W. HOOPS NOTEBOOK: Quakers struggle with varied lineups

The starting lineup of the Penn women's basketball team has changed virtually every week since the start of the season. Fans never know what to expect when the Quakers run onto the court. Coach Julie Soriero has had to make many strategic adjustments. After sophomore starting point guard Erica McCauley fractured her hand in the first game of the season, Soriero was forced to make provisions for both her absence and her return. Another notable transition in the starting lineup has been the gradual substitution of sophomore Deana Lewis for senior Shelly Dieterle as starting forward. Dieterle averaged nearly 30 minutes per game in the first six games of the season. She was a fixture in the starting lineup early on, and her experience shined. Against Delaware Dec. 10, she scored a season-high 19 points. But as Penn's record slipped to 0-6, Dieterle's performance deteriorated. She was held to only two points in 19 minutes in Penn's Ivy League opener against Harvard. In the Quakers' last five games, Dieterle has averaged only 10 minutes of playing time. In four of those games she did not score. In the fifth she scored only once. As a result, Soriero looked to the bench to find a replacement. Lewis took over at starting forward and has become a threat both offensively and defensively. Lewis came into Penn's ranks for the Delaware game after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament she suffered 12 games into her freshman year. After scoring six points and pulling down five rebounds in 17 minutes, Lewis' comeback did not go unnoticed. Lewis' statistics have improved steadily since then. In Penn's third victory of the season against Lafayette Monday, she scored nine points and reeled in seven rebounds in 17 minutes. Penn's bench has done a lot to compensate for the instability of the starting lineup. Improvements are starting to show. Wednesday's 65-29 win against Temple marked the fewest points Penn has allowed since it held Cornell to 28 in 1975. The winning margin of 36 points was the largest since the Quakers defeated La Salle 76-39, also in 1975. Freshman Renata Zappala has been a powerful force off the bench. Zappala amassed 5 blocks versus Lafayette, the most any Quaker has accumulated this season. Classmate Michelle Maldonado scored a career high 10 points, connecting on six free throws, in the Quakers' victory over Temple Jan. 17. Maldonado had another strong game with four field goals and four steals in Penn's Jan. 20 loss to Loyola. With a record of 3-11 overall and 0-2 in the Ivy League, the Quakers have yet to find the winning combination. · Senior center Natasha Rezek leads the Quakers in scoring with 166 points on the season and is only three points away from achieving the 600-point career mark over three seasons. Rezek is also the third-best free-throw shooter in the Ivy League, she is 75 percent from the line. Senior Shelly Bowers is well on her way to breaking Penn's all-time assist record. Bowers is averaging 4.6 assists per game, placing her third in the Ivy League.