W. Hoops looks to limit Owls' homecourt edge

Considering that Temple handed the Penn women's basketball team its worst regular season loss last year, it's not surprising that the Quakers were looking for any conceivable advantage this time around.

For this reason, the Red and Blue gladly accepted Temple's late invitation to practice on its home court yesterday.

The Quakers (2-1) will take on the Owls (0-2) tonight at 7 p.m. at the Liacouras Center in North Philadelphia.

"[Penn] Coach [Kelly Greenberg] thought it would be a good decision for us since we'd never been there before," Penn junior point guard and tri-captain Tara Twomey said.

Though the Quakers play the Owls every year in the Philadelphia Big 5, the past two games have taken place at neutral sites in the city.

Last year, as part of a tournament at St. Joe's, Temple easily handled the Red and Blue, coasting to a decisive, 80-64, victory.

And this season, Penn's task might be even tougher, as it faces the Owls on their home court, one on which only Julie Epton had played before last night.

"It's always nice to be able to practice at someone's place," said Epton, a Quakers tri-captain and the lone senior on the squad. "It's good to just check out the rims and find the dead spots on the floor."

Aside from the nuances of the arena, though, Temple presents a couple of substantial matchup problems for Penn.

The Quakers lack of size on the front line this season might very well be magnified tonight. The Owls' top two performers are 6-foot-1 center Athena Christoforakis and 6-1 forward Lisa Jakubowicz.

Christoforakis is averaging 13.5 points and nine rebounds in her team's first two contests, while Jakubowicz has scored eight points and pulled down five boards per game.

"I think we're going to be playing a lot more help-defense and give more space to respect the drive," Twomey said.

Epton is concerned about Christoforakis, a senior from Port Orange, Fla., but is wary of the Owls' other weapons as well.

"We just need to play solid against her and not let her move her feet and post up easily," Epton said. "But she's not really the main focus for us. They have good shooters outside and they're very athletic."

The Quakers will also look to score from the outside, a department in which freshman guard Karen Habrukowich has thrived thus far.

The Newtown, Pa., native ranks third on the Quakers in scoring, averaging nine points per game.

Her long-range accuracy has been especially impressive, as she leads the Red and Blue in three-pointers with five.

"Karen's an excellent shooter," Twomey said. "She knows the game really well and I feel confident when she's in there."

The entire Penn team will look to play with more confidence and certainty than it did on Dec. 9, 2000 against Temple. The Owls' full-court press stymied the Quakers for much of the first half.

"I think, last year, we weren't prepared for their aggressive defense," Twomey said. "In the past few days, we've focused on being smart with the ball."

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