W. Hoops cruises as Clark scores her 1,000th point

Silence overcame the crowd at the Palestra Saturday night, as the teams, coaches and spectators held their breath, watching the ball circle the rim time and time again. "I thought I was going to be sick," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said. The shot fell off the side of the rim, ending Columbia's hopes and bringing tears to the eyes of shooter Edyette Key. The last-second triumph handed the Penn women's basketball team its second win of the weekend. The Quakers defeated Cornell, 75-65, Friday night and inched by the Lions, 57-56. Penn junior Jewel Clark proved the star of the weekend, scoring a total of 54 points, including her 1,000th point at Penn. Clark is the 15th woman in Penn basketball history to achieve this feat. She now ranks 11th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,049 points. Her next basket will tie her with Erin Ladley, who played for the Quakers from 1998-2001. "It was a really great feeling," Clark said. "It was really great to do it being a part of this team. I just love this team." A goal like this may be one many players strive to achieve, but Clark never gave it a second thought. "I never really thought about it before," Clark said. "Katie [Kilker] had to tell me about it at the beginning of the season." Clark's 1,000th point came with 4 minutes, 53 seconds left in the first half of Friday night's matchup -- a game the Quakers (9-9, 3-2 Ivy) dominated. Penn struck first and built a seven-point lead before the Big Red (7-11, 1-4 Ivy) scored. Cornell mounted a comeback, taking the lead for the first time with 7:24 remaining in the first half. The Quakers did not allow this lead to last long and regained control with 4:26 left at 25-22. The Quakers would not give up the lead for the rest of the game. Clark finished the game with 26 points and eight rebounds. Kilker, a sophomore center, proved indispensable under the net, adding 11 rebounds. Saturday's win did not come as easily. Columbia came out strong, jumping out to an early 11-point lead. "I give Columbia a lot of credit," Greenberg said. "They played tough." The Lions kept up their momentum throughout the first half, going into the break up 30-22. The Quakers came out of the halftime break fighting. "We knew what we had to do," Kilker said. "We knew we had to come out and win." Clark provided the spark Penn needed to get back in the game. She scored 23 of her 28 points in the second half, tying the game at 41 with 7:50 left in the game. "I didn't get warmed up until the second half," Clark said. "But that is something I am working on. You don't want to end a weekend with a bad second half." Clark continued to head up the Quakers' offense, as they built up the lead and held off Columbia. The Lions hit key free throws as the clock wound down, and the Quakers once again found themselves in a dire situation. The Lions inbounded the ball under their own basket with four seconds left. Key shot the ball and watched as it rolled around the rim and then fell to the side, giving Penn the upset win. According to Greenberg, the Quakers earned this win. "This team deserves a break like that one once in a while," she said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.