Navy hands Quakers first loss

The Penn women's basketball team was outrebounded 50-33 and turned the ball over 25 times. The Penn women's basketball team dropped its first game of the season, 59-50, to Navy last night at the Midshipmen's Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md., Navy improved to 3-0 on the season with the win, while Penn fell to 1-1. The Quakers got caught a little flat-footed, and simply could not pull the game out in the end. "It was a game no one took control of," Penn coach Julie Soriero said. "They did a couple of little things better than us." Two of those "little things" were rebounding and turnovers. Penn was outrebounded 50-33, and turned the ball over 25 times to Navy's 16 turnovers. "Navy just killed us on the boards," Soriero said. "We gave them too many second-shot opportunities." The Midshipmen, however, failed to cash in on many of their shots. Penn held Navy to just 32 percent shooting, including 0-for-13 from behind the three-point line, but managed to shoot 88 percent from the free-throw line. The Quakers shot just 39 percent from the field themselves. Overall, it was a sloppy game that either team could have won -- or lost. "They got a lot of garbage points," Soriero said. The game was a see-saw affair for the first 36 minutes of play. Penn's largest lead of the first half, five points, came as the Quakers were able to hold Navy without a basket for nearly three minutes midway through the period. At halftime, the game was tied at 26 points apiece. With some stingy defense, the Midshipmen were able to gain a five-point advantage just five minutes into the second half. A 12-2 run by Penn rebuilt a Quakers five-point edge. With 3:44 to play, the score was again knotted, this time at 49. Then, for the remainder of the game, Navy held the Quakers to just two made foul shots. The biggest problem for the Quakers in the second half was their accumulation of personal fouls. Foul trouble forced Penn to play more cautiously. Freshman guard Shelly Fogarty, who ended the game as Penn's leading scorer, added only two points to her 13 first-half points after she picked up her fourth foul early in the second half. "Shelly Fogarty showed an outstanding effort in the first half," Soriero said. In addition, Penn mustered but one more point after freshman point guard Chelsea Hathaway fouled out with 2:37 to play. She played consistently again, recording 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while turning the ball over only three times. Junior power forward Michelle Maldonado, who ended the game with fourteen rebounds, picked up her fourth foul just three minutes into the second half. The only starters not in foul trouble were senior co-captain Deana Lewis and junior shooting guard Colleen Kelly. "We were forced to go to more of a zone in the second half with our foul problems," Soriero said. The zone freed up the lane for rebounds and loose balls. Navy star Adria Schneck was able to operate more easily against the second-half zone on her way to a game-high 22 points. The Quakers fell short in getting to rebounds and loose balls when they needed them most. "When we played St. Francis, we did all the little things we needed to win, and tonight, against Navy we didn't do the things we needed to for a win," Soriero said. "By the end of next week, we will have our record back above .500."