Di owns scoring record

Not too many fans made the trip up from Philadelphia to Ithaca, N.Y., Friday to see the Penn women's basketball team take on Cornell. Not too many Penn faithful, therefore, were there in Newman Arena to shower junior forward Diana Caramanico with praise when she broke the team's career scoring record. And the Quakers' humble phenom probably couldn't have been happier that -- after a long, loud buildup -- the feat was accomplished quietly. "I didn't really want to make a big fuss over it," the tri-captain said. With little more than her parents and teammates there to cheer her on, Caramanico surpassed Kirsten Brendel's career record of 1,656 points less than five minutes into the second half against the Big Red. In fact, the cheers did not even come until the post-game huddle, when Penn coach Kelly Greenberg announced Caramanico's accomplishment to the team. "We didn't take a break for it [during the game]," Penn tri-captain Erin Ladley said. "Diana wouldn't have wanted that." Instead, what Caramanico wanted Friday night -- and wants every night that she wears the Red and Blue -- was another Penn win. She got what she wanted to the tune of a 74-65 Quakers victory. Despite an illustrious resume -- which includes both Ivy League and Big 5 Rookie and Player of the Year honors -- it is Caramanico's will to win and be part of a successful team that has motivated her and driven her to work so hard. "It all starts with your work ethic," Greenberg said. "To be such a prolific scorer you have to be a gym rat -- and not just playing pickup games, but practicing on your own." Caramanico does all this, but she said she takes extra practice time more in the interest of being a better all-around player than just a better scorer. "I sort of worked hard in high school, but not like I have in college," she said. "I knew the competition was harder here." But above all, Caramanico tries to improve as a player because she unselfishly wants to be better for her team. "I don't pay attention to these individual records," she said. "Our coach isn't really into it that much, because it's a team game. I think that's the best way to go about it." That's also the way it was when Caramanico was a high schooler at Germantown Academy in suburban Philadelphia. At a school assembly the morning before she would break the 1,000 point hurdle as a prep athlete -- in which a special announcement was made --Caramanico was discreetly absent. "I made them keep it a secret from me," she said. "My dad figured out a way to keep me from the assembly." Even though she is now in college and accomplishing as a junior what most players can only dream of doing in a full four years, Caramanico still does not want to be in the spotlight. "It would be nice if nobody was really paying attention," she said. "We're just really close to the end of the season and I just want to worry about wins." Almost as a tribute to the all-around work that she has put into her college career, though, the play that broke the record was initiated by Caramanico herself. The Penn tri-captain stole the ball, dished it off to teammate Claire Cavanaugh and sprinted upcourt. Cavanaugh found her seconds later, and at the 15:33 mark, Quakers history was made with one of Caramanico's feared jump shots. The entire record-breaking play revealed to Greenberg how much she and the team "really appreciates Diana." "She has the complete package that any coach should want," Greenberg said. "I haven't really coached somebody who is so consistent in scoring every night. It's amazing how she can do it every single game." The scoring in all these single games -- including Friday's at Cornell and Saturday's at Columbia -- have added up to 1,682 career points for Caramanico. And although she probably doesn't want to hear about it, that number's only going to get bigger.