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Adding another notch to her belt, senior co-captain Diana Caramanico scored her 2,000th point at Siena. (Jacques-Jean Tiziou/The Daily Pennsylvanian)

As Penn students fled Philadelphia for winter break, they left behind a women's basketball team that displayed early signs of promise, but nevertheless owned a disappointing 1-5 record. All that has since changed, however, as the Red and Blue reeled off seven consecutive victories leading into Saturday's meeting at Lafayette. Penn has not dropped a contest in over a month, with its last loss coming against Villanova at the Palestra on December 12. A 16-day hiatus following the loss paid enormous dividends for the Quakers. Penn followed its victory over the Wildcats with a 68-56 rout of Stony Brook, 68-56, on December 28. The Red and Blue then took their next six decisions as well, five of which came on the road. "I think we just came together," senior forward Diana Caramanico said of her team's play of late. "Something finally clicked." Freshman guard Jewel Clark thinks that a landslide kind of effect has gripped the Quakers, as well. With each win, the team's confidence level continues to grow. "We have momentum now coming in from prior games," she said. "We have that fire burning inside us, and it's going to be hard to put out." An improved team chemistry has also resulted in some noticeable changes on the court. For one, Penn is capitalizing on its speed more often now than it did earlier in the season. "Our up-tempo game has come together a lot more," freshman guard Mikaelyn Austin said. "We're all comfortable with each other now, so we know where they're going to be." * In the middle game of the Quakers' current seven-game win streak, Diana Caramanico scored her 2,000th career point at Siena. Already the author of much of Penn's record book, the school's all-time leading scorer added another asterisk to her resume in the January 6 game, which the Red and Blue won 88-79. Caramanico, never one to brag of her own accomplishments, suggested that the record was only special because her team ended up winning the game. "The milestone made it a little better for me, but I'll enjoy that later," she said. "Had we lost the game, the 2,000th point would not have made me feel that great." What made Caramanico feel especially proud, though, was that the Quakers won the second game of a weekend back-to-back scenario on the road. A victory on Saturday against Cornell marked the first time in three years that a Penn team had won a Saturday night road game after playing the night before. * Penn head coach Kelly Greenberg had more on her mind last night than just Quakers basketball. The second-year coach and native of the Philadelphia area was honored last night by her old school, Archbishop Wood. Her alma mater retired Greenberg's old high school number in a special ceremony. Greenberg remained in Philadelphia after high school, playing guard for La Salle, before beginning her coaching career as an assistant at Holy Cross in 1992. Much of the Penn team made the trip out to suburban Warminster, Pa., to see the dedication.

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