1994-95 IVY LEAGUE W. HOOPS STANDINGS: W. Hoops splits pair in New York

Before this weekend's trip to Ithaca and Manhattan, the Penn women's basketball team was on a roll. The Quakers had won their last five games, including upsets of Ivy rivals Princeton, Yale and Brown, to rise to second place in the Ivy League. Underdogs no longer, Penn felt like world-beaters. "We finally had it together," freshman forward Michelle Maldonado said. "We knew this weekend was important, but we were playing well. I thought we could win both games." The Penn team that had successfully faced down its Ivy rivals did not visit New York. Instead, the Quakers (8-12, 5-3 Ivy League) were easily downed by Cornell, 67-45, and forced to battle back against a pathetic Columbia squad for a 69-59 win. "We were flat this weekend," Maldonado said. "It was not us, not the same Penn team." The Quakers were unable to control Cornell junior guard Mary LaMacchia. The Ivies' second-leading scorer, LaMacchia exploded for 30 points in as many minutes against Penn, shooting six of 10 from three-point land. She combined with senior forward Keri Farley for two-thirds of Cornell's points. Sophomore forward Deana Lewis hurt her ankle in the first game, forcing Penn coach Julie Soriero to shake up the lineup in the second. Freshman guard Colleen Kelly benefited, getting her first start of the year, though she played only nine minutes. The Quakers responded to the lineup changes, defeating winless Columbia. With only seven able-bodied, eligible players, the Lions were no match for Penn's depth. Four Quakers scored in double-figures Saturday night. "Deana's injury gave more time to each position in the rotation," Maldonado said. "We split up the time and had to pick up the slack." The bench was the Penn cornerstone in both games. Freshman center Renata Zappala stepped up her contributions, playing 22 minutes against the Big Red and 21 at Columbia. She had six points and 10 rebounds on the weekend, providing a solid defensive presence for the Quakers. Freshman forward Hope Smith came off the bench for 20 minutes against Columbia, while frontcourt mate Maldonado excelled versus Cornell, tying her career high with 10 points. "Our defense was still flat," Maldonado said. "That's usually what we do best. The defense creates our offense. It wasn't as intense as it usually is, but it sort of came back in the second half against Columbia, just in time for us to win." Columbia shot an amazing 57.5 percent from the field. While the Lions were prolific offensively when given an opportunity, the Penn defense was able to hold them to only 42 shots. For the Quakers, senior center Natasha Rezek played solidly all weekend, scoring 14 against Cornell and 15 versus Columbia. She also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds in the second contest. Usually a starter, senior co-captain Katina Banks scored 11 points off the bench against the Lions. With two steals against Columbia, she is only eight short of the all-time Penn record. "Sometimes I think we took our defense for granted," Zappala said. "Our defense leads to our offense. If our defense is off, it's discouraging for everyone." The Quakers have always prided themselves on tough team defense. Through the long losing streak earlier this season, it was the Penn offense that was out of sync, while the defense stayed strong. This weekend, the Quakers had to deal with the disappearance of both.

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