Penn ends weekend back-to-back on a high with emphatic upset of Ivy leaders Columbia

Penn rallied to defeat Columbia on Saturday, a day after a close loss to Cornell, to close out a two-day stretch of weekend games on a high note.

A high because the 63-55 win over the Ivy League-leading Lions (14-6, 5-2) marked the Quakers’ (13-7, 3-4) first win against Columbia in three years and kept Penn’s hopes of competing for the Ivy League title alive.

It also erased the pain of a 62-58 nail-biting loss to the Big Red on Friday that snapped a two-game Quakers win streak.

“We were hungry,” said Penn guard Mataya Gayle, who finished with a team-high 16 points against Columbia. “We wanted it. I think that showed in how we played. We were all over the court. We know they’re a good team, but we put in our heads that today we’re going to be the better team.”

The Lions entered boasting a 5-1 conference record after defeating No. 19-ranked Princeton on Friday night. On the flip side, Penn’s loss to Cornell put them at sixth in the Ivy League — three games back from competing for a spot in the Ivy League tournament.

Following the loss, Penn head coach Mike McLaughlin pressured the team to step up their effort, knowing the kind of battle the players had ahead of them.

“I challenged them that you can’t be outplayed,” McLaughlin said. “You can get out skilled, but you can’t have someone play harder than you.”

Against Columbia, it was evident that the players took that advice to heart. Using a 3-2 zone defense for a majority of the matchup, the team exhuasted themselves while holding Columbia to 32.3% shooting from the floor.

“Losing to Cornell was not ideal,” Gayle said. “Our backs were against the wall, but I think that also gave us another boost today. We went out there like we had the most to lose, but also nothing to lose. We competed. You saw everyone on the court doing what they needed to do, the little things. We took yesterday’s loss and learned from it, and that translated today.”

McLaughlin has been looking for players to step up and support the team’s stars, Katie Collins (nine points) and Gayle (16 points), and for the first time in Ivy League play, he got his wish.

Every player to log over three minutes for Penn scored at least eight points, which helped overcome a 24-point night from Columbia guard Riley Weiss. The supporting cast was headlined by a double-double from center Tina Njike, who bounced back from a difficult 13 minute performance against Cornell to finish with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“I’m really proud of Tina,” McLaughlin said. “35 minutes. It’s not an easy task for anyone.”

Brooke Suttle, who McLaughlin has relied upon as the teams defacto sixth man, also shined — scoring 11 from the field on 4-7 shooting.

“We need her,” McLaughlin previously said regarding Suttle after starting 0-3 in conference play. “She is going to be in the middle of the lane most of the possessions on both sides of the ball. But some opportunities around the rim, we need more out of her. She’s got to put the ball in the basket. She puts the ball in the basket there, things could change.”

In attendance was Penn’s 2001 championship winning team, who were honored at halftime in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the programs first ever Ivy League Title.

Penn, coached by Kelly Greenberg, went 14-0 in conference play en route to securing the programs first ever NCAA Tournament bid with a record of 22-6.

“It was a great building tonight,” McLaughlin said in reference to the former players support. “That was about as fun as I think these kids can play in this environment. And I want them to experience that too. All this came together tonight.”

Another big test awaits the Quakers who face No. 19-ranked Princeton on the road on Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).