W. Hoops happy to be away

The Quakers shoot for their fourth road win. The Penn women's basketball team tips off at Lafayette tonight to start a three-game non-conference stretch before concluding its Ivy League schedule. After a nine-day hiatus, the Quakers return to action tonight at 7 p.m. at the Allan P. Kirby Arena. After playing its first three Ivy League games in a span of six days, the extended layoff gave Penn (3-9) time to assess its play. One area that Penn coach Julie Soriero is looking to improve is defense. "We've put points on the board, but we're allowing the other team to put points on the board as well," Soriero said. "I've been working with some different combinations on the floor in the last couple of days, so if we want to go with a more pressing lineup, we can do that." The Quakers have also been doing things in practice to preserve their competitive edge so they don't come out flat after more than a week off. "We've been working on shooting and execution, and we've also been scrimmaging in game-like situations, so when we're in a winnable game, we [can] win" senior Sue Van Stone said. Soriero is expecting a close contest and says tonight's match should be a "winnable" one for the Quakers. Lafayette (2-13) has fared similarly to the Quakers against common opponents this season. Like Penn, the Leopards lost a close game at home against Princeton 47-45 and defeated Yale 69-57 on the road. Likewise, Penn lost 67-58 to Princeton at home while beating the Elis 70-64 in New Haven. If the Quakers receive the offensive output that sophomore forward Diana Caramanico has produced in recent games, Penn should be able to improve its road record to 4-5. "Diana is one of those players that can dominate a game," Soriero said. "She always wants to get better, so she's always in watching tape. She scored 37 against Brown and we're looking at what she can do better defensively." In her last three games, Caramanico has led the Quakers in scoring, tallying 16, 30 and 37 points, against Princeton, Yale and Brown, respectively. "I think what she's doing to elevate her game is that she's doing a better job reading the defenses, in terms of where the double team is coming from and whether they're fronting her or playing behind her," Soriero said. Thanks to her recent dominance against Ivy League opponents, Caramanico has increased her team-leading scoring average to 19.9 points per game. Caramanico also leads the team with 11.6 rebounds per game. While Lafayette will be busy trying to shut down Caramanico, the Quakers will have their hands full with senior forward Ali Berlin. Berlin, who was second-team All-Patriot League last season, led the Leopards with 11.3 points per game in 1997-98. She has continued her excellence this season, as she again leads Lafayette with an 11.5 points per game average. Berlin's presence is also felt on the boards, where she collects 5.2 rebounds per game. "We'll probably try to go with Jess [Allen] a little bit [when defending Berlin] because Ali is the type of kid who is pretty big and strong," Soriero said. "Ali will have to work harder to get shots against Jess than she would against Diana because Jess is a little taller. Maybe we'll also play a little zone and trap her if she gets the ball in the low block." The defensive scheme should work well because Lafayette's tallest starter, senior center Alicia Yapsuga, is only six feet tall. Thus, while Allen is covering Berlin, Caramanico -- who is 6'2" -- can cover Yapsuga. The Quakers have had a Jekyll-and-Hyde season, going 0-4 at home and 3-5 away from the Palestra. With tonight's game in Easton, Pa., the Red and Blue look to use Caramanico's recent statistical domination and Allen's defensive edge over the smaller Berlin en route to win No. 4.

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