Nine-day break gives W. Hoops time to heal injuries

The Penn women's basketball team will end its nine day hiatus this weekend when it travels to New Haven, Conn. and Providence, R.I. to take on Ivy League foes Yale and Brown. The Quakers have used this time off to rest up from some minor injuries and to refine their playing style for their games against the Elis and Bears this weekend. Before the Drexel game on January 23, freshman guard Jewel Clark slightly hyperextended her knee, but was still able to replace sophomore guard Jennifer Jones in the starting lineup. Jones missed the game due to a back injury. Various other Quakers have suffered from intermittent back injuries as well. "I think [this break] has been good, to allow those who have been injured to have a little recovery time," Clark said. The Quakers have also used the break to fine tune their game to Yale and Brown's specific playing styles. "We've been going over a lot of their offensive, and we've been running our offensive against their defensive that they run," sophomore guard Tara Twomey said. "We're really trying to focus on taking Yale first and then Brown after that." * Clark was awarded Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors this week after Penn defeated Drexel, 91-80, in the final game before the break. In her first career start, the freshman tallied a career-high 26 points, while shooting an impressive 10-of-13 from the field. Clark was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. This marks the third time that Clark has been awarded Ivy League Rookie of the Week this season. "[Rookie of the Week] makes me feel like I'm working, and getting closer and closer to my goals with each nomination," Clark said. "I'm going for Rookie of the Year." * Clark has been a force on the team this season, and will help to ensure that the Quakers don't suffer a repeat of last year's performances against Brown and Yale. Penn lost on the road to both the Bears and Elis in its final two away games of last season, effectively ending the Quakers' hopes of winning the Ivy League championship. The Red and Blue had been among the preseason favorites to win the Ancient Eight title last year. "Last year on the road we lost to both these teams, and I feel like we had both games," Penn senior forward Diana Caramanico said. "We definitely had the Brown game and we sort of let it slip, and at the Yale game we just didn't play well. It was a bad weekend altogether. "Personally we need a little of that for ammunition for this year, because I'm not planning on feeling like I felt on the bus ride home from Brown and Yale last year." * Penn's January contest against Drexel marked the end of Penn's non-league schedule for the season. From now on, every game the Quakers play will count toward the Ivy title. If Penn manages to remain undefeated for the rest of the season, it will extend its current nine game winning streak to 21 games. "The way we look at our season, we break it up into three different seasons," Clark said. "Right now we are starting our third season, with strictly Ivy League games. And so that's the biggest portion of our season, because if you win the Ivy League you get to go to the NCAA playoffs."

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