AT COURTSIDE: Bowers too much for Tigers to handle

The 35-foot bank tipped it off. Last night was going to be a special one for Penn. Four minutes into the Quakers' 59-57 victory over Princeton, Shelly Bowers grabbed a loose ball headed for halfcourt. Pressed by the shot clock, she wheeled and stung the glass with a high fastball, rattling in the first three of her career-high 24 points. "I didn't want to crack a smile," the Penn senior later said of her backboard beating. The bank was worth a smile, but it was Banks who had the Penn women's basketball team wearing cartoon grins by game's end. With the score locked at 57, senior swingman Katina Banks tipped in her own miss as time expired to give Penn its fourth straight league victory and keep alive the Quakers' dream of a league title. On a night when the Quakers' inside game went the way of Jimmy Hoffa, the Penn backcourt found its range and a wee bit of respect on the hardwood of Jadwin Gymnasium. "[Penn guard Erica] McCauley does an excellent job leading their team," Princeton coach Joan Kowalik said. "And Bowers and Banks are seniors who played like veterans tonight." The Tigers were skeptical enough of Penn's perimeter prowess for Kowalik to have her guards double and triple team Quakers senior center Natasha Rezek down on the blocks. That strategy lasted all of six minutes -- roughly enough time for Bowers and McCauley to drain a couple of open treys apiece. Even when Princeton gave the Penn backcourt the attention it deserved, the Tigers' defense could do little to stop it. The Quakers' guards accounted for 45 of Penn's 59 points and sunk a blistering eight of 14 from behind the arc. Freshman Colleen Kelly even came off the bench to knock down a pair of jumpers from downtown. But the night belonged to Bowers. The four-year starter needed 16 points to become only the 10th player in Penn history to score 1,000 career points. She could have done it by halftime. Bowers followed her heave with a more conventional three-pointer, and treated the Tigers to a broad sampling of her offensive arsenal. She took them off the dribble, and she took them on the blocks. She tried the breakaway layup, the free-throw line and the baseline jumper. At the half, Bowers was two points shy of the milestone, and it didn't take long for her to finish the job. With 18 minutes, 9 seconds remaining in the second half, she dropped one in from downtown to give herself 1,001 career points. "It felt really great to get it over with," Bowers said. "It was a moment I'll remember." But Bowers' performance last night was more meaningful than a mere milestone. It highlighted the vital role Bowers has played in the Quakers' recent resurgence. Over the past three contests, the senior co-captain has rediscovered her game and become the serious offensive threat the Quakers have claimed she could be all season long. "I think I'm looking for my shots more," Bowers said. "People are overplaying me a lot, so I'm taking it to the basket more, and I'm finishing much better." Penn coach Julie Soriero attributed her shooting guard's rocketing numbers to Bowers finally getting used to playing shooting guard after more than three years as the floor general. "I think playing her more natural position of the two guard allows those things to happen," Soriero said. "Things look different from the two guard. It was just a matter of adjusting." For Bowers and Quakers, the adjustment to winning has been a much easier one. At least for now, Penn is all smiles.