Of all the lumps it has taken this season, the women's basketball team's matchup with Cornell a month ago may have left the deepest bruise.
The Big Red starting frontcourt poured in 34 points en route to an 80-56 victory. But the Quakers had a six-hour bus trip up to Ithaca, N.Y. last night to think about how to prevent the same from happening again.
"There's no magic bullet," coach Pat Knapp said. "You gotta get off your butt and guard them. You gotta chase them on screens, you gotta bang 'em in the post, you gotta help out. We have to play tougher than we've played."
That toughness will be necessary if Penn wants to neutralize Cornell forward Jeomi Maduka, who averages 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. She doubles as a runner on the track team and is "a tough, athletic kid," according to Knapp.
With the second-place Big Red fighting for the Ivy title, Penn will have its hands full playing spoiler. But the Quakers will have to do so without guards Kelly Scott or Caitlin Slover.
A torn ACL will prevent Scott - the usual starting shooting guard - from playing in the team's final three games. And Slover, a reserve, will be shut down after having an undisclosed surgical procedure yesterday.
Their absences puts additional pressure on the rest of the team.
"I'm gonna have to be ready to go," freshman guard Kim Adams said. "I know I'm gonna have to step up big time to fill their shoes, . [and] just kind of take more of a leadership role this weekend."
Given their shorthandedness, the Red and Blue will certainly be road-weary by the time they cruise into New York City tomorrow, where fourth-place Columbia awaits.
Lions guard Michele Gage poured in 20 points during her team's 71-60 win at the Palestra last month. She will be among the Senior Night honorees at Levien Gym and will likely be hovering around the three-point line as usual - she has hit nearly two trifectas per game this year.
The forgettable 2007-08 campaign is coming to an end for the Quakers, but not before Tuesday's season finale against Princeton at the Palestra.
Fittingly, Penn will finish up banged and bruised and with a makeshift lineup. But given everything the Quakers have endured this season, Knapp knows that a respectable finish will be that much more important.
"It's everything. Our team needs to play hard, they need to play together," he said. "We have a difficult circumstance, . but we expect to step up."
