W. Hoops aims for perfection

What do you do when a speeding locomotive is headed straight at you? Get out of the way. Unfortunately Brown (10-15, 5-7 Ivy League) and Yale (8-17, 3-9) don't have that option this weekend as they travel to the Palestra to face the Penn women's basketball team. The Quakers' train pulled out of the station on December 28 when they defeated Stonybrook. It started picking up momentum as it headed into the Ivy League season with five straight wins. And its brakes gave out last weekend when it barelled through Dartmouth and Harvard to win the Ivy League Championship. Now Penn is approaching maximum velocity as it heads into its last three Ivy League games of the season. The Quakers currently hold the record for the nation's longest active winning streak at 18 games, and are already guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Penn superstar Diana Caramanico just broke the Ivy League all-time scoring record. Stopping this train will not be easy. Brown will get a shot at the Quakers tomorrow. The Bears gave Penn a run for their money earlier in the season, leading the Quakers by four points with two minutes left to play. However, as in every other close game that Penn has played this season, the Red and the Blue pulled out a win, 77-72. Yale also came close to defeating Penn earlier in the season, forcing the Quakers into an overtime runoff that resulted in a 92-80 Penn victory. The Elis were encouraged by their performance earlier this season against Penn, and they are not intimidated by the Quakers' success this season. "We've had an awful lot of close games with Penn over the last two years," Yale coach Amy Backus said. "We lost a disappointing game in overtime. "I think because of the fact that we've played Penn in some very close games, I don't think we're intimidated by Penn's record. I think that [Yale] just wants to get back that win." Penn, for its part, will not be complacent just because it has clinched the Ivy title. "To be the champions is amazing," Penn senior forward Caramanico said. "To have won the Ivy League this early in the season with three games to go is incredible. "But there is something to be said for being the champions and going 14-0 and that's our goal. We attained our goal of winning the Ivy League and now we set a new goal for ourselves -- to win these next three games and hopefully give us the best chance for a higher seed in the [NCAA] Tournament." Penn will need a decent seed in the NCAA draw in order to have a hope of advancing past the first round. "We'll see what happens, who we get matched up against. If we should get a 14 seed, I think we really have a shot. Fifteen, I think we do. If we're a 16 seed and we're playing someone like Tennessee, it's going to be memorable," Penn senior guard Claire Cavanaugh said. "But like coach [Kelly] Greenberg says all the time, anyone can beat anyone on any given night. "I guess anything is possible." And so the Quakers will head into this weekend looking to pick up even more steam for its trip to the NCAA Tournament. Where it will go from there is anyone's guess.

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