WOMEN'S BAKETBALL NOTEBOOK: W. Hoops struggles against Slovenes

The Penn women's basketball team lost its first exhibition game 66-56 at the Palestra last night against Add Ilirija, a Slovenian team on a two-week East Coast tour. Coming in having won one and lost four, the Slovenians jumped out to an early 25-8 lead from which Penn never recovered. Nerves were clearly a factor, as the Quakers shot only 29.6 percent in the first half and 33.3 percent overall in most of the players first collegiate action. "We're too young a team to go down 17 points early and try to claw our way back in it," Quakers coach Julie Soriero said. "We didn't lose down the stretch. We lost in the first 10 minutes." Penn battled back with a 10-0 run to pull within five points at 27-22. But the visitors went on a 10-0 run of their own on the way to a 39-24 halftime lead. The Quakers trailed by as many as 25 in the second half before a late run produced the 10-point final margin. Co-captain Colleen Kelly led Penn with 13 points and four steals in only 28 minutes, but she also had seven turnovers. Freshmen Jessica Allen and Diana Caramantico finished with 10 points and seven rebounds apiece. "We were not only looking for a win," Kelly said. "We made sure everyone was comfortable in their first game. There were nerves and nobody knew what to expect, but it taught [us] a lot." · With the beginning of the regular season only 10 days away, Penn suffered its first real loss of the season in practice. Sophomore forward Jen Houser tore her left anterior cruciate ligament. She will miss the entire season, but will not have surgery until December 22 to minimize its conflict with her studies. "It's unfortunate," Soriero said. "She was really playing well in preseason." The 5'11'' Houser played in 15 games for the Quakers last year after missing the first four due to a wrist injury. She averaged 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game despite only averaging nine minutes per appearance. The blow is especially severe because the team was already down to four upperclassmen. With 10 freshmen joining the team, the injury leaves co-captain Michelle Maldonado as the only frontcourt player with any college basketball experience. · In addition to Houser's injury, three other Quakers are nursing minor injuries. Paola Della Peruta did not play in last night's game because of tendinitis in her left ankle. Chandra Nelson did not play due to a back injury. She will continue to be less than 100 percent for about a week. "They're both day-to-day," Soriero said. "[Nelson] is ready to go, but she has missed the last three days of practice." Maldonado has a bruised knee that did not keep her out of the game but contributed to her scoring only six points. "Michelle didn't have a typical performance," Soriero said. "She was limited to about 20, 25 minutes." · The Quakers' starting lineup is not definite, with the center and third guard positions still in question. Amy Nolan and Kelly have secured the starting point guard and shooting guard spots, respectively, and Maldonado will start at forward. The center position will go to either Allen or Caramanico, while Erin Ladley and Sue Van Stone are contending for the final guard spot. "Neither decision will be detrimental," Soriero said. "It is yet to be decided because...we can go seven deep. It won't affect minutes." Allen and Ladley got the starting nods last night, while Caramanico and Van Stone will start on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against the AAU Gazelles in Penn's final exhibition at the Palestra. It is possible that the center position will not have one consistent starter. Instead it would depend on the Quakers' opponent, as Soriero favors Allen against teams that slow the game down and Caramanico would start against teams that run more. "Everyone has her own part," Allen said. "I don't really care about starting." Last year's teams was not as deep, which forced Soriero to play the starters long minutes. Many of the team's best players were either tired or fouled out by the end of the game. This led to inexperienced players being pressed into action during crucial moments. Though this year's team might suffer early from its inexperience, Soriero is banking on a benefit from the number of potential contributors on the bench. "We hope to keep kids better rested so they have fresher legs at the end," Soriero said.