Penn sweeps weekend for first time in 2 years

When Joey Rhoads was honored before Saturday's game for reaching the 1,000-point plateau, she walked into the stands, hugged her parents, and handed them the commemorative ball she received.

That was the only time all night she left the court, and the only time she gave up the ball.

The 5-foot-4 senior captain was nearly flawless in her 40 minutes, notching 23 points for the second straight night and leading the Quakers to their first Ivy weekend sweep in two years.

Penn defeated Yale - then the only Ivy League team with an overall winning record - 70-57, just 24 hours after handling Brown in a similar fashion, 66-57.

The Quakers (8-10, 3-2 Ivy) have now won four of their last five. Their three straight Ivy victories move them within one game of conference leaders Princeton (10-9, 4-1) and Harvard (7-11, 4-1).

"It's motivation," coach Pat Knapp said. "We talked about it all week."

The other thing they talked about all week was fundamentals, and the improvements allowed them to succeed against two very different teams.

Friday's game against Brown (3-17, 1-5) started off evenly matched, although the Quakers made their presence felt on the glass from the start. Thanks to what Knapp termed "eighth-grade rebounding drills," they brought down 11 of the first 13 rebounds of the game en route to a season-high total of 45.

Ten minutes into the first half, the Quakers began to pull away. Rhoads, Monica Naltner and sophomore Carrie Biemer forced their way to the hoop, and when the zone collapsed around the Quakers down low, they were able to dish the ball outside to Kelly Scott, who nailed a couple of three-pointers.

"We knew that when people would drive, they'd send people to help," Scott said. "So relocating got us some shots."

Defensively they were strong as well. Rhoads had three steals in the half - one where she ran the length of the court to stop what looked like an easy fast break. Pears had two of her own.

The result was a 16-4 run entering the break. Rhoads added five more within the first two minutes of the second and the Quakers cruised to a 15-point lead.

But Penn fouls and turnovers allowed Brown to stay in the game. The Bears cut the deficit to just seven with four minutes left. They continued their push, but Penn was able to respond with baskets of its own. Rhoads' four three-pointers in the half, and the Quakers' season-high nine in the game, didn't hurt.

Although they were outscored 23-11 in the final 10 minutes, they still hung on for the victory.

"Even though we limped to the finish line, I think it will help us for [Yale]," Knapp said on Friday. "The kids will see that they can be a little stronger."

His words proved prophetic.

In a much more physical contest, against a Yale team (10-10, 3-3) that plays feisty man-to-man coverage, the Quakers did not back down. After an evenly played first half, they stormed out of the gate after the break and played their most confident basketball of the season.

Penn sank nine of their first 11 field goal attempts and made all three free throw shots. The team moved the ball around extremely well, notching four assists in the first eight minutes. In that same time period, it brought down seven rebounds, notched three steals, and forced five turnovers.

When the dust settled, the Quakers had gone on a 21-9 run to extend their lead to 15.

"Well, it was no magic saying," Knapp said of the team's halftime discussions. "We knew that we had to maintain the intensity."

And this time, Knapp was much happier with his team's performance down the stretch.

"People took their time, and held the ball," he said.

Yale coach Chris Gobrecht wasn't happy with how the game was played or how the officials called it.

"Today was just - I don't know what that was - it wasn't a basketball game. It was a fiasco," Gobrecht said.

A whopping 52 fouls were called in the game, but three Yale players fouled out, while only Maggie Burgess and Scott did for Penn. The Elis also lost captain Erica Davis to a dislocated toe.

"I think Penn plays a physical - that's a nice word for it - game," Gobrecht added, pausing while thinking of the adjective she wanted to use. "And it needed to get cleaned up."

The Quakers, meanwhile, were pleased with their performance. They put their rebounding to good use again, tying a team that has consistently been out-rebounding their opponents. Their defense held Yale to just 32 percent shooting, while they shot 46 percent.

All in all, it was a good weekend to play for the Quakers.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.