The Penn women's basketball team will go into tonight's matchup at Drexel riding the momentum of its Ivy League-opening victory against Princeton. Not coincidentally, one of the team's leaders has recently begun to build her own momentum.
Junior guard Karen Habrukowich keyed the Quakers' effort against Princeton by going 4-for-6 from three-point range for all of her 12 points. It was Habrukowich's best effort of the season in only her fifth game of the year.
The Newtown, Pa., native tore ligaments in her left knee playing in a pickup game at the Palestra on June 27. She missed all of the preseason and Penn's first six games before returning against Dayton at the Ohio State Tournament.
Last season, Habrukowich averaged 13.2 points per game and an impressive 38 percent from behind the arc. Her performance against the Tigers was a great sign for the Quakers, who have been searching for a second scorer alongside senior Jewel Clark. But Penn coach Kelly Greenberg was quick to point out that Habrukowich's value to her squad goes far beyond shooting threes.
"She brings the coaching staff a level of comfort that we grew to love the last two years," Greenberg said. "Besides the three-point shot, she just makes good decisions with the ball and she's probably our best defender, even with her knee injury. To have Jewel get hers, and then to have Karen right there, it's just gonna mean the world to us."
Both coaches and players alike have marveled at her ability to return to top form less than seven months after such a serious injury.
"She's not playing like she was hurt," Clark said. "She hasn't been hesitant at all. And that's all positive. She's just going to get better as she gets more comfortable on the floor. She's got a great shot and she's been using it."
According to Habrukowich, her knee is strong enough to the point where she doesn't have to think about it, although she is still slowed by the brace that she will wear for the foreseeable future. For now, she seems satisfied with her role coming off the bench and simply being able to help her team.
"Things just worked out at Ohio State," Habrukowich said. "I wasn't expecting to play, but I was able to practice and coach got me into the game for a couple minutes.
"I just want to go out there and make a difference. I can be a spark off the bench, I'm always communicating, getting the team fired up. I am looking to score, but whatever contribution I can make, I'm really grateful."
Despite all of the optimism surrounding the Quakers, Greenberg made it clear that Habrukowich is not a cure-all for the team's problems. She cited rebounding and offensive decision-making as areas that must improve for Penn to be successful in the Ancient Eight.
"Going into the Ivy League, teams are gonna be much bigger than us. Not even a couple teams. They're all a lot bigger than us, a couple of inches at every position. Rebounding-wise we just have to get a lot better if we're gonna win this thing.
"Secondly is our choices on offense, taking care of the basketball and getting it to our scorers in their positions."
