Penn expects another test from Brown in Ivy League women's basketball tournament

Three weeks ago, Penn narrowly won at Brown in one of the best games of the Ivy League women's basketball season. As the Quakers and Bears now meet in Saturday's first tournament semifinal, coach Mike McLaughlin hasn't forgotten how much of a test Brown gave his team.

"They score the ball as well as maybe any Ivy League team I've seen in a couple years," McLaughlin said. "I think this game could go any way here. I think our team understands that."

Such a remark might seem surprising in light of Penn's 13-1 record in conference play, compared to Brown's 7-7. While the Quakers rolled to this season's Ivy League title, the Bears didn't clinch their tournament berth until the last night of the season, when a win at Cornell gave them fourth place on a tiebreaker.

McLaughlin is no stranger to conference tournaments, though. He won 10 in 14 years at Holy Family before going to Penn in 2009.

(Tournaments aren't new for the Ivy League, either. For as much hype as this year's spectacle has received, the conference has held women's tournaments in the past. They were conducted from 1976 to 1982, plus one more in 1986. The winners did not receive postseason bids.)

In preparing his team to defend its championship this weekend, McLaughlin has tried to keep things exactly how they've been all season.

"Our preparation is the same from a non-league game to any Ivy league game to now," McLaughlin said. "Obviously, as you go through the year, there's a lot of film and a lot of adjustments that each team is making, but we do try to stay the course of who we are."

That course is led by the star frontcourt tandem of the two most recent Ivy League players of the year: Michelle Nwokedi this season and Sydney Stipanovich last season.

Nwokedi, a junior, has played especially well against Brown. In Penn's 86-60 win at the Palestra in January, she recorded 11 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. In last month's 71-68 win in Providence, she had 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Stipanovich, a senior, has been battling a nagging lower body injury for the last few weeks. Asked Friday how she's feeling, she said she's "fine and "healthy," and didn't offer much more than that. McLaughlin spoke at greater length.

"I agree with her," he said. "She feels fine. She looks fine. She's played great. She's a trooper. I think Sydney has worked really hard to get to this point. Nothing is going to stand in her way."

Penn women vs. Brown

11 a.m. Saturday at the Palestra

Internet: ESPN3.com.

Records: Penn, 20-7, 13-1 Ivy League (1st place); Brown, 16-11, 7-7 (4th place).

Coaches: Mike McLaughlin, Penn (8th season, 131-99; overall 538-160); Sarah Behn, Brown (3rd season, 41-42; overall 130-165).

Series: Penn leads, 45-35.

Last meeting: Penn won, 71-68, at Brown on Feb. 17.

What to watch: Junior forward Michelle Nwokedi leads Penn in average points per game (14.3), rebounds per game (9.3) and blocks per game (2.8). She also has 64 assists and 27 steals this season. . . . Senior center Sydney Stipanovich is right behind Nwokedi in average points per game (11.0), rebounds per game (8.5) and blocks (1.9). . . . Brown's leading scorer is freshman forward Justine Gaziano, with an average of 17.0 points per game. . . . Sophomore guard Shayna Mehta averages 15.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. . . . The Bears' roster is young, with six freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors and no seniors.

Other semifinal: Princeton vs. Harvard, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN3.com.