Whitney Downs did what she had been doing all along.
The Princeton sophomore forward stepped out and nailed a three-pointer, her 5-foot-11 frame letting her get it off cleanly in the face of a shorter defender.
It didn't matter that Joey Rhoads drained one of her own on the next possession for three of her game-high 24 points. Penn was trying to claw back from a small deficit, but Princeton was getting plenty of easy opportunities - open threes and trips to the charity stripe. The Tigers hit four of six in the second half and 10 of 19 overall, and picked up 16 points at the line to the Quakers' eight.
The game highlighted what has been an ongoing struggle for the Quakers - getting a hand in their opponents' faces without fouling.
So far this year, the team's opponents have shot 36 percent from long distance to Penn's 31 and have made more free throws (194) than the Quakers have attempted (189).
In the Quakers' only win over break, a 60-57 triumph over Drexel, they prevented chances for the opposition at the arc and the stripe. Drexel hit just six of 17 from distance and only got to the line 14 times.
But against Princeton, Temple, Loyola and Xavier, Penn's defense could not clamp down when needed.
In Ohio, the Quakers allowed the Musketeers to take 28 free throws, while Penn only stepped up to the line for six.
These defensive woes are a far cry from the team's earlier struggles, when getting offense from the bench was a chief concern.
"All of them have to lock in, focus in, and know the plays, make the right decisions. Our starting five kids can play well for a while, but we need to sustain it," Penn head coach Pat Knapp said over break.
Knapp gave four bench players at least eight minutes against Princeton, including little-used Amy Donovan and Carrie Biemer, but none of them could sustain it then either.
And each struggled in different ways. Sophomore Kelly Scott had trouble sticking to her assignment and was often burned on jump shots, while freshman Caitlin Slover committed four fouls in 10 minutes of play.
And at the end of the day, the Quakers once again were left to regroup and try again to find a solution to their problems.
"We're going to watch some tapes from the games that we lost and see where we can execute better," Penn senior forward Moinca Naltner said. "Our defense has been steady, but it can definitely get better."
