When the Penn women’s basketball team heads down the Main Line to take on Villanova tonight, first year coach Mike McLaughlin will be in an unusual position.
McLaughlin boasts a 407-61 career coaching record, which gives him a .870 winning percentage, the best in any NCAA division, men’s or women’s.
Yet his Quakers have lost their last 18 games against Big 5 competition, a streak dating back to 2004 when the team beat La Salle. The team has also lost seven in a row to Villanova — and 33 of the 35 meetings between the two teams.
So McLaughlin, who has been called upon to turn around a Penn team that has gone 48-90 overall the past five seasons under Pat Knapp, will have an early opportunity to show that he can extend his winning ways to a program that has especially struggled as of late.
“We just need to come out with energy, play confident and be comfortable with what we’re doing,” McLaughlin said. “If we focus on improving game-by-game, the results will come.”
The Red and Blue (0-1) will have their work cut out for them if they hope to pull out a win against Villanova (1-0).
The Wildcats won their opener, 50-49, at Sacred Heart. Six-foot-2 freshman forward Laura Sweeney scored 11 points off the bench, while guard Tia Grant was the only other player in double figures. Senior guard Maria Getty added another nine while junior guard Amanda Swiezynsky had seven assists and three rebounds.
The heavy scoring output of the backcourt is typical of the Wildcats’ offensive scheme.
According to McLaughlin, the team relies on perimeter shooting and has at least six players that can cause damage beyond the three-point arc.
“We are definitely going to focus on guarding the perimeter and getting in their face to prevent them from getting separation,” he said.
Penn will counter with strong backcourt play of its own. Senior guard Sarah Bucar scored 10 points in her season debut against Drexel while junior guard Kim Adams added nine points and seven boards — though she is battling illness heading into tonight’s showdown.
Although the game will likely emerge as a defensive battle fought mostly around the perimeter, the team that rebounds best may have the decisive advantage. Villanova was outrebounded 32-25 in its opener while the Quakers were beat 45-34 on the boards.
“We really need to box out the first time around,” Bucar said. “We need to limit their second chance opportunities, especially because they will be shooting a lot beyond the arc.”
In last year’s meeting between the two teams, the Wildcats narrowly escaped with a 45-43 win. Bucar led the team with 11 points and made a layup with 2:30 left in the game to put the Quakers up three, but the Wildcats rattled off five unanswered points including a three pointer with 36 seconds left to prevail.
In a low-scoring game that may come down to the wire, the Quakers will need to tighten their execution if they hope to come out on top.
“We need to come out with fire and focus on the little things,” Bucar said.
