AT COURTSIDE: Dieterle is lone bright spot

NEWARK, Del. -- Senior forward Shelly Dieterle plays basketball for the love of the game. Sometimes love just ain't enough. No one wanted to be a Penn women's basketball player at halftime at Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center. Down nine points in a game they were predicted to win, the Quakers were looking for answers. Coach Julie Soriero called for "somebody, anybody," to step up. "We felt this was our game coming in, so after the first half we were a little down," Dieterle said. "There wasn't a balance. We picked each other up and said, 'We've got to get mean. We've got to be pissed off about the situation.' Someone had to step up and take the momentum and get the team back on the right track." Halftime anger built into an excellent second period for the Quakers. Dieterle and sophomore center Deana Lewis answered the coach's call. Scoring 13 of her 19 points in the second half, Dieterle sparked the Penn offense. "We had good leadership from Shelly Dieterle," senior guard Katina Banks said. "Dieter's like money from the baseline. That's her middle name. If I'm ever driving I know I can always dish to the baseline and Dieter will be there with the shot." Keyed by Dieterle's six baseline buckets and five rebounds, the Quakers made two runs at Delaware. She seemed to take over when the horn sounded to start the second half, scoring Penn's first two baskets. "I got really pissed," Dieterle said. "It's 20 minutes of a game, then we don't play until after Christmas. I thought, 'This is it for a while,' and I wanted to go out feeling good about it." After several costly fouls, including a technical called on frustrated Penn assistant coach Tina Costello, Penn's run was over. With 7 minutes, 44 seconds remaining, the Quakers cut the lead to four. That was as close as they could get -- the Blue Hens half-court trap stifled them. "We were over-anticipating," Lewis said. On the defensive end, Lewis provided a physical presence under the basket. Matched up against senior co-captain Colleen McNamara, the powerful Lewis was able to keep Delaware's "go-to person" in check. Lewis' performance was even more spectacular because Saturday's contest was her first game in over a year. Lewis made a triumphant return from an ACL tear on Saturday. "I played well my first game back and I feel good, but then we lost," Lewis said. Consistency is still a problem for the winless Quakers. Despite Dieterle's veteran leadership, Penn could not convert its opportunities. The Quakers shot only 30 percent in the first half. The return of Lewis and the resurgence of Dieterle improved the team's mark to 42 percent for the game. That was not enough. "We're struggling for someone to pull us along that way, and if that's who's going to do it, then that's who's going to do it," Soriero said. "I don't care who does it, but someone needs to put us on their shoulders and carry us." The challenge has been issued, and love alone doesn't win basketball games.