As Stina Almqvist goes into her last game, Penn tries to lock down fourth spot in Ivy tournament

Almqvist and the Quakers know it could come down to the slimmest of margins to earn the fourth and final spot in Ivy Madness.

Penn's Stina Almqvist is guarded by Temple's Jaleesa Molina on Dec. 10Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Conor Smith

Published March 6, 2025, 8:00 a.m. ET

Although they have not clinched a spot in the Ivy League women’s basketball tournament, the numbers favor Penn, which is eager to secure the fourth and final spot.

Now in fourth place, the Quakers (15-11, 6-7 Ivy) can seal a berth in their last game against Princeton at home on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).

Penn split conference games on the road last weekend. On Friday, the Quakers defeated Dartmouth, 66-37, behind Stina Almqvist’s 24 points and 10 rebounds. The next day, they fell to Harvard, 62-44, after a stellar second half by the Crimson.

Fifth-place Brown (11-15, 5-8) is just one game behind the Quakers. The Bears will have to win their season finale against Yale (4-22, 3-10) and hope for a Penn loss to Princeton (20-6, 11-2) on Saturday.

Here’s where the math comes in: A series of tiebreakers would determine the final tournament spot if both outcomes occur.

As Penn and Brown have split their two matchups and have identical records against common opponents in this situation, fourth place would be determined by team NET ranking. Penn holds the advantage in NET, ranked 162 to Brown’s 183.

“I’ve been paying attention to the NET rankings pretty much since the Ivy season started,” said Almqvist, a senior forward who is averaging a team-high 17.7 points. “I kind of knew we’ve always been in this situation where we’re in fourth, so we are always looking for tiebreakers. … Looking at the rankings today, we’re still a pretty big chunk ahead of [Brown]. I don’t want to jinx it, but I don’t think they’ve been past us [in NET] this entire season.”

Almqvist missed Ivy Madness her freshman year — an experience she said “wasn’t fun at all.” The Quakers have earned the fourth seed the last two seasons and lost to Princeton both times. Last season, then-freshman point guard Mataya Gayle logged 20 points and four rebounds in a 59-54 loss to the Tigers.

Gayle was named the Ivy League and Big 5 rookie of the year for 2023-24. This season, coach Mike McLaughlin’s squad features another impressive freshman. Katie Collins has been named the Ivy rookie of the week a league-high nine times. The 6-foot-1 center is averaging 10 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.

But in their first Ivy League game at home vs. Columbia, the Quakers were trounced, 74-59, and it did not get easier. They found themselves in a 2-6 hole through their first eight Ivy games.

“We’re a pretty young team. Going into Ivy play, I don’t want to say it was like a shock for people, but it’s hard to play in the Ivy League,” Almqvist said. “Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. If the balls are not going our direction or if our shots aren’t falling, anyone can beat us. … People freaked out. I wasn’t as freaked out because I knew what our team was capable of.”

Penn won its next four games, anchored by Almqvist, their senior captain. Earlier this month, she was honored for hitting the 1,000-point mark against Dartmouth at home. On Saturday, she will take the court at the Palestra for a final time.

“Coming from Sweden, graduating from high school, I didn’t even have a senior night because we don’t do it like that,” Almqvist said. “Senior nights are always so dramatic. I would say it’s dramatic here because people are actually quitting basketball and entering the workforce, and it’s going to be a memory [for them]. I’m planning to keep playing basketball as long as I can. So for me, I’m seeing this more as a start of something.”

Almqvist has her eyes set on beating Princeton. Penn has lost 13 straight games to the Tigers, a streak spanning to 2019. Neither of Penn’s seniors, Almqvist and Lizzy Groetsch, has experienced a win over Princeton.

“Princeton probably doesn’t see it as a rivalry anymore,” Almqvist said. “Me and Lizzy definitely don’t want to leave without beating them. That’s probably even more important to me than making the tournament is. I don’t want to leave Penn without beating Princeton at all.”