Penn loses Knapp, loses to Princeton

A new year may be a time to forget past worries, but for Penn women’s basketball, January has brought only pain for the young team.

After a program-best start, Penn has started off the new year with two key losses. The first was the Quakers’ home opener Saturday, where they were soundly beaten by Princeton, 83-48. However, the second loss — an injury to senior forward Jess Knapp — could be infinitely more painful.

“You try to teach them in this moment, but also let them know they’re a long way away, which I’ve said to them many, many times,” coach Mike McLaughlin said.

“[You] also have to keep building them up because this is a really young group going through a very difficult part of their schedule,” McLaughlin added. “A little bit of love, a little bit of tough love.”

The Quakers (7-4, 0-1 Ivy) began Saturday’s game with three freshmen and two sophomores against the two-time defending Ivy champions.

Freshman forward Katy Allen started in place of Knapp, but none of the Penn forwards could prevent the Tigers (11-4, 1-0) from scoring at will in the paint. All-Ivy center Devona Allgood and Megan Bowen combined for 23 points.

A win against the Tigers would have been a tall task for any Ivy team — let alone the Quakers, who were blown out by the Tigers, 78-27­ — in last year’s season finale. The Tigers are ranked No. 12 nationally in RPI a year removed from a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the highest-ever seeding for an Ivy women’s team.

With the return of star forward Niveen Rasheed, who missed all of last year with injury, this year’s Tigers squad could conceivably run the Ivy table and contend for a No. 7 or No. 8 seed come March.

The Quakers struggled offensively against Princeton, scoring just three field goals in the first half. Sophomore guard Alyssa Baron finished the contest with a game-high 23 points.

“This is a really good team [and a loss] could have happened [with] Jess Knapp on the court,” McLaughlin said. “I’m just worried about who’s going to step up in tight spots. We have some kids trying … we’re asking kids to do a whole lot in a really tough environment.”

The injury to Knapp is much more worrisome for Penn. The captain ranks first on the team in rebounds per game and third in points per game.

Knapp injured her knee on Dec. 30 in the first half of the Surf ‘N Slam Tournament when she fell awkwardly on a jump stop. She has had an MRI and will sit down with the Penn medical staff this week to determine a timetable for return.

After defeating UNC-Greensboro, 47-36, in its opening match of the tournament, the Quakers fell in the final to San Diego State, 51-37. The Aztecs dominated the Quakers on the glass by a healthy 49-24 margin, which led to 15 second-chance points for SDSU.

“We just had to play to our strengths, that’s definitely our defense,” Baron said. “In the first half and second half we were able to contain [SDSU] a little bit. They killed us on the boards, and we tried to fight back.”

However the trip proved to be about more than just basketball, as Penn visited the San Diego Zoo and La Jolla in-between practices and games.

“It was a great learning experience and a lot of fun,” Baron added. “The games were what we were preparing for and we took care of business in the first game, and in the second we came close. Overall it was a big success.”

The Red and Blue began the winter recess with an outstanding overtime win, 67-65, over Drexel in overtime. The victory was a clear measure of improvement from last year’s 31-point loss against the Dragons and Penn’s first triumph over its University City rival since 2006.

Penn will play the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before finishing the rest of its Big 5 slate.

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