W. Hoops wins ninth straight

In 38 minutes of play, Penn women's basketball co-captain Diana Caramanico came within one assist of a triple double, as she scored 21 points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds. But that was only part of the story, as the Quakers (10-5) put forth their best offensive effort of the season in a 91-80 thumping of Drexel (9-7) at the Palestra last night. With the defeat of the Dragons, the Red and Blue extended their program-record winning streak to nine games. All five Penn starters finished the game in double figures in scoring, as sophomore point guard Tara Twomey and freshman guard Jewel Clark each recorded career highs. Twomey eclipsed her previous record of eight with 11 total points, 10 of which came in the first half. Clark topped the 21 she scored against St. Joe's on opening day by dropping 26 on the Dragons. "I have a mindset where I have to be very comfortable on the court," Clark said. "When you come out comfortable, you play well." Clark looked especially smooth considering it was her first career appearance in the starting lineup. She filled in for an ailing Jennifer Jones. "She is so athletic and finishes so well," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said of Clark, who shot 10-13 from the floor. Both teams sizzled at the start of the game, in much the same way that the Quakers and Leopards roared out of the box at Lafayette on Saturday. Penn and Lafayette opened up by firing better than 70 percent in the first few minutes this past weekend, but yesterday the Red and Blue kept up their torrid play for much of the contest. The Quakers shot 74 percent in the first half and sailed to a 52-43 lead at the break. But while Penn's offense was riding high, the team struggled a bit on the other side of the ball. "I thought neither team played defense," said Greenberg, whose team surrendered 80 or more points for just the fourth time this season. In one instance in the first half, Greenberg was so frustrated by her team leaving Drexel guard Bridget Scanlan wide-open for a three-pointer that she called a timeout just seconds after the Dragons had used a timeout to stall a Penn run. With the absence of Jones as well as center Jessica Allen due to injuries, Penn also found itself lacking the size to compete for rebounds, especially on the defensive end. Following missed Drexel shots, it was the Dragons who secured more loose balls than the Quakers. Drexel concluded the game with a remarkable 29 offensive boards, as compared to Penn's 26 defensive rebounds. The Red and Blue, aside from the height they lacked, just did not exhibit enough speed to get to the basketball after a missed shot. "I just think [Drexel was] quicker to the hoop and reacted to their misses," Greenberg said. Caramanico, who absorbed her usual beating in the trenches as she fended off double and triple teams, said that there is room for improvement in a couple facets of Penn's game. "We had our moments of lapses in both defense and rebounding," she said. But even though Drexel attempted 83 shots - 30 more than the Quakers - Penn was far more efficient from the field and also got to the line exactly twice as many times as the Dragons. "I felt a lot of pressure personally from the defense," Caramanico said. "If they're going to put two or three people on me, then everyone's going to score." And once the Drexel defense would collapse on Penn's star forward, it was up to the supporting cast to contribute. Twomey, in particular, connected on a couple of open three-point attempts early on. "If Tara Twomey's hitting threes like that, then the Ivy League coaches should be scared," Greenberg said. Penn will next put its winning streak on the line on February 2, when it will face Yale in New Haven, Conn.

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