AT COURTSIDE: Leadership proves key at Temple

The Penn women's basketball team accomplished something last night it has only done one other time since 1983. It won a Big 5 game. The only other victory came against the same Temple team two years ago. The reason the Quakers were victorious this time around is simple -- Penn's confidence and leadership would not allow the team to lose. "Any win feels great, but a Big 5 win feels especially wonderful," Penn coach Julie Soriero said. "We did what we wanted to do. This is a win that everybody shared in." Bouncing back from a 91-52 trouncing at the hands of the Owls last season, the Quakers stormed out of the gate and fought off several Temple spurts. Penn showed the maturity and experience gained through a tough early-season schedule and held on to defeat the Owls 63-55 last night at McGonigle Hall. "It's great to get a Big Five win," Penn senior co-captain Julie Gabriel said. "We're a lot more mature this year. It's great to beat a team like Temple. I think we needed to win. This will help us out a lot." The Quaker veteran leadership appeared early, as Gabriel stepped up to spark an incredible 16-0 run to open the contest, proving early in the contest this was not the same Penn team that fell victim to Temple a year ago. Gabriel drained a pair of quick threes, stretching the Owl defense and clearing the middle for uncontested inside hoops. "It felt great to jump out to that lead," Gabriel said. "I hit some outside shots and that opened up the inside game." On the other end of the court, senior co-captain Kat Poulsen made her presence felt in the middle. Poulsen clogged up the lane hauling down seven boards and blocking five shots. Her play, combined with the Quaker backcourt pressure, prevented the Owls from establishing any kind of set offense. Without being allowed to get into the flow of the contest, the clock read 12:57 before Temple scored its first points of the game. "It was very important for me to stay close to the basket," Poulsen said. "They do drive a lot and I am taller than their forwards. I'm glad I can be there to block some shots." While the seniors were instrumental in giving the Quakers the lead, the true determination of the the entire squad was even more apparent after Temple clawed its way back into the game. The Owls launched several comeback attempts including a 10-0 run to counter the Quakers' 16-point outburst. However, in contrast to last year, Penn hung tough and relied on calm play to outthink a feisty Temple team. "They made a great run to come back, but we didn't fold during that run," Soriero said. "We continued to stay tough with them and continued to respond. We bent, but we didn't break. That's the difference with maturity. Last year, it might have been different." Earlier this season it might have been different as well. Penn's schedule has challenged the Quakers to improve, which they have done. Gabriel led Penn with one of her better efforts. The forward played the entire 40 minutes and didn't let the Temple players forget it. She buried three of four free throws in the closing 20 seconds after the Owls had chopped the Quaker lead to five. In addition to her toughness under pressure, the senior poured home 17 points while snagging nine rebounds and notching four steals. "I think our seniors led us to the victory," Soriero said.