Two struggling squads collide in Manhattan

Despite residing in different conferences, the women's basketball programs at Penn and Manhattan have more in common than one might think.

The Quakers (5-9, 1-2 Ivy) have underperformed thus far, most recently dropping five of their last six games.

Similarly, it has been a season full of mishaps for Lady Jaspers (4-13, 1-5 MAAC), characterized by the eight-game skid they are currenty trying desperatly to break.

And when the two teams meet on Tuesday night at Draddy Gym, it will mark Penn's second-to-last and Manhattan's final nonconference game of the season before diving into the meat of league play.

For Penn, despite the fact that the contest will be a change of pace from the Ivy League competition, coach Pat Knapp does not plan to approach it any differently.

Stressing the necessity of improving from recent results, Knapp was careful not to overlook a seemingly weaker opponent.

"We're clearly looking to be a better team than last year, so every game is important to us," he said.

Though the Quakers will be forced to make a weekday trip to the Bronx, they have performed relatively well on the road this season, with key wins coming at Lehigh, Lafayette and Rider (they have gone 2-7 at home).

And with a breakout victory against Columbia last Saturday at the Palestra - which saw some rare contributions from the team's bench players - Penn will have a bit of momentum on its side.

But even with Manhattan's recent losing streak, the Lady Jaspers have several strong forwards that could pose matchup problems for the defensively challenged Quakers.

Averaging 12.6 points and 6.4 rebounds, 5-foot-11 junior forward Caitlin Flood has been the most valuable asset on offense. As the anchor of the frontcourt, she has also demonstrated tremendous defensive prowess and athleticism, leading the team in steals.

At center, 6-foot-3 sophomore center Kelly Regan has been a force in the paint, and the versatile junior guard Joann Nwafili has pulled down nearly five rebounds per game.

When scouting Manhattan, Knapp elucidated the Quakers' need to defend well close to the basket.

"They go inside," he said. "We have to stop that; we have to be ready to defend and rebound in there."

Junior guards Gabrielle Cottrell and Amanda LoCascio have been Manhattan's main threats on the perimeter, and Cottrell has converted a dazzling 89 percent of her free-throw attempts.

With Manhattan's strength on the blocks, the onus will be on the Quakers' scorers to shoot the ball better than they have been in order to help ensure a win.

Nonetheless, Penn is coming off an 80-point effort against Columbia, due in large part to its seniors. The outburst was the highest point total of Knapp's tenure with the Quakers, now in its third year.

Penn will need another strong performance on the boards from Monica Naltner, who led all players with nine rebounds in last weekend's game against the Lions.

Ultimately, Tuesday's game will be pivotal for both of the struggling teams, as they look to build momentum and gain confidence heading into the long stretch of conference play.

And judging by the stiff competition that the Ivies have provided so far - Penn has already dropped close contests to Princeton and Cornell - the Quakers need every advantage they can get.

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