W. Hoops | Missed opportunity

Down by two points with 10 seconds left - and with a chance to pull off a huge upset against Villanova on the line -women's basketball coach Pat Knapp called on a surprising source to take the final shot.

Freshman Tyler Cumbo, in only her second collegiate game, missed a short running jumper with six seconds left, as the Wildcats came from behind in the final minute to eke out a 45-43 victory.

"I knew I had a lot of time," Cumbo said. "I just had to keep doing what I'd been doing the whole game and take it to the basket, but it just didn't fall."

Last season, the Wildcats limited Penn to 26 points on their way to a 40-point rout. But the Quakers nearly matched that total before the break last night and held the lead for much of the second half.

The Red and Blue also bounced back from a poor effort in their opener, in which they allowed 83 points to Lehigh. Junior guard Sarah Bucar said the difference in throttling Villanova's defense was the team's increased enthusiasm in its last two practices, as well as having coaches and players yell out defensive changes during the flow of play.

"They were rattled, they were throwing the ball out of bounds," Bucar said. "I think our defensive intensity really bothered them."

Knapp said that last season, injuries prevented Penn from effectively covering Villanova's quick players on the three-point line. Knapp's four-guard lineup, anchored defensively by "wild card" Jerin Smith - who can defend both the post and the perimeter - held Villanova to 6-for-22 shooting from behind the arc and forced 18 turnovers.

The Quakers used a 10-0 run with four minutes left in the first half to open up a six point lead, which Cumbo said gave the team confidence throughout the rest of the game.

"We had more of a defensive run, and we were stopping the ball, and our whole team was pumped up, just excited going into the half," she said.

Because of Villanova's small lineup, senior Katarina Lackner logged only one minute on the night. But hers was not the only noticeable absence on the floor, as sophomore Kim Adams, an Ivy League All-Rookie team selection and Penn's second leading scorer last season, left the team after starting on Friday.

Although the Quakers couldn't come away with the victory, the encouraging performance may help them get through the rest of the schedule.

"We suffered a little bit last year, and once we got down, we stayed down," Bucar said.

But despite finishing closer than expected, the Quakers are hardly satisfied with swallowing the 0-2 start.

"They're telling us that we have to be pleased with losing. If there's ever a moral victory, I guess this would be it," Bucar said. "But between us, we don't really think that any loss is a victory."

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