After a devastating start to the season with five straight losses in November, the women's basketball team was looking for a reversal of fortune heading into December.
Now on a two-game winning streak heading into winter break, the Quakers (2-6) may have gotten just what they were hoping for.
"It's always important to win to get confidence, but right now all our players should have confidence in the fact that we're playing better," coach Pat Knapp said.
With six games over a 26-day span - including their Ivy League opener against Princeton - Penn must continue to force turnovers off the press and rebound aggressively if they want to maintain their momentum over these games.
Dec. 19, vs. Drexel (3-4)
When the Dragons arrive at the Palestra, they will be looking to rebound from a 55-49 loss against Army.
The inter-city rival will have to execute from the charity stripe, something they struggled to do against the Black Knights when they missed four of their last seven attempts from the foul line in the final minutes of the game.
Despite its struggles against Army, Drexel is shooting a solid 77.4 percent from the line as a team this season.
When they're not getting to the line, the Dragons will lean heavily on junior forward Gabriela Marginean, who leads the team with 27.1 points per game. She is their only player averaging double-digit scoring this season.
Dec. 31, at St. Francis (N.Y.) (0-7)
The Terriers are still winless on the season, but will look to Kara Ayers on New Year's Eve to break that slump. The senior has shown flashes in two twenty-point scoring performances.
Although the Terriers have three players averaging over 10 points an outing, no other player on the squad averages more than five.
Despite remaining winless on the season, St. Francis has kept the score close in many of their games, including a 56-54 loss to Colgate and a 53-50 loss at the hands of Bryant.
Jan. 2nd, vs. Temple (3-4)
In their first game of 2009, the Quakers will host Big 5 rival Temple, which Penn senior Kelly Scott described as a "very aggressive and fast-paced team."
The Owls like to spread the ball around and have four players averaging between 10 and 12 points per game this season. Senior forward Shanea Cotton leads the Owls with 12.9 points per contest.
But Temple is better than its middling record. The Owls have outscored their opponents by an average of 8.1 points per game.
And if Temple's performance this season against the Ivy League is any indication of how they will fare against Penn, the Owls surely do not need to worry: They crushed Dartmouth, 65-29, at home on Dec. 3rd.
Jan. 5th, vs. La Salle (4-5)
In their second of back-to-back Big 5 games, the Red and Blue will have to focus on stopping La Salle junior Morgan Robertson, who averages 12.7 points per game.
But the Explorers are not a one-woman team; their role players have provided consistent support for Robertson. Senior Margaret Elderton, sophomore Ashley Gale and junior Jamie Walsh all average over nine points a game.
The Explorers have dropped three of their last four games and will be looking to rebound when they come to the Palestra.
Jan. 10th, at Princeton (3-4)
The Ivy League preseason media poll might have predicted the Tigers to finish first, but the Red and Blue will have revenge on their mind in both teams' Ivy opener.
Last year Princeton beat Penn 69-57 over winter break, so the Quakers will look to make a different statement during this year's recess.
Although Princeton has won less than 50 percent of their games, the record does not indicate the strength of the team as a whole. The Tigers fell to two nationally ranked teams - No. 15 Rutgers and No. 3 California -- earlier in the season.
But they still managed to defeat Fordham, Stony Brook and Farleigh Dickinson in three of their first four games.
They will look to get the ball to senior Whitney Downs and sophomore Addie Micir, who average 11.9 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.
Jan. 13th, at Rider (2-5)
The Quakers will finish their winter break slate by traveling to Lawrenceville, N.J. to face Rider in their 6th game in 26 days.
The Broncos are on a four-game losing streak heading into their winter break. They will have seven chances to break the losing streak before they face the Quakers.
Their main scoring threat will be Tammy Meyers, who averages a team-high 16.7 points per game.
