Quakers look for scoring

This weekend against Yale and Brown,This weekend against Yale and Brown,Penn hopes its juggled lineup willThis weekend against Yale and Brown,Penn hopes its juggled lineup willproduce more points The transition from high school to a Division I program is never easy, but it is especially difficult when the team goes winless in its first 19 games. For Penn women's basketball freshman Sue Van Stone, this is exactly the case as she continues to work on fitting into her role on the squad. As Yale (9-11, 4-4 Ivy League) visits the Palestra Friday, followed by Brown (8-12, 5-3) Saturday, Van Stone will play an integral part in terms of bench production and defense. Averaging only four points per game from both the two and three spots, the Red and Blue (0-19, 0-7) need any help they can get from at those positions -- which is exactly where Van Stone is trying to fit in. After winning league championships in her freshman and senior years at Mount St. Joseph's Academy in Flourtown, Pa., the biggest challenge for Van Stone was to learn how to work around things she could get away with in high school. "There are moves in high school everyone would fall for," Van Stone said. "A pump-fake would always work. In high school, you could take the ball straight down the lane to the basket. Now I'm working on going left or right, not just down the center." Although she was also recruited by schools like Lehigh, Lafayette and Columbia, Van Stone settled on Penn because of its close proximity with home, which allows her parents and grandmother to come to every home game. For Van Stone, she considers defense to be the foundation of her game, as well as the part she likes best. If the old adage that defense creates offense is true, then Van Stone's attitude is exactly what the coaches are looking for. "Everyone can have a night when shots are not falling," Van Stone explained. "Anybody can be a good defensive player if you're scrappy enough. Defense is a matter of wanting it." Van Stone was recruited for her aggressive defense and her ability to create steals and turnovers. She was expected to score six to eight points a game off the bench in the shooting guard and small forward spots, and help bring the ball up. In other words, the Quakers were not looking for their primary scorer. "She's starting to fill her role," Penn assistant Sue Bly said. "She is more confident in her game. Most freshman come in feeling a little pressure, and she's starting to understand the game a little better." Even though she's not starting with a young team on the floor, Van Stone hopes to be on the starting five within the next two years. "It's pretty wide open with opportunities," Bly said. "If she continues to improve, she has just as much of a chance." After horrendous shooting in New Haven in mid-January, the Quakers were massacred, 65-34. What the Red and Blue need, according to Bly, is a good charge of offense. "We're happy with our 'D'," Bly said. "Most teams are scoring only 65 points or less against us. If we hold our opponents to 65, we have a chance to win." Averaging only 50.4 points per game, the Quakers either need to get more points on the board or tighten their defense (actually averaging 70.3 ppg) by about 20 points. If the Elis play by the same game plan as in January, Penn will have that opportunity. In the Quakers' previous loss to the Elis, Yale consistently double- and triple-teamed Natasha Rezek in the paint. If that happens again, the guards will be forced to take the open outside shot, which the Quakers have been getting more comfortable with. With the recent reshuffling of their perimeter players, the Red and Blue have shown some improvement in outside shooting, especially from junior Patty Loyack.