W. Hoops climbs in standings with sweep

The Penn women's basketball team beat Columbia and Cornell at home this weekend. After sweeping Cornell and Columbia at the Palestra last weekend, the Penn women's basketball team can certainly smile as the end of the season approaches. Penn moved to third place by disposing of Cornell 86-75 and Columbia 84-62. Its 13-12 record -- 8-5 in the Ivy League -- is Penn's best since 1990-91. But far from being complacent about this surprising success, the Quakers' determination has propelled their record above .500 this season with the two weekend wins. Last weekend's improvements are evident in most categories of the stat sheets. On Friday night against Cornell, the Quakers' 88 points, 55 rebounds and 79.3 percent shooting from the foul line all marked season highs. "I was happy to see our free throw shooting improve because we lost to Dartmouth by not making free throws," Soriero said. "This is a group that continues to prove to me that 'hey, we did something wrong and now we're going to make a correction'." No one was hotter from the line than Penn's Diana Caramanico. The freshman forward connected on 13 of her 15 attempts to tie her own record for most free throws made by a Quaker. Caramanico scored an additional 20 points from the field to tie another record, her career high in scoring. "It's nice," Caramanico said of the records, "but I keep getting stuck on 33 points and 13 foul shots. That's the second time I've done this." The first time was January 19 versus Lafayette. Caramanico's work at the line began early against the Big Red. Following the Quakers' first points on a deep three-pointer by Erin Ladley, Caramanico hit four straight free throws to build the Quakers lead to 7-2 three minutes into the contest. Cornell's Kristie Riicio and Kim Ruck countered with a driving layup and two foul shots before Penn guard Colleen Kelly got involved. Kelly entered the game needing 51 points to reach 1,000. She tried from her usual territory, three-point land, but struggled initially. Her first points came on a jumper from the corner of the key with 14:49 remaining in the half when she shook her defender and hit off the dribble. As the half progressed, Caramanico and junior forward Sue Van Stone began a dual attack against the Big Red. The pair's first connection was accidental. With the score tied at 24, Van Stone attempted a shot and lost control of the ball. But the blooper culminated in an inadvertent assist to Caramanico, who retrieved it in ideal scoring position. Following jumpers by Amy Nolan, Kelly and Caramanico, the Quakers took a 40-34 lead into half time. They would lead for the rest of the game. The Quakers looked like the Globe Trotters in the opening minutes of the second half. With 17:48 remaining in the contest, a Quakers air ball was saved by Michelle Maldonado teetering on the court's edge. Ladley retrieved the save and attempted a layup. Caramanico grabbed the rebound and threw up a put-back while falling to the floor. The shot was good and she was fouled. Their luck would continue. On the very next possession, a pass meant for Maldonado was tipped perfectly to Van Stone, who hit a jumper in the paint to build the lead to nine. But it wasn't all luck. Minutes later, Kelly scored in picturesque fashion. After stripping a Cornell guard in the open court, she went the length of floor to scoop in a left-handed layup. With a little over six minutes remaining, Cornell's full court press posed problems for the Quakers. Struggling with risky passes and turnovers, Penn watched its 16 point advantage shrink to eight. Fortunately, Caramanico and Maldonado combined for 11 points to maintain that lead. The Quakers connected on several free throws and layups to close out the contest. The following night, Penn's 22 point routing of Columbia (84-62) was its highest margin of victory this season. "It's fun to win by 20," Jessica Allen said of the victory. "It felt really good because we haven't done it all season." Allen's individual performance no doubt added to her feelings. The freshman forward took an active role in beating the Lions, recording a career-high 13 points in 15 minutes of play. The Quakers dominated inside all night. Maldonado, Allen and Caramanico combined for 44 points. Caramanico and Maldonado scored the Quakers first 10 points while the Lions tried a man-to-man defense. "We just kept taking it to them," Caramanico said. "Before they adjusted to a zone we could basically do whatever we wanted." Caramanico definitely did as she chose. Midway through the first she looked like a point guard as she drove in the open court, crossed over on her defender and scored a layup to give the Quakers a 14-7 lead. Many inside opportunities were facilitated by the passing of Penn point guard Erin Ladley. Ladley had nine assists and just one turnover. She drew awes from the crowd all night in throwing no-look, one-handed and cross-court dishes. Her crisp passes looked especially good when compared with Columbia's abysmal offense. The Lions' miscommunication, several times resulting in passes into the stands, frustrated their coaching staff to the point of a technical foul. The Quakers had a 43-21 lead at the half. Relying on this lead, Soriero was able to clear her bench in the second half. On several occasions, freshmen made up the entire Penn line-up. "I was glad to see everyone contribute," Soriero said. "They all have really improved since our first game." Freshmen Claire Cavanaugh, Chandra Nelson and Sunshine Archambault all scored off the bench for Penn in building the final lead. Following the game, the Quakers reveled in the weekend's success by eating cake with their "Penn Pals," a young group of fans that follows the team's progress.