W. Hoops downs Explorers

The Penn women's basketball team put an end to its 18-year losing streak against Big-5 rival La Salle last night. Ironically, it took the help of a former Explorer to end the Quakers' losing ways. Penn Coach Kelly Greenberg, a 1989 graduate of La Salle and basketball player for the Explorers, is now the head coach for Penn. In the 1987 Penn-La Salle game, Greenberg contributed nine assists and four rebounds in the Explorers' 83-45 route of Penn. Greenberg's coach for the 1987 game, John Miller, is still the head coach for La Salle and was defeated by the Quakers last night. "I have a lot of respect for [Miller]." Greenberg said. "He is one of the reasons I got into coaching." It was evident last night that Greenberg was an apt pupil. Penn played consistently tough defense and offense against La Salle, keeping the Explorers' scoring in check. The Quakers also managed to get La Salle's best player, forward Shannon McDade, fouled out of the game with 5:51 left in the second half. The loss of McDade became crucial to Penn's dominance in the final moments of the game, giving the Quakers enough of an edge to dominate the court in scoring and defense just when it counted most. "Our best player fouled out," Miller said. "Shannon has fouled out of two games, but the last one we won because the team was able to pick it up. This game we weren't able to do that." Penn's biggest asset last night came in the form of dead-on scoring in the final moments of the game. In the last three minutes of play, Penn went 4-of-5 from the field, while La Salle only managed to sink two baskets in the same period. Penn senior forward Diana Caramanico and freshman Jewel Clark both had two baskets and two assists in the final three minutes of play, which contributed heavily to the Quakers clutch win. Clark and Caramanico each hit one basket in the last 1:17 to seal La Salle's fate. "They focused so much on [Caramanico], they collapsed and opened up on Julie Epton," Greenberg said. "We've been in these last-minute type situations before. We just take it one possession at a time." The win against La Salle was a true team effort. Caramanico scored a huge 21 points on the night, while Erin Ladley, Clark and Julie Epton pulled down 14, 13, and 10 points, respectively. Tara Twomey was also an important part of the Quakers offense with six assists to her name. On the defensive end, Caramanico and Epton pulled down 10 rebounds each. With those 10 boards, Caramanico passed Natasha Rezek's mark of 972 career rebounds to move into first place on Penn's all-time list. The end of Penn's 18-year losing streak to La Salle suggests that a new breed of Quakers now play in the Palestra. Penn was a strong team last year with the combination of Caramanico and Mandy West, and many thought the Quakers would lose steam upon West's departure from Penn. Last night's game suggests that just the opposite has happened. While the departure of West surely didn't help the Quakers, the lethal combination of Caramanico and Clark -- supported by Ladley, Twomey and Epton -- has more than made up for West's leaving. This year's Penn players, new and old, have demonstrated both the skill and the desire to win against any team, regardless of their strength. "I want the girls to start believing in themselves," Greenberg said. "So when we see we haven't beaten them in eighteen years, we say 'Let's change things.'" The 1987 Daily Pennsylvanian article about the Penn-La Salle game stated that "the Quakers were simply unable to control La Salle's variety of weapons" and that they connected "a mere 28.4 percent" of the time. "We had some good shots, but they just didn't fall," Penn coach Cheryl Rath said in that article. Last night it was La Salle coach John Miller saying his team "got the shots [they] wanted but didn't make them" and mentioning that it's, "tough to win with 30% shooting." It was Greenberg, on the other hand, who talked about how well her team had played and how the win was a "big step for Penn." The 1987 article also quoted Miller as saying that his team had "been playing extremely well lately. This is our first Big Five title, and it is certainly a thrill." Later this season, if the Quakers continue to battle with the strength and determination with which they have begun, it may be Greenberg telling the Daily Pennsylvanian about Penn's first league title.

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