There aren't many breaks in an Ivy League schedule.
The Penn women's basketball team knows that all too well, at is has played two consecutive games against conference opponents and has another contest against Princeton today, only two days after returning from Providence, R.I.
After two tough wins against Yale and Brown, the Quakers (9-6, 2-0 Ivy) had one day of rest, one day of preparation, and then will have another tough league test today.
"The positive is that we didn't play nearly close to our best basketball and we still got two wins," said Penn guard Amanda Kammes. "The negative is we need to get it together real quick. Princeton, Harvard, and Dartmouth aren't just gonna lay down for us; it's gonna be real important that our shooting percentage gets brought up. Obviously we shot poorly this weekend."
Despite the poor play, the Quakers now stand in a tie for first place in the Ivies with Dartmouth. But their undefeated record will once again be tested tonight at Jadwin Gym.
"The unique thing about Princeton is they might be the worst team in the league, but they will always give us a hell of a game, especially at their place. Jadwin, it's very unfriendly to Penn, men or women," Kammes said.
But, Princeton certainly isn't the worst team in the Ivies this year. They come in at 9-6 and 1-1 in the league. Their only Ancient Eight loss came on a one-point loss to a tough Brown team in Providence. But the Tigers bounced right back to beat the Elis at Yale, 56-52.
Princeton is led by Becky Brown, a 6-foot-3 junior from Nashville, Tenn., who leads the Tigers, averaging 13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds on the season.
"She's a good player," Penn senior Karen Habrukowich said of Brown. "But we have good post defense and as long as we play good team defense I think we'll be OK."
However, it is not Brown, but a Princeton freshman who has been gaining the most attention this season.
Having Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher as a father is probably enough to get Meagan Cowher's name in paper, but it is Cowher's play that's been remarkable this season.
Cowher has already been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week four times this season. The 6-foot-1 forward is the second-leading scorer and rebounder for the Tigers, averaging 12.8 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Penn coach Patrick Knapp recruited Cowher at Georgetown and knows how good she is.
"She's an ace," he said. "There were a lot of people who didn't think she was a Big East player; she's a Big East player. She's a very good player and she's only gonna get better."
Cowher and Brown will go up against Penn center Jennifer Fleischer. Fleischer turned in solid performances in both of the Quakers' first Ivy League contests, including a double-double against Brown, but the next week will be a test for the big junior.
"Over the next three games she's gonna have a little bit more of a challenge down low with Becky Brown from Princeton and Elise Morrison from Dartmouth, so it should be interesting," Kammes said. "But, we always expect big things from Fleisch."
Fleischer's play and Penn's ability to make shots will determine whether the team leaves Jadwin with a victory. But it is evident that it will take more than the lackluster performances turned in by the Quakers in their last two games to beat Princeton on the road.
