W. Hoops to finish non-league season at Lafayette

Both teams have overcome trying 1995-96 campaigns. The Penn women's basketball team plays Lafayette tonight in a final tune-up before the Ivy League, or "real," season continues. The Quakers take on the Leopards at the Allan P. Kirby Field House at 5:45 p.m., before their respective men's teams square off. This game pits two much-improved teams against each other. While Penn, at 5-8, has already won two more games than it did all of last year, Lafayette has rebounded from a 6-21 campaign in 1995-96 to go 6-9 so far. Penn coach Julie Soriero sees many similarities between the teams. "They've been playing well compared to last year," Soriero said. "[Our situations are] very similar. They are much improved, we are much improved." Lafayette returns 10 letterwinners, including Jen Bedics and Katrina Yapsuga. Bedics, who never met a set shot she didn't like, is averaging 13.9 points a game. Yapsuga, a six-footer, averages 13.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. According to Soriero, Penn will try to make Bedics work hard to get the ball and force her to create a shot, which weakens her game. Quakers senior Deana Lewis, who pulled down 13 rebounds in Thursday's game against Loyola, will guard Yapsuga. "Deana's going to have to deny [Yapsuga] the ball at the high post, make it difficult for [Lafayette] to look into the low post and keep her off the boards," Soriero said. "I have to go in there and play hard, and box out and play good defense," Lewis said. "We just have to go into it like any other game and play the player, not just the player's stats." On offense, the Quakers will look to maintain a balanced scoring attack and to limit their turnovers. Penn has turned the ball over an average of 20 times per game, but the team and Soriero predict improvement. "We need to settle down on offense and make good passes. It's about patience," Lewis said. "We have to be better passers. A lot of our turnovers come from traveling, so we need to watch that," Penn junior guard Colleen Kelly said. "We have to play together as a team." Lewis and junior Michelle Maldonado, who averages 15.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, will operate inside. Freshman Chelsea Hathaway -- who missed a double-double by one assist against Loyola -- and Shelly Fogarty join junior Colleen Kelly in providing punch from the outside. "I'm trying to step up as a leader on the court and help Chelsea out a little at the point," Kelly said. "I don't have to be the scorer. I don't have to be leading anything as long as I help my teammates win." Both teams are looking to this game as proof of improvement. The Quakers are confident that they will win the game if they play with the intensity present in recent games. The Red and Blue are coming off of a strong 62-54 victory against Loyola, and Saturday the Leopards defeated Army soundly, 79-50. "One of the problems on our team is that we don't have our own personality -- we're like a chameleon," Maldonado said. "We have to play on the level we have been playing at, which is a much higher level than Lafayette. I don't think they're anything special, but it's very common for us to play down to another team's level and make it a game. "I'm not underestimating them, I just think we have to play our game. If we play to our ability, we're going to win."