Plum, Washington deny Penn's Ivy try 65-53 in 1st round

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:11 p.m. ET

foxsports

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) Kelsey Plum and Washington finally got going on offense and prevented an Ivy League surprise in the women's NCAA Tournament, with the nation's third-leading scorer producing 24 points and seven assists Saturday in the Huskies' 65-53 victory over Penn.

Like the rest of her team in the first-round game, Plum did not shoot all that well - 9 for 25, including 1 for 8 on 3s - but she took over when it mattered most, scoring or assisting on Washington's first 14 points of the fourth quarter, breaking open a tight game.

Talia Walton added 18 points for No. 7 seed Washington (23-10), which faces host Maryland on Monday in the second round of the Lexington Regional.

Penn (24-5), seeded 10th, led 25-24 at halftime in its bid to become only the third Ivy League school to win a game in the history of the women's tourney.