Seniors are leading the way for surprising W. Hoops team

Penn women's basketball coach Julie Soriero didn't get her 200th victory Friday night against Navy, but her team is showing signs that the wait for one more win will not be too much longer. Playing with only three non freshmen on its roster, the Quakers were expected to get off to a slow start this season. Losses in their opening three games were evidence that their struggles were going to be long-term, but the exemplary play of the team's two seniors has put Penn tantalizingly close to the .500 mark. A win over East Tennessee State over the Thanksgiving break and a commanding victory over Lehigh on Tuesday brought the team to a surprising 2-3 mark. Another win last Friday would have marked the first time since the 1982-83 season that the Quakers had won three games before Christmas. Freshman forward Diana Caramanico has put up a tremendous number of points, but it is clear that the team relies on the floor leadership of co-captains Colleen Kelly and Michelle Maldonado. Kelly had only two points Friday night, but she led the team with eight assists. Her leadership is not lost on Soriero, who played Kelly the entire game until she was injured with 47 seconds remaining. The Quakers were within two when Kelly left the game. But without their most reliable three-point shooter on the floor, their offense looked lost in the closing seconds of the game. The result was a 70-66 loss. The open looks Kelly gets on the outside come in large part because opposing defenses collapse on senior forward Maldonado. Battling injury, Maldonado was not expected to play, but when Penn went down early Soriero wasted no time throwing her frontcourt leader into the fray. Maldonado put in 16 points and grabbed nine boards on Friday. Her most important contribution, though, is how she attracts hosts of defenders, leaving Kelly open on the perimeter and Caramanico free down low. "We expect [Caramanico] to be able to get some points mainly because everybody has to key on Michelle," Soriero said. "Other kids need to step up to give a little bit of relief to Michelle." Friday's result was almost a second straight home win for Penn, but even being competitive in such games is more success than many expected from this young group. If the value of their two senior leaders isn't already clear by their on-court performance, having to do without Kelly for the near future will prove as a painful reminder.

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