By David Gurian-Peck
Staff Writer
dgurianp@sas.upenn.edu
Monica Naltner has played in about 40 games at the Palestra, but she still has not played in a true home game.
The senior standout will not have to wait much longer. While the Quakers normally do not look beyond the next game on the schedule, Jan. 2, 2007 is a date that Naltner circled on her calendar long ago.
On that Tuesday, Penn (3-4) will tip off at Xavier (7-3) - located in Cincinnati, Naltner's hometown.
It is a Penn tradition for each senior to play one homecoming game, and Naltner could not be happier.
I'm extremely excited about it - in case you can't tell," she said, breaking into a huge smile. "It's going to be a great chance for my friends and family to go to a game . We're hoping to get a lot of people there."
Coach Pat Knapp is looking forward to the short trip as well.
"We'll hope to get some team-time and family time out there," he said. "It's special because I'm glad we could do this for Monica. I'm happy for her in that regard; she's played great."
She certainly has, leading the Ivy League in scoring with 23.2 points per game. Her career-high 37-points on Thursday were the sixth-most in Penn basketball history. She also leads the Quakers in rebounds, blocks, and shooting from the field and the foul line.
Her breakout performance, along with Joey Rhoads' continual production, has enabled Penn to reach the quarter mark of the season at just one game below .500. Last year, the Quakers were 1-7 entering winter break.
Following Sunday's 61-51 loss to American, the Quakers have 10 days between games, the longest break of the season. Knapp said that because of exams, he plans to give his players at least three days off and keep workouts concise during the others.
"Will it help or hurt?" Knapp asked. "This is very honest - I don't think I know yet. I've seen different teams take these breaks and come out ready and excited to play, and I've seen teams that are sluggish."
Knapp also must iron out on his starting lineup. Sophomore Anca Popovici has started every game so far, but played just 11 minutes combined in the past two contests. Kelly Scott has logged more minutes than anyone except Rhoads and Lauren Pears over those two games, and several other Quakers were rotated into the mix.
Knapp has not begun scouting the post-break opponents, but the Quakers know what to expect from familiar foes Drexel and Temple.
The Dragons scorched the Quakers last year, 78-44, but historically the two teams have been evenly matched. This year, Drexel (2-6) has struggled despite the strong performance of rookie Gabriela Marginean, who leads her squad with 14.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Temple (5-4), however, has owned Penn throughout their Big 5 rivalry and will be a much tougher opponent. Knapp said that to win, the Quakers must defend the Owls' inside game, box them out effectively and contain their dribble.
Penn has not faced Loyola College (4-5) in 10 years, and has never played Xavier, so Knapp doesn't know much more than what he's read. That alone is enough for him to fear Xavier, which he thinks will be ranked in the Top 25 by the time the Quakers and Musketeers tip off.
"I think Xavier is in the same boat as Delaware and Temple -they're pretty good," he said. "So we're going to have our work cut out for us."
Penn concludes its slate of games over winter break when it hosts Princeton (3-6) on January 6. The Tigers lost two of their top three scorers from last year, when they swept the Quakers en route to a share of the Ivy League title. The rivalry makes the stakes even higher in Penn's first conference game of the year.
"It's a welcome game on the schedule, whenever we play it," Knapp said. "We will be ready [for] it, [regardless] of any situation."
