W. Hoops learns early lessons

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- When the Penn women's basketball team returned from the Roger L. White Tournament in Chicago at the start of the season, it insisted that it had undergone a transformation in that brief two-day period. Penn lost two heartbreaking overtime games at Northwestern after playing some rather careless basketball at the end of each contest. But a valuable lesson was learned, and a team that had initially tensed up during pressure points of a game began to relax and play with confidence, a confidence that has sustained the Quakers through their current 11-game winning streak. In the Red and Blue's first game back from the Midwest, they defeated La Salle, 61-57, for their first win of the season. And in stark contrast to its previous few games, Penn didn't show vulnerability in the closing minutes. It even inspired Penn head coach Kelly Greenberg to declare after the game, "Chicago won this game for us." But that wasn't the only game Chicago would win for the Quakers. This weekend against Yale and Brown, Penn's physical gifts weren't the only things on display. The team's mental toughness and inner strength were challenged n both games, and the results speak for themselves. Of course, Penn would have liked to go into enemy territory and simply rout the Elis and Bears. But that would have been unlikely, not to mention less productive than what actually occurred. In coming from behind in each game, the Quakers exhibited the heart of a potential Ivy League champion, while perhaps also stamping themselves as the most talented squad in their conference. The comeback victory over Brown was especially satisfying to the Red and Blue, given that they had needed overtime to defeat Yale the previous night, and had arrived in Providence, R.I., after midnight early Saturday morning. "It was definitely tough because of the overtime," said Penn guard Erin Ladley, who scored 42 points over the weekend. "But if you really want to win, you'll have to do everything." And "everything" certainly included converting on several key shots at the end of each game, in spite of physical as well as mental fatigue. Ladley showed a particular knack for this in the two games, as did a number of her teammates, who saved their best efforts for when they were needed most. This is a clear sign that a team is playing with superior confidence, and it seems that this bug is contagious, as it has not just been one or two players who have emerged to make critical plays. Typical leading scorer Diana Caramanico only managed 10 points on Saturday, but the likes of freshman Jackie Froatz carried the Quakers early, while freshman guard Jewel Clark lit it up late. "That's the best thing about our team," Clark said. "We always have five people on the court who can score." And the stats don't lie. Seven different Quakers scored in double-figures in at least one of the two games this weekend, while all five starters reached that feat at Yale on Friday. With a balanced attack such as this, and with the heart that Penn has demonstrated in recent games, the Red and Blue just might have the right blend to win its first-ever Ivy League title. And maybe that early-December trip to Chicago will be a big reason why.

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