PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Tina Njike recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Penn Quakers used a decisive third-quarter surge to pull away from the Dartmouth Big Green for a 67-59 victory in an Ivy League women’s basketball game Monday afternoon at The Palestra.

The Quakers improved to 11-6 overall and evened their conference record, while Dartmouth fell to 9-8.

Penn led 33-29 at halftime but seized control in the third quarter. After Dartmouth’s Zeynep Ozel hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 37-37, the Quakers responded with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes. The spurt was fueled by interior scoring and stifling defense, holding the Big Green without a field goal for over five minutes. Simone Sawyer capped the run with a 3-pointer in the final minute of the quarter, giving Penn a 50-39 lead entering the fourth.

Dartmouth, which never led in the game, mounted a final challenge in the closing minutes. Trailing 63-54, the Big Green used a 7-0 run, capped by a Nina Minicozzi 3-pointer with 1:24 remaining, to cut the deficit to 63-61. That was as close as the visitors would get. On the ensuing possession, Penn’s Katie Collins was fouled and made both free throws to push the lead back to four. After a Dartmouth miss, Mataya Gayle sealed the win by making two free throws with 30 seconds left.

The most important part of the game was Penn’s third-quarter run, which transformed a narrow four-point halftime advantage into a double-digit cushion. The Quakers tightened their defense during that stretch, forcing several Dartmouth turnovers and contested misses, while efficiently scoring in transition and in the paint to build a lead that ultimately proved insurmountable despite the late rally.

Njike, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Salt Lake City, dominated the interior, adding two blocks in 30 minutes. She was complemented by balanced scoring from Sawyer, who finished with 15 points, Gayle with 13 points and five rebounds, and Collins with 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Alexandra Eldredge led Dartmouth with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists in a game-high 39 minutes. Ozel added 11 points, and Cate MacDonald contributed nine points and six rebounds.

Penn’s defense was a key factor, blocking six shots and holding Dartmouth to 35.7% shooting from the field. The Quakers also won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Big Green 45-35 and grabbing 12 offensive rebounds.

The game was a contrast in efficiency. Penn scored 67 points on 69 possessions for an offensive rating of 97.6, while Dartmouth managed 59 points on 67 possessions for a rating of 87.8. The Quakers also took better care of the ball, committing 10 turnovers to Dartmouth’s 12.

Penn opened the game on a 7-0 run and led 18-13 after the first quarter. Dartmouth stayed within striking distance in the second quarter, thanks to timely outside shooting, but could never overtake the Quakers.

The announced attendance at the historic Palestra was 550.

Dartmouth next travels to face Columbia on Saturday. Penn will visit Yale on the same day. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in Hanover, New Hampshire, on Feb. 28.