Three minutes into yesterday's Penn women's basketball game against Northeastern, senior captain Cat Makarewich hit her first three-pointer.
One three-point basket turned into two. And then three.
Pretty soon the entire Red and Blue felt the spirit and energy of the shots.
Fourteen three-point field goals later, the Quakers walked off the Palestra floor with an outstanding 76-48 win to start their season.
Makarewich's game stats, which included a career-high 23 points and a record-tying seven three-pointers, was only paralleled by the performances of her teammates. Classmate and co-captain Karen Habrukowich earned 22 points, including six three-pointers. Junior center Jennifer Fleischer garnered a double-double, the ninth of her career, with 10 rebounds and 15 points.
The first few minutes of the game left the teams neck and neck. However, after four minutes and two three-pointers, the Quakers took control, widening their lead to eight points by the end of the half.
A new half brought new energy to the Red and Blue. Shooting 72 percent from the field and 90 percent from beyond the arc in the second half, the Quakers raked in 20 points in under 10 minutes while allowing their opponents only six.
The Quakers ended the game shooting 59.6 percent from the field, their highest percentage from the floor since a loss to Drexel last January.
"Once I start hitting one or two [three-pointers] and I'm really feeling it, I'm definitely going to be able to shoot more," Makarewich said.
With every three-pointer, the Huskies sunk deeper and deeper into the Quakers' tightening grasp.
"When you hit a three, it's a big dent," Makarewich said. "It's not two points, it's three points. Anytime you are trying to make a comeback and someone hits a three on you, it puts you down."
By the end of the game, the Red and Blue had silenced any Northeastern comeback attempt. Makarewich and Habrukowich's three-pointers not only disheartened the struggling Huskies but also opened the court for the Quakers' attacks from the inside.
"It's great to score, but it wasn't my main concern," Makarewich said. "I wanted to shoot the ball because me and Karen hitting our shots definitely gets our inside game open a lot more. Every game we try to shoot right off the bat and make our shots. That just opens things up for [Fleischer] and [senior center Katie Kilker]."
Fleischer and Kilker pounced on these openings, leading the team's impressive rebounding performance.
"We got out to the 24-point lead by containing them pretty well, outrebounding them ... If we continue to rebound, and we've got very aggressive rebounders, and help each other on defense, I think it's going to take us a long way," said Penn coach Patrick Knapp, who began his Palestra career with a resounding win.
After such a performance, the Quakers cannot help but look optimistically toward the upcoming season. With three returning starters and eight letterwinners, including Ivy League All-Rookie team selection Joey Rhoads and second-team All-Ivy selection Fleischer, the Red and Blue have set out to defend their Ivy League title.
"I was pretty nervous right before the game," Makarewich said. "First game senior year I wanted to come out and do well. We've been working hard in the offseason and whatnot, and I really wanted to come out and show that."
Fans watching the game might not have remembered that this 2004-05 Penn squad is without 2003-04 Ivy League Player of the Year Jewel Clark, who graduated last spring.
"They hit their threes today," Northeastern coach Willette White said. "I'm sure [Clark] is a great athlete, but they are finding a way at least in the first game to put points on the board."
"I'm very proud of these young women," Knapp said, "very proud of particularly the older kids who really showed leadership."
Pushed by the momentum of yesterday's win, the Quakers look forward to many more games like it. They face their first Big 5 opponent tomorrow when they will take on La Salle at the Palestra.
"This was the one personally for me we had to get over the hump," Knapp said. "To me, forever, the Big 5 games just bring their own world of intensity. So trust me, we'll be ready."
