W. Hoops looks to continue winning

For the first time this season, the Penn women's basketball team is on a winning streak. Well, it's only one game long – but for the 1-5 Quakers, it's an improvement. That streak began with a home win over Delaware last weekend. "It was really important for our mental state to get a win," senior center Katarina Poulsen said. "We know we have the talent to win. It just took us a while to figure out how." Now that the Quakers have accumulated this much needed knowledge, they must continue to apply it. Unfortunately for Penn, it's heading south to the Lady Gator Classic, where it'll face a solid Florida squad in the first round on December 28. Also in the tourney are two very good teams in Southern Mississippi and Ohio State, one of which the Quakers will face on the following day. However, the Quakers still are hoping to pull off an upset – or at least compile some valuable experience – not unlike their season opener against Virginia. "I really don't think they're any better than Virginia was," Poulsen said. "We're going to have to play a good game to win, but we're going down there to win." In order to accomplish this lofty goal, the Quakers are going to have to overcome some tough opponents. Despite winning the tournament two of the last three years, host Florida (3-2) is probably only the third-best team in its own tournament. In the second game, Penn will face either Southern Mississippi or Ohio State. The 4-1, 16th-ranked Buckeyes are not as strong this year as they were last year when they went to the Final Four, but they still have all-American forward Katie Smith, who's averaging 15.7 points per game. They have shown flashes of brilliance, beating No. 5 Vanderbilt 82-80 – but they were thrashed by No. 1 Tennessee 80-45. The other possible Quaker opponent is Southern Mississippi, which is 5-0 and has already defeated Florida this season. For the Quakers to beat the host Gators in the first round, they are going to have to build on the progress they made in the Delaware victory. The Quakers finally began to correct the faults that led to their disappointing 0-5 start. "We have to control our turnovers and improve our shooting percentage," Poulsen said. "We know we can shoot – it's just a matter of confidence. We really got into the groove against Delaware. If we don't lose our focus we should be okay." · But these tournament games are not the two most important of Winter Break. After they've concluded their adventures in the South, the Quakers head north for two important Ivy League contests against Harvard and Dartmouth. After the Florida games, Penn should be in top form for these Ivy openers. "The competition [in Florida] is going to be so much better than Harvard or Dartmouth," Poulsen said. "When we play Harvard and Dartmouth they won't be as big or as fast. It was the same after the Virginia game – all the teams were easier to play." The Quakers will try to utilize that edge on January 7 when Penn takes on the Crimson in Cambridge. Harvard finished second in the Ivy League last year but has stumbled in non-conference play with a 1-4 record so far this season, obviously hurting from the loss of all-Ivy first-teamers Debbie Flandermeyer and Erin Maher. If the Crimson continue their sluggish play, then Penn has a definite chance to pull off an upset. One of the Quakers' biggest wins of last season was over Harvard. Although the game was at the Palestra, it was the only Crimson loss in league play not against Brown. "That was a great way to end the season," Poulsen said of last season's 80-77 victory over Harvard. "No one has taken us lightly this year because of that. They've lost some key players." On the very next night, Penn heads to Hanover to take on the 0-2 Big Green. If the Quakers are not too tired from the bus trip and if they do not defeat the Crimson on the previous evening, then Penn should have a good opportunity to pick up its first Ivy win. "We don't want to be overconfident, but if we could pummel Dartmouth I wouldn't mind," Poulsen said. In the end though, both games are up for grabs. It is Ivy play, after all, where Penn has historically proven that records can be disregarded. Last year, the fifth-place Quakers beat both first-place Brown and second-place Harvard. "I love Ivy games," Poulsen said. "It's much more personal. It's just a question of who wants to beat who more."