Old rivalries run deep. In the case of Penn-Princeton, the psychology and drive to win often outweigh all else.
"Penn-Princeton, it comes down to blood, guts and tears and I think that we threw it all out there," Penn senior guard Karen Habrukowich said.
The passion of the rivalry came into play last night at the Palestra, as the lead between the Quakers and Tigers changed six times. In the end, the Red and Blue triumphed, securing a 58-50 win.
"I hate Princeton," senior Amanda Kammes said.
In their first meeting of the season, both teams battled into double-overtime, and Penn eked out the victory, 61-59.
But coming into last night's matchup, the Quakers (13-10 , 6-4 Ivy) had lost four-straight Ivy League home games while Princeton (12-11, 4-6) was riding the momentum from wins over Yale and Brown.
But the Quakers' drive for beating their rivals outweighed all other factors.
"Their coach said in the last game that they were clearly the better team," Kammes said of Princeton coach Richard Barron's comments after the last meeting. "Actions speak louder than words, and we beat Princeton twice."
Barron was not made available for comments after last night's game.
In the first half Kammes led the Quakers, scoring key points to take the lead twice. She contributed six points and two assists in the frame, and the Quakers went into the half with a 24-23 lead.
In the opening of the second half, the Tigers dominated. The Quakers allowed Princeton to score eight unanswered points to start the period. In the first five minutes of the second half, Princeton shot 6-for-7 from the field, compared to Penn's 1-for-7 showing. And with 13:23 left on the clock, the Tigers led, 38-29.
However, Penn quickly chipped away at this lead, scoring nine straight points, and with 9:48 left, Habrukowich sank a layup to tie the game at 41.
"Our small lineup gave us a lot of energy," Penn coach Patrick Knapp said. "That turned the game around."
In the last six minutes of play, Princeton was unable to drain a single field goal. Key to the Quakers' success was aggressive play in the opening and closing of the game, which helped Penn to snap its four-game home losing streak.
"I didn't understand how we could not win here no matter who it was we played," Knapp said. "It gets like an anvil on your back and you just have to fight for it. That's what these guys did.
One positive for the Tigers was the return of freshman sensation Meagan Cowher who had been out with a stress fracture in her foot since the last Penn-Princeton matchup on Feb. 1. However, Cowher was mostly ineffective, logging just 10 minutes and scoring only two points.
The Quakers, fourth in the Ivy League standings with four games remaining, have been all but eliminated from title contention. But on a night when they beat Princeton, not much else mattered.
"As far as I'm concerned, winning the Ivy league championship or not, we beat Princeton twice," Kammes said. "Penn is better than Princeton."
NOTES: Bill Cowher, coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and father of Meagan Cowher, was in the stands at the Palestra.
Princeton shot 7-for-19 from the free-throw line, which allowed Penn to stay in the game.
