W. Hoops still Ivy dreamin'

The Quakers still have an outside shot at their first Ivy League title ever. Do you believe in magic? Penn's women's basketball fans better if they want their team to win its first Ivy League title. Winning the title would require Penn to run the table in its final three games, including its showdown at Princeton next Wednesday. The Quakers are fully capable of doing this, but they also need Princeton to lose both of its games this weekend. Meanwhile, Dartmouth would have to lose two of its last three. After closing out its 1998-99 home season on a high note last weekend, Penn is looking to keep its title hopes alive when they travel to New York this weekend. The Quakers open the weekend at Columbia (5-18, 2-10 Ivy League) tonight at 7 p.m. Twenty-four hours later Penn will tipoff in Ithaca, N.Y., against Cornell (10-14, 4-8). If history is any indication, the weekend looks bright for Penn (10-13, 6-5). The Quakers already swept the Cornell-Columbia weekend at the Palestra back in late January by the scores of 71-68 and 87-71, respectively. Both of those games, like nearly all of Penn's Ivy League games this season, were dominated by sophomore forward Diana Caramanico and junior guard Mandy West. "They complement each other because if Diana is dominant inside, it opens up the perimeter a little more for Mandy," Penn coach Julie Soriero said. "Likewise, if Mandy is doing a really good job from the perimeter, it opens up the inside a little more for Diana." Both West and Caramanico each had one 30-point night in Penn's previous matchups with their Ivy foes from the Empire State. Against the Big Red, West led Penn with 12-of-23 shooting from the floor, en route to a season-high 31 points. "I think Mandy dominates the league because there are not many guards in this league that have her speed," Soriero said. "If any of the guards don't get out on her, she's a very good three-point shooter." The following night, Caramanico killed Columbia inside with an incredible 40-minute performance. She scored 34 points while collecting 17 rebounds and blocking three of the Lions' shots. "Whether it's from the low block or the high post, she's just been able to put up those numbers," Soriero said. "She's also worked very hard at getting rebounds and second shot opportunities." As if Caramanico's 22.9 points per game production isn't impressive enough, she's averaging 27.6 points in Ivy League contests. In addition to being a scoring machine, she also leads the Ancient Eight in rebounds per game at 12.5 -- over four more than Columbia's Shawnee Pickney, who is in second place. While West and Caramanico have proven their dominance of the Ivy League with consistent production, it's been the increased level of play from sophomores Erin Ladley and Jessica Allen that has sparked the Quakers' current three-game winning streak. Ladley scored 34 total points last weekend in games against Dartmouth and Harvard, including a season high 18 against the Crimson. "I watched video with coach Soriero and she told me to look for my shot more and to drive more," Ladley said. As Ladley's offensive game has been developing, Allen has provided added defensive toughness to the squad. Allen grabbed eight boards in each of her last two games, and she recorded one of Penn's three blocks during the weekend. "For us to win, it's critical for [Ladley and Allen] to play at that same level down the stretch," Soriero said. Although Penn has really come into its own of late -- winning seven of its last 10 -- playing at Cornell and Columbia will be no easy task for the Quakers. Entering Penn's first meeting with Columbia this season, the Lions hadn't won an Ivy League game in over a year. Since then, Columbia has recorded wins over Yale and Dartmouth. "Columbia thinks they can beat everybody now that they beat Dartmouth, which may be a fair assumption," Caramanico said. Cornell presents an even tougher challenge the following night, as it will be the Big Red's season finale. "For Cornell, it's senior night, so they should be as pumped as we were last weekend," Ladley said. Ladley is referring to Penn's emotionally-charged, overtime upset over Dartmouth 80-77 last Saturday. That is the same win that kept Penn's title hopes alive. Despite the assistance that Penn needs from the women's college basketball gods, the team is focused on the task at hand. "Our goal is to win our last three games," Caramanico said. "That's all we can do."