Four wins give W. Hoops best start since 1977

Diana Caramanico scored over 25 points in all five of Penn's games. VILLANOVA, Pa. -- After a strong winter break, the Penn women's basketball team now boasts an 8-5 record, which ties these Quakers for the best start in team history. The Quakers have not started a season this well since 1977. Penn was excellent over the month-long stretch, winning four games by an average of almost 19 points and dropping just one contest to a hot Villanova squad last Thursday night. The Wildcats shot 54 percent from the field in an 85-76 victory over the visiting Quakers. Even in the loss, though, there were a host of bright spots for the Quakers. Junior co-captain Diana Caramanico scored more than 25 points for the fifth consecutive game, scoring 27 and pulling down nine rebounds. Freshman guard Tara Twomey was another silver lining in the loss, establishing career highs with seven points and six assists. Forward Julie Epton, making her fifth start in place of Jessica Allen, who has two stress fractures in her left foot, scored 16 points, the fourth time that she has been in double figures in the five games she has gotten the starting nod. "It doesn't surprise me," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said. "I've always known that she could do that from the first time I met her. She's got a lot of offensive skills, and she's actually one of our most confident players. Julie's had an unbelievable break, and as I've said, we'll go as far as Julie Epton and Jen Jones and Erin Ladley will take us." Epton, a sophomore, tallied a career-high 19 points in Penn's 82-56 decimation of St. Francis (N.Y.) on December 29 in Brooklyn. The Ann Arbor, Mich., native also pulled down eight rebounds in that game. Penn opened with a 19-2 run against the Terriers and cruised from there. Playing only 23 minutes because of foul trouble and the lopsided score, Caramanico still managed 26 points and seven rebounds. Caramanico, the nation's second-leading scorer, had an even bigger game on January 2 when the Quakers returned home for a 92-73 thrashing of Bucknell. In that Penn victory, the forward exploded for 32 points and 14 boards, and earned Ivy League and Big 5 Player of the Week honors for her efforts. But it was Penn senior Mandy West who provided the death blow to the Bison. West scored 17 of her 27 points in the second half, and her three-pointer with 11:29 remaining in the game gave the Quakers a 58-55 lead and put the Red and Blue ahead to stay. "It's been a fun break," West said. "We're just going to try to focus now on Ivies and everything like that so we're pretty pleased and having a good time." West and the Quakers got their chance to start focusing on the Ivies on January 8 at Jadwin Gym. There, Penn faced the defending Ivy League co-champions, Princeton, and sent a clear message to the Tigers and to the rest of the Ancient Eight. The Quakers opened the game in Old Nassau with a 27-5 run and never looked back on the way to a 92-82 triumph. West made four three-pointers and scored 30 points, while Caramanico added 28 to go along with her 14 boards. West's performance earned her the title of Ivy League Player of the Week, while Epton made the league's weekly honor roll for her 16-point, four-rebound performance that helped Penn win its third straight game in the hostile confines of Jadwin. The Quakers returned home once again for a January 10 meeting with Lehigh. The Red and Blue ran circles around their opponents, putting the Engineers away early with 13-6 and 7-0 runs in the first half. Penn even led by as many as 31 points in the second half on the way to an 84-64 triumph. The Quakers found it helpful to have the break in order to fully concentrate on basketball. "It's been really nice to be here and have it be all about basketball," Epton said. "[To] not have to worry about classes, to know you can sleep in the morning, wake up and go play and go eat and go to bed." Despite their focus, the Quakers faltered against Villanova on Thursday, shooting just 33 percent in the second half en route to the defeat. Even more astounding was Penn's performance at the free throw line against the Wildcats. The Quakers missed 10 shots from the charity stripe in the game. It was particularly noteworthy that West, usually Penn's best at the foul line, was only able to connect on 4-of-9 from the line. "I shot 50 foul shots yesterday and I was fine," West said. "But those just turned into wasted trips." The Quakers will try to get back on track on Wednesday night at the Palestra when they will face Towson.