W. HOOPS NOTEBOOK: Winning breeds confidence

Winning breeds confidence, and the Penn women's basketball team has been winning. Following Monday night's exciting overtime win over Lafayette, emotions are running high. The Quakers (4-8) are confident and elated about their current situation. Penn has won three of its last four contests, two in a row, including a road win over Big 5-rival Temple. The Quakers were able to battle back all Monday night, eventually disposing of Patriot League-power Lafayette despite a 15-point Leopard halftime advantage. Both wins were crucial victories, but the latest win was more memorable because of the way the Quakers won. "It's great for our confidence, the way we won," junior guard Katina Banks said. "It also shows how much character we have as a team, particularly in this game because we didn't fold. We held our own. We kept our focus and we stayed confident. It helps our team morale because we showed that when we increased our intensity, we were able to play better basketball." Recently, Penn has played better basketball, and has done so consistently. But the methods utilized by the Quakers to accomplish these winning results have been varied. "Each win has given us something different, and they are all good confidence builders," Penn coach Julie Soriero said. "From completely dominating the game against Harvard, to having a great start against Temple and letting them back in the game -- but being able to hold them off -- to coming back from 15 down against Lafayette, all have been different experiences. We have shown that we can win in different ways." Penn has also demonstrated it has the character and teamwork to pull out the tough games. Despite key injuries to freshman Patti Loyack (stress fracture), freshman Deana Lewis (knee) and junior Shelly Dieterle (ankle), the Quakers have put together a concerted effort with the players available. "I think everyone is stepping up and doing what they need to do to fill their roles," senior center Katarina Poulsen said. "I think everyone is playing within themselves, and we are not winning just because of one person. At all positions, everyone is doing their jobs." "I'll give my team a lot of credit," Soriero said. "They have a lot of character and they really want to do whatever it takes to win. No one is selfish and they all adjust to the situation so that we can get a win." Winning was not something Penn was accustomed to early this season, when a tough schedule against several ranked schools proved to be too much to handle. However, Penn feels the difficult early schedule may be paying dividends now. "I think those tough games at the beginning of the year were good for us," Banks said. "We are never going to see guards as quick as the guards we saw in Virginia, and we are not going to see forwards as prolific and athletic as some of the players we saw when we played at Florida or Ohio State. This has prepared us to handle whatever position we may run into now. We learned and took a little from each of the games and we were able to improve, and that improvement is showing now." The Quakers are confident, and are hoping to use the past to propel them forward. With its eyes set on the upcoming Ivy schedule, Penn senses it may be able to play a significant role in determining who wins the Ivy League. "We had a hard beginning of the season," Poulsen said. "Everyone realized we can learn a lot from those games, and we are pretty determined not to lose anymore games. Everyone is comfortable with their roles and in their play, and I feel really good about our chances in the Ivy League." · Despite winning Monday, the Quakers suffered setbacks. Freshman center Deana Lewis was sidelined with a sprained knee, which could prove to be a devastating loss. In the last few games, Lewis had been integral in the outcome, subbing for Poulsen whenever the senior center encountered foul trouble. The loss will put more pressure on the starting five to stay out of foul trouble. Junior Shelly Dieterle re-aggravated her ankle, further depleting an already shallow Penn bench, one that was not utilized much against Lafayette. On Monday, three Quakers played off the bench, combining for only 21 minutes. The starters stayed on the floor for long spells, especially given the closeness of the game. "We had to go with what was working in the second half," Soriero said. "Every possession was critical. So I wanted people with experience in there in the second half. And then, in a game where you are trading baskets, you continue to need your experienced players in there, which is why we did not use the bench a lot." Penn is in for a break though, because following its contest tomorrow against Villanova, it will have nine days during which to heal and shore up its bench for the upcoming Ivy schedule.