W. Hoops eager for Princeton rematch

1994-95 Ivy League W. Hoops Standings The Tigers have been talking trash, and the Penn women's basketball team is taking it personally. Tonight at 7:30 p.m. Jadwin Gym, the two will meet to settle the score. There was no question which team was better when the two met at the Palestra January 28. The Quakers (6-11, 3-2 Ivy League) demolished Princeton (11-6, 3-2) with a 21-0 run to end the contest. After the game, some Tigers players put down their own offensive efforts instead of giving credit to the opposition. The Quakers, who have prided themselves on their defense all season, were upset by these remarks. "I was a little disturbed by one of their players' comments," sophomore guard Erica McCauley said. "She said that we didn't win, they lost. They can say they let it slip away and all that, which, to a point, might be true. But I think it had a lot more to do with what we were doing to them than what they weren't doing. We turned it up at the end." That game was only one in a string of Penn wins. The Quakers are 5-1 over their last six contests, including Ivy League victories over Yale and Brown this past weekend. "This weekend was an exclamation mark on what we're trying to do and where we plan on going," senior co-captain Katina Banks said. "The attitude from all the players, the way people talk, act and work with each other is really positive. Everyone's really motivated to work hard for the common goal." Penn is also a bit nervous at the prospect of traveling to Old Nassau. Though Penn has played well there in the past, Jadwin, a multi-sport arena, is much larger than the compact and friendly confines of the Palestra. "It's hollow," McCauley said. "It's this huge place, but the gym takes up a tenth of it. It's in the middle of nowhere. Depth perception won't matter. The baskets are the same, or so I'm told." No matter what the baskets at Jadwin look like, the Quakers will have to overcome past offensive inconsistencies. While Penn has improved its scoring production recently, the staple of the team is still its defense. "We're scoring better," Penn coach Julie Soriero said. "I don't think we shoot the ball very well, but we get putbacks. We'll shoot in streaks, and therefore score in streaks, but our defense has always been consistent." "I think it's going to come down to our defense, as it always has throughout the whole season," Banks said. "It will be our being able to contain them, and just executing on offense. After the last game they mentioned they had more difficulty containing us than they thought, so we're going to have to be able to answer." Princeton has three players averaging in double figures -- juniors Kim Allen and Dana Moore and sophomore Kim Curry. When the teams last met, Curry scored 15 points and Allen had 13, including three shots from beyond the arc. This past weekend against Brown, Allen put up 14 shots from three-point range, winding up with 26 points. Stopping the trio will be a key for Penn's defense. In addition, junior guard Deb Smith will be a target of Penn defenders. Though she had a below-average night when Princeton visited the Palestra, she has been playing very well since. The Quakers are not underdogs any longer. After their two upset victories this weekend, Penn is in a three-way tie for second place in the Ivy League with Brown and Princeton. With their new position, the Quakers have a new attitude. "We're coming from a whole different perspective," Soriero said. "In the past, we would always focus on our next game because we wanted to get that first win or a Big 5 win. It's a wonderful feeling, but it's a feeling we haven't really experienced." With a win tonight, Penn will claim sole possession of the second slot in the Ivies behind Harvard and Dartmouth. Though they cannot deny the mathematics, the Quakers are trying to forget about the other implications this game carries -- like the fact they are playing Princeton. "I'm curious to see if we can meet the challenge that we've set for ourselves," Soriero said. "It's wonderful to talk about being tied for second and all those other things but it doesn't matter if we can't perform well and beat Princeton."

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