W. Hoops nears .500 with road win

The Penn women's basketball team travelled to West Point en route to their seventh victory. The Penn women's basketball team went a long way in search of a win. To be exact, the Quakers made the long trip to Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y. The Quakers left the banks of the Hudson River with a 68-56 victory over Army, the first meeting between the teams in 17 years. Penn (7-8) saw scoring production come from the usual suspects. Penn forward Diana Caramanico led the charge with 21 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Penn guards Colleen Kelly and Erin Ladley also entered double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. However, Penn center Jessica Allen emerged from the bench and controlled the boards. The Groton, Mass., native notched 11 rebounds in 19 minutes of playing time. Most of the minutes came after Penn co-captain Michelle Maldonado picked up her fourth foul 1 minute 29 seconds into the second half. "She shot the ball really well, pulled down a lot of rebounds, and I think Jessica really responded well to the challenge," Penn coach Julie Soriero said. Allen felt it was just a matter of time. "I've been practicing well lately and getting better since the beginning of the season," Allen said. "It was just a matter of taking that extra step." Even with Allen's performance, Army (5-13) kept the game almost even in rebounds with 34 boards, versus 39 for the Quakers. Yet the Lady Knights had their troubles from the field, shooting 25 percent in the second half. One possible reason for the Lady Knights' shooting woes was Penn's second half run. Army unsuccessfully tried to trap the Quakers in their own end. The result: several odd-player breakaways for Penn and a 20-5 run during the first 13 minutes in the second half. Army cut down the lead to as little as 11, but the game was already out of reach. "In the second half, we got a little bit more patient and responded better to their press," Soriero said. "What that created was a lot of 3-on-2 situations, and Diana [Caramanico] was a recipient of a lot of good passes from our guards." The Quakers had a lot of reasons to be pleased with their play. The Red and Blue were fouled numerous times in the first half and took advantage of the resulting opportunities from the charity stripe. Penn knocked down 13 of 20 free throws during the half, leading to a five point Quakers' edge as the two teams headed for the locker room. However, the focal point of the last two weeks -- rebounding -- became priority number one. "[Team rebounding] was better than it has been in the past, and I hope it's a trend that continues," Soriero said. "I think our guards really stepped up their rebounding and their rebounds came at critical times during the game." The most intriguing numbers of the game were the high rebound totals for guards on both sides. Penn guards Erin Ladley and Sue Van Stone had six and four rebounds, respectively. Meanwhile, both of Army's guards combined for 13 boards. "We practiced on our rebounding a lot during the last two weeks," Allen said. "What you do in practice is usually what you do in a game, so [working on our rebounding] played a key role." The Penn bench saw more minutes than in recent games. Penn guard Amy Nolan joined Allen and Kelly off the bench with double digit minutes. The Quakers did end up short in one department. The Quakers went 2-for-12 from outside the three point arc. Fortunately for the Quakers, long-range threats were not needed. Army forward Jamie Arundell led the Lady Knights in scoring with 14 points. Overall, three Army players including Arundell finished with points in double figures. "I'm happy with the road win, but the next challenge that confronts us is to be ready to go on the road again," Soriero said. Penn will need to be ready to become road warriors during the next month. The Quakers will play six of their next eight games on the road.