Trying to right the ship ASAP

Following an 0-6 start in which the Penn women’s basketball team has been outscored by an average of 17.5 points per game, it seems as if things can’t get any worse.

Up to this point, the only thing going for the Quakers is that the 2008-09 squad fared no better under the guidance of former coach Pat Knapp — that team also dropped their six first games. Yet they were finally able to pick up a win in the seventh game of the season with a 61-58 win over Navy.

So Sunday’s showdown with the Midshipmen (6-2) will have major implications for the 2009-10 Quakers. A win will keep them on pace with last year’s team — which finished with a 3-2 record in the month of December — while a loss will give them their worst start since they lost their first 22 games in 1995-96.

“We really just want to get that first win,” senior guard Sarah Bucar said. “You can feel it everywhere in the locker room and at practice.”

Although the Quakers got off to a slow start offensively, averaging only 41.0 points per game through their first five contests, the squad has started to find its shooting touch, as it scored 56 points in a loss to Lafayette Wednesday.

That effort was lead by Bucar who erupted for a career-high 25 points, highlighted by back-to-back three pointers down the stretch to bring the Quakers within three points late in the second half.

And the Quakers will need another big performance from Bucar if they hope to come out with a win.

In last year’s matchup with the Midshipmen, Bucar scored all 16 of her points in the second half. She went 3-for-4 from three-point range and went coast-to-coast to score the game-winning layup with 21 seconds left. On Navy’s final possession, she hit the ground to secure a loose ball with four seconds left, effectively ending Navy’s chances.

“Bucar is an all-around solid player,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “She has always been a pest on defense and she is starting to take charge for us offensively.”

Yet the key to last year’s victory was Penn’s 8-for-15 shooting (53.3 percent) from beyond the arc. The Quakers have struggled this year from distance, managing only 18.2 percent.

Penn will need to be on point offensively as this year’s Navy team enters much improved. The Midshipmen are led by Cassie Consedine and Angela Myers, who are each averaging double figures with 13.3 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. The 6-foot-3 Consedine will be a major presence down low, as she averages 9.1 rebounds per game.

Yet the Quakers are confident that if they play to their strengths, they will have a chance at picking up their first win.

“We just need to take care of the things we can take care of,” Bucar said. “I know we will come out strong but we need to avoid mental lapses.”

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