Frustration grows as Penn remains winless

The Quakers hangThe Quakers hangwith Yale and BrownThe Quakers hangwith Yale and Brownbut falls to 0-21 When you have the nation's worst record at 0-21, and your season has been one continuous downward slide, you have to wonder how much worse it can get. But after losing to Yale, 54-49, Friday and Brown, 46-40, Saturday, the Penn's women's basketball team has hit rock-bottom. "This weekend was the most frustrating so far," Penn captain Natasha Rezek said. "To come so close but come up short is real tough." After a series of recent games which they lost on defense, the Quakers reverted to the blueprint for losing that they followed earlier in the season. Combining a defense that is solid, but can't shut the other team down in key times, with an offense that looks lost if Rezek doesn't get a shot, Penn lost two close games. The inability of the offense to consistently put points on the board brought about the Quakers' downfall. At no time was this more evident than in the opening half of the Brown game. After Brown jumped out to a 6-0 lead two-and-a-half minute into the game, the Bears got colder than a New England winter. Brown failed to score for 12 minutes, but Penn missed a golden chance to put the game away. The Quakers scored only 15 points during the same time, and turned the ball over eight times -- six times by point guard Caryn Greene. "We didn't capitalize on their bad shooting," Penn coach Julie Soriero said. "We didn't go after them enough offensively, and some of our shots were rushed." The Bears battled back, though Penn still led, 21-16, at the half. In the second half, Brown continued to use its press against the Quakers, who were forced to use Greene at the point while regular starter Colleen Kelly was recovering from the flu. The Bears exploited Greene's poor speed, forcing the Penn guard into numerous turnovers. When Penn did get the ball past half-court, it often had little time to work its offense to get a good shot. Soriero stuck with Greene, even though shooting guard Patty Loyack had more success bringing the ball upcourt. "I guess that I felt that it was better to have Patty at the shooting-guard spot," Soriero said. "She's one of the best shooters we have." Brown inched its way back, and eventually built a 38-32 lead as Ivy League Rookie of the Year candidate Vita Redding exploded for 11 quick points. Penn tried to get back into the game by setting up Rezek inside. Throughout the game, Brown double-teamed Rezek with 6-foot-4 Chris Yasitis and 6-foot Kjersten Boschen. An obviously frustrated Rezek hit on only 6-of-16 shots for the game. "I let Brown take me out of my game," Rezek said. "I'm not used to working so hard inside." Penn was able to close to 42-40 after two Rezek free throws, but was unable to get any closer. The key possession came after Brown opened a 44-40 lead with 52 seconds left. Instead of taking a quick shot to guarantee another possession, Penn held the ball for 30 seconds without getting a shot off. Brown closed out a 46-40 win, and for the 21st straight time this season, Penn left the court in defeat. The Quakers had hoped for a win against Brown after nearly knocking off Yale the previous night. Penn kept even with Yale at the start, grabbing a 10-9 lead 10 minutes into the game behind six points from Rezek. But the the Quakers' offense fell into another one of its funks as Penn scored only four more points in the half. At the same time, Yale, which had been getting open shots all game, finally saw those shots go down. Behind seven points each from Jodi Brandt and Katie O'Leary, who had only 16 points for the season going into the game, Yale jumped out to a seemingly commanding 25-14 halftime lead. "We were over-extended on defense," Soriero said. "There were opportunities to hit the gaps, but they weren't too destructive. What killed us more were the second-chance points and the loose balls they beat us to." The second half was a different story for the Quakers, as their defense settled down while the offense put together one of its best halves of the year. It all came together during a 12-0 run as Penn rallied behind Rezek, whose layup closed Penn to within 43-40. Yale bounced right back, and with 4:28 left, had opened up a 49-40 lead. But Penn was able to close within 51-49, as the Quakers guards showed a confidence in their shots that had been sorely lacking all season. "We definitely had the green light," Penn guard Hope Smith said. After a Yale free throw, Penn had one, last chance to tie the game. But when Loyack's three-pointer rimmed in and out with 13.5 seconds left, the Quakers saw another chance at their first win disappear. Two Elis free-throws iced a 54-49 win that pushed their record to 10-11 (5-4 Ivy). Penn now has five games remaining to try to avoid a winless season. "We really don't know what it feels like to win," Smith said.