W. Hoops blows two more close games on the road

If there were one weekend that epitomized the season of the Penn women's basketball season, it was this past one. It had everything -- the high expectations, tight games, the tantalizing taste of seemingly certain victory -- and, of course, the bitter aftertaste of a crushing defeat. In other words -- Cornell 65, Penn 63 -- Columbia 64, Penn 62. It wasn't supposed to be like this. The Quakers (6-20, 2-10 Ivy League) entered their last Ivy weekend of the 1996-97 season with a season full of should-haves -- close losses, heartbreaking defeats, the results of a young team trying to find its voice in an often merciless Ivy schedule. This was supposed to be the weekend where the Quakers' youth was supposed to shine with their newfound experience, to break out of their nine-game skid. Instead, Penn coach Julie Soriero and her squad found themselves heading back to Philadelphia with a sickeningly familiar result. "We had two winnable games," Penn shooting guard Colleen Kelly said. "I don't know what happened." What happened in the Cornell game can be summed up in a single name -- Kimberly Ruck. Ruck, whom Soriero had professed a hope to contain before the game, exploded for 30 of the Big Red's 65 points, shooting 9-for-19 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line. What made Ruck's heroics especially painful, was the fact that it outshined the outstanding individual efforts of three of the Quakers best players. Michelle Maldonado, who has been Penn's most consistent player throughout the season, again paced her team with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Kelly, who shot 7-for-12 from the field, followed suit with 18 points of her own and senior co-captain Deana Lewis chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds. Even despite Ruck's tremendous efforts, the Quakers had every chance to win the game. Up by five points with only 58 seconds to play, a Penn victory seemed assured. A few missed free throws, however, allowed the Big Red (11-14, 6-7) to tie the game at 63. As time wound down, Cornell was able to set up for the last shot of the game. All eyes were on Ruck as Cornell raced down the court in preparation for its final shot. The shot came, but not from Ruck, as guard Sarah Maggi came off the bench to prove the game's most unlikely hero, swishing a basket at the buzzer and giving the Big Red the win. On the bright side, the game was a hard-fought road battle, one the Quakers might have folded in a few weeks ago. On the other hand, it was yet another loss. "It's a step in the right direction," Kelly said. "But we have to learn how to win those games." The Columbia game was not quite as heartbreaking, but no less aggravating. The Lions, whom the Quakers destroyed 65-44 a mere three weeks ago, pulled out the huge upset victory with the support of a sell-out crowd in their final game of the season. "They were shooting very well and we had a lot of turnovers," Kelly said. "They just wanted it more than us." Particularly surprising was Columbia's effort on the boards. Outmatched in both size an strength, the Lions somehow managed to outrebound the Quakers 36-30. "It was a shock, especially in the first half," Kelly said. "They just outhustled us." Leading the way again for the Quakers was Maldonado with 22 points, followed by Kelly, who chipped in with 21.