneak out of the Palestra with a 68-63 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Big Red slipped to 7-17 (3-8 Ivy), while the Quakers upped their record to 14-10 (5-6 Ivy).

Summer Parker-Hall had 17 points and five rebounds to pace four Big Red double figure scorers, with Emily Pape scoring 13 with five boards. Rachel Kaus netted 12 points and a team-best seven boards off the bench, while Clarke Jackson netted 10. Cornell shot 46 percent overall, including 57 percent inside the arc (21-of-37). The Big Red held a slight advantage on the boards (35-33)

The Big Red defense stifled the Quakers most of the night, limiting Penn to 28 percent shooting over the first three quarters, but the host made 7-of-9 shots in the fourth to claim the hard-fought win. Stina Almqvist paced both teams with her 25 points and nine rebounds, with Mataya Gayle adding 19 points and five assists. Penn hit 8-of-18 shots from 3-point range, including 4-of-6 attempts in the final 20 minutes. 

Pape got Cornell off to a good start with 10 first half points as the Big Red led 30-28 heading into halftime. The Big Red shot 52 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes despite not hitting a 3-pointer (0-for-3). Neither team led by more than six points along the way.

A game that featured 12 ties and 18 lead changes meant that no team had a lead of more than a basket in each of the first three quarters. The Big Red held narrow leads at halftime and at the end of the third, but the home team wasn't able to break through until the final quarter - more specifically the final five minutes. Six straight points by Almqvist and a crushing 3-pointer by Katie Collins with just under three minutes to play pushed Penn's edge to seven (58-51). The lead grew to as many as 11 with 74 seconds remaining after a six-point Quaker possession after an intentional foul call, but Cornell fought until time ran out and got back within five at the horn. Almqvist had 12 of her 25 points in the fourth.

NEXT UP
• Cornell closes out its home schedule with a traditional back-to-back beginning with a matchup against Yale on Friday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. at Newman Arena.
• The Big Red will look for the season sweep, its first over the Bulldogs since 2018-19, after its 57-40 triumph over Yale on Feb. 8 in New Haven.