Over twenty hours of traveling should have been an indication to the Penn women's basketball team (1-4) that its games this weekend would not be easy.
The Quakers traveled to the University of California at Berkeley to play in the Oakland Tribune Classic.
They finished fourth, falling to Cal, 82-62, and losing a nailbiter to the University of Evansville, 77-75.
In Saturday's game, Cal and Penn took to the court with Penn taking control and gaining an early lead.
However, the Quakers' success was short-lived, as the Golden Bears took control halfway through the first half and refused to relinquish it for the remainder of the game.
"They put more pressure on us," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said. "They started coming up and not allowing easy catches."
Greenberg also attributes much of her team's troubles to their failure to perform on the line.
"We are an 80-percent free throw shooting team and we didn't do that tonight," she said. "tonight we shot 55-percent and that is a big difference."
Stepping up for the Quakers was senior Jenn Jones. Jones -- who entered the game with a 2.7 points per game average -- had 18 points including going three-for-three from behind the arc.
"I knew it was going to be a tough team and I wanted to be focused," Jones said.
Both Penn and Evansville came out to play on Sunday, as they entered the game full of resolve to avenge their losses on Saturday.
The Quakers were first on the board, but the Purple Aces answered them shot for shot.
Penn took control of the game, building up a nine-point lead halfway through the first half, but then lost their momentum when sophomore point guard Amada Kammes suffered an injury.
After Kammes' injury, the Quakers were unable to regain control, allowing Evansville a 3-point leading heading into the halftime break.
The Purple Aces continued to dominate in the second half. They built up a 13-point lead, and Penn found itself in foul trouble and unable to answer.
"They [Penn] put themselves in a bad situation and were down 13 points," Greenberg said. "I was happy with the people on the floor, who don't necessarily get the minutes."
Despite the setback, the Quakers mounted a huge comeback and erased the 13-point deficit.
Penn junior Jewel Clark was fouled while shooting, the shot went in and so did the free-throw.
The Purple Aces could not answer and Clark came back with another field goal, bringing the Quakers within eight.
Clark continued to dominate, tallying two more baskets, and with only 3:41 left, the Quakers were down by just three.
Sophomore Cat Makarewich was then fouled while shooting a three and scored each of her three shots from the line, tying the game with 3:29 to play.
The Quakers gained the lead on sophomore Karen Habrukowich's foul shot, and Makarewich added to the lead with another 3-pointer to make it 75-71 with just 1:23 remaining.
Evansville scored on a ensuing inbounds pass and regained the lead with 15.7 seconds left, and the Quakers were unable to respond as the game ended with Evansville prevailing, 77-75.
While the Red and Blue failed to emerge victorious, there were strong notes on the day. Clark dominated throughout the game, finishing with 24 points to lead the team, and Macarowich finished with a season-best 13.
The Quakers will not return to the court until Dec. 21 when they face Fresno State at the Navy Invitational.
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