W. Hoops loses big lead, game

Its a trend that's sweeping unabashedly through the nation's college basketball, college football and professional football ranks. It was a major factor in Penn's Ivy football championship and its also what keeps perennial college hoops powerhouses like Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina at the top. Scoring defense. Its a lethal weapon and not one that's recently been unearthed either. Green Bay Packer legend Vince Lombardi said once that "you can't win a championship without being able to stop the other team from scoring." As the Penn women's basketball team found out against Temple last Saturday at the Apollo, that adage has been taken a step further these days. With eight minutes remaining in the ballgame, Penn (0-3) squandered an 18 point lead over the Owls to lose 81-75. "Our concentration broke when they started pressing us in the second half," sophomore forward Diana Caramanico said. "We were able to handle their press earlier, but it was much more aggressive in the second half, and we got really flustered and turned the ball over." It was not "40 minutes of hell," a phrase made famous by Arkansas men's basketball coach Nolan Richardson in 1992, but eight minutes of hell that undid the Quakers. After playing wonderfully for 32 of the 40 minutes -- during which Caramanico powered for 27 points and 16 rebounds -- the Quakers lost control. More than two-thirds of Penn's points came from Caramanico and co-captain Mandy West, who topped all scorers with 29 points. Point guard Erin Ladley had 11 points but also recorded 11 turnovers, most of which occurred in the fateful last eight minutes. "I don't think that fatigue was that much of a factor," coach Julie Soriero said. "You just have to give them credit for turning up their press. It was a lot more aggressive, and we couldn't deal with it." One important thing to remember in light of this game, however, is that Penn is a very young team that is still learning not only to play together but also to play at the collegiate level. "This kind of game is one you'd rather see happen early in the season than late," Soriero said. "We are young, and I think we eased up our pressure when we were up 18 points. You can't do that in college, especially with the three-point shot and against a good pressing team." The Quakers tried several different ways to break the Owls' press in the second half but with minimal success. "The press was the same as it was in the first half, but when they started trapping more aggressively, we didn't respond," West said. "Erin [Ladley] and I tried different inbounds plays and press breaks but we just had no momentum at all. I think we'll be working on press breaks all week in practice." The Quakers' defense was present for most of the game, which is a very good sign for the remainder of this young season. The scoring was not very balanced, but the key point-getters certainly were up to the task. The transition game is where things went awry, but there is no reason to panic because all other aspects of Penn's game were present and the Quakers have only played three games. The Quakers will have only one day to improve the break before Tuesday's game against St. Francis University of New York. Soriero earned her 200th career win against St. Francis last year and if the Quakers can sustain their 32 minute scoring spree for 40 minutes, she will be one win closer to the next milestone after Tuesday. "I don't think this game is completely out of our minds yet," said West. "We played pretty well and the one thing we need to get better at is press breaks and transition."