W. Hoops waiting for Lewis to emerge as scoring threat

When the Penn women's basketball season began, it looked as if center Deana Lewis would emerge as the Quakers' leading scorer. The 6-foot-1 co-captain averaged 7.3 points per game last season, more than any other returning Quaker. But four games into the new season, Lewis is averaging just 9.8 points per game. And as each game passes, the number of shots that Lewis is attempting continues to fall. Last Thursday at Lehigh's Stabler Arena, Lewis was held to just one point, on zero-for-three shooting from the field. She did not take a single shot from the field after halftime. "I didn't realize that I didn't take many shots," Lewis said. "I had the mentality that I was going to give the ball to the people that were shooting well." A big part of the reason that Lewis's scoring is below early-season expectations is that she is opting to set up plays for 5-foot-10 forward Michelle Maldonado rather than creating her own shot. Maldonado was a relatively unknown talent when the season began, after missing most of the 1995-96 season with a knee injury. But the junior has since developed into the go-to-person for the Quaker offense -- scoring 22 points against St. Francis and 20 against St. Joseph's. Maldonado then dominated Thursday's contest with the Engineers, scoring a career-high 31 points. "If we need a two pointer, we are going to go inside to Maldonado," coach Julie Soriero said. Soriero will count on another strong offensive contribution out of Maldonado tonight, when Penn takes on La Salle at the Palestra at 7 p.m. The Explorers are led by senior Chrissie Donahue. Last year, the 5-foot-11 power forward was named second team all-conference in the Atlantic 10, averaging 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Donahue also ranked in the top 15 in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, free throw percentage and steals. To start the game, Lewis will cover Donahue. Maldonado, who usually matches up against the opposing power forward, will guard La Salle center Margit Rinke -- a reserve last season with limited scoring ability. "I'm going to put Deana on her, and let Michelle work offensively," Soriero said. Soriero hopes that La Salle coach John Miller will follow her lead and match Donahue on Lewis on the other end of the floor. This would allow Maldonado to post up down low Rinke. But if Miller either puts Donahue on Maldonado, Soriero will need to rely on Lewis to take the ball to the hoop against the less-talented Rinke. If the Quakers hope to win, it is essential that Lewis reestablish her inside game, especially since only Maldonado and junior guard Colleen Kelly are consistently scoring in double figures. If Lewis's scoring output doesn't increase, Penn will have to look more toward the freshmen -- Chelsea Hathaway and Shelly Fogarty -- to produce. Hathaway scored 13 in the season opener against St. Francis, and Fogarty had 15 against Navy. But neither has scored consistently, as they are still learning the Quakers offense. Penn is not getting much offensive support from the bench either. Junior guard Hope Smith shot just one-for-six from the field in the Lehigh game. And senior co-captain Amy Tarr is more of a defensive specialist than an offensive weapon. If a couple of kids in our rotation, just one or two, had stepped up, we would have won [against Lehigh]", Soriero said. Tonight's game against La Salle will be an interesting test of whether Penn's role players can take some of the offensive pressures off of Maldonado and Kelly. It will also be a chance for Deana Lewis to reestablish her inside scoring game.

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