Penn prays for win over St. Francis

The Quakers women's basketball team is not looking back at last year's 3-23 season. It's hard for the Penn women's basketball team not to think about last season. Their fellow students are quick to remember last year's 3-23 nightmare. The Quakers hope tonight's opening-season game against St. Francis, which tips-off at the Palestra at 7 p.m., produces a serious memory lapse for Penn fans. "We are not 3-23 to start the season, we're all 0-0," junior guard Hope Smith said. "We have a new outlook." Part of that new outlook is showcased by the Quakers talented freshman duo -- guards Chelsea Hathaway and Shelly Fogarty. Both of them have earned starting spots for their first official collegiate game. They add strong offensive games and positive attitudes to a team that needs both. "I'm not as nervous as I am excited," Fogarty said. "I want to bring what I can." "We are not only looking to them to produce points, but also for their enthusiasm," junior guard Colleen Kelly said. Hathaway comes from Christ the King High School which consistently places in the top five of USA Today's high school basketball rankings. Two years ago, Fogarty played on her high school's undefeated state championship team. Penn's players and coaches expect both players to make a quick transition to the college-level game. "I don't think it's as big a jump as people think," coach Julie Soriero said. "They are confident. They are used to big games." "You would expect [them to be nervous], but they have strong personalities. They have a lot of confidence, and it goes a long way," Smith said. That confidence has rubbed off on the returning players. Senior co-captain Deana Lewis, junior forward Michelle Maldonado, and Kelly round out the starting five for Penn. Soriero hopes these three players continue to show the leadership they displayed throughout the preseason. Lewis will draw St. Francis' most consistent player, Mary Markey, a six-foot junior, who averaged 12 points and 7.2 rebounds a game last year. Penn's guards will help by making entry passes to Markey difficult. "Markey doesn't like to play physical," Lewis noted. "Against people who aren't [physical], we get them out of their game." "Defense is going to be the key," Smith added. Markey and senior guard Jean Williams return from a team that went 19-11 last year. St. Francis, however, sports a decidedly young team this year. Of the thirteen players on the Red Flash roster, eight are freshmen and three are sophomores. "We are going to try to key on their backcourt's inexperience," Kelly said. "Freshmen are going to make mistakes," Lewis said. "It's not so much what they do, it's what we do." St. Francis is a strong rebounding team, which the Quakers hope to control with a team effort. The Red Flash guards are very active on the boards which concerns Soriero. She is expecting Penn's freshman guards and Kelly to help rebound, which will limit St. Francis' second-shot opportunities, and keep Lewis and Maldonado out of foul trouble. "Our whole team has to rebound," Lewis said. "We are putting emphasis on the guard spot." "Defense is going to be the key," Smith added. The graduation of last year's leading scorer and rebounder for the Quakers, forward Natasha Rezek, has also been predicted to affect the team. Most of the current players think it will -- they believe this year's Quakers will be more balanced offensively. The addition of the two freshman guards to Kelly, a three-point threat, should help open up the offense. "We will have more of a perimeter game," Kelly said. "Our outside shooting is much better. We are getting really solid play from our guard spots," Soriero said. The coach hopes the guard play will be balanced by the inside work of Maldonado and the strong expected contribution of Lewis. In addition, Penn thinks it can improve its offense by shooting well at the free-throw line, which they have been concentrating on in this week's practices. The Quakers hope that a strong collective effort can push them past a youthful St. Francis team. "We need to be intense, make our free throws, and box out, and we'll win regardless of who they have on the floor," Lewis said.