1993-94 IVY LEAGUE W. HOOPS STANDINGS: W. Hoops splits Ivy weekend after Winter Break in Florida

The last time the Penn women's basketball team won at Harvard not one member of the current Quaker team was even in high school. That was all the way back on January 12, 1985. Penn's bad history on the hardwood of Briggs Athletic Center was at the forefront of senior co-captain Katarina Poulsen's mind. "I remembered freshman year," she said. "We played them close the whole game and then lost in overtime. It was a really bitter loss." But everything changed Friday night when Penn thrashed the Crimson, last year's second-place finisher in the Ivy race, 93-71. Unfortunately for the Quakers, they were unable to recapture the magic the next night in Hanover, N.H., falling 68-63 to Dartmouth (4-5, 2-0). In Cambridge, Mass., Penn (2-8 overall, 1-1 Ivy League) could do no wrong. A stifling defense held Harvard (2-9, 0-2) to 35-percent shooting from the field. The Quakers took an impressive 16-point lead into the intermission and continued to increase the margin until it reached an insurmountable game-high 30 in the second half. "We did a nice job of pressuring their shooters," Penn coach Julie Soriero said. "We challenged them well and forced some shots." The Quakers' hustle was apparent in the paint too, where they held a 66-35 rebounding advantage. Senior forward Julie Gabriel grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds in addition to tallying 12 points and handing out seven assists. Six Quakers scored in double figures, led by senior guard Shelly Bowers with 17. Bowers also dished out six assists. Freshman forward Deana Lewis had a big game off the bench, scoring 11 and pulling down eight boards. But against the Big Green on Saturday, the Quakers did not have the same spark. Despite fighting back to within two at the half, after Dartmouth jumped out to an early lead, Penn faltered down the stretch while making only three of eight free throws. "After a big win, there's always the chance you'll come out a little bit flat," Soriero said. "We responded well to close the gap, but our performance at crunch time was disappointing." Poulsen was at a loss to explain the poor free throw shooting. "It's possible to relax too much," Poulsen said. "We're not used to missing and we got a little upset." Even considering the loss, Poulsen continued to play well -- scoring 20 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, including seven offensive. Junior guard Katina Banks scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. "They were playing a zone and I was finding holes in the zone for rebounding," said Poulsen about her performance on the offensive boards. "It's easier than man. Also, their big girl was in foul trouble." Before beginning the Ivy season, the Quakers spent the holidays in Florida, where they lost two games to nationally-regarded teams. They began with a 80-49 loss to Florida December 28, and lost 82-63 to nationally-ranked Ohio State the next night. The bright spot of the whole tourney for the Quakers came at halftime of the Buckeye game, when Penn was within five points. In the contest, the Quakers were led by Gabriel, who scored 14 points while holding All-American Katie Smith to only 5 of 14 shooting. "I was very worried," Soriero said. "Ohio State was blown out by [Southern Mississippi] and I thought [Ohio State] was ready to just let loose." The losses, while demoralizing, contributed to Penn's strong performance against the Crimson. "We played Ohio State and the next weekend we saw them on CBS," Soriero said. "To play a team like that and only be down five at the half is a great confidence builder." And now, with the first Ivy road trip under its belt, Penn feels good about their current position. "It's great to not only get an Ivy win, but to get it so decisively," Soriero said. "[Harvard-Dartmouth] is in my opinion the hardest Ivy road trip. To win two is great, a split is good and you have to be prepared to not win any. "We're getting to where we want to go. We've beaten the upper echelon of the league consistently. It's just a matter of sustaining that level of play."