W. Hoops starts season with two easy victories

On paper, it wasn't exactly the most talented competition.

En route to claiming the championship in the Army Tip-Off Classic last weekend, the Penn women's basketball team (2-0) faced a pair of teams, Hofstra (Colonial Athletic Conference) and Davidson (Southern Conference), that finished with a combined 17-38 record last season.

After knocking off Hofstra on Friday night, 63-59, Penn defeated the Wildcats, 75-70, the following day to capture the tournament crown.

"The teams we faced weren't too difficult," Penn sophomore guard Jewel Clark and MVP of the Army Tip-Off Classic said. "We were able to run and score, and as long as we didn't beat ourselves, we weren't going to lose."

In the opening minutes of Penn's first game of the season, the Quakers wasted little time unveiling their new high-flying offense against the Pride.

Behind Clark's dead-eye shooting and aggressive offensive play -- she scored eight of her 16 points in the first eight minutes -- the Quakers powered themselves to a 20-8 advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.

"I felt I was playing pretty well," Clark said. "I had the confidence that I could either knock down my jump shot or take the ball to the hole whenever I wanted."

The 20-8 advantage would be the largest lead the Quakers would enjoy, as Hofstra cut Penn's lead to 27-25 by halftime.

The teams traded baskets for the first four minutes of the second half, until Hofstra tied up the score at 36 with 16 minutes remaining in the game.

Junior point guard Tara Twomey would not let the score remain tied for long. On the next play, Twomey nailed a three-pointer for Penn, and on the following offensive possession Twomey knocked down a basket.

The 42-37 margin would be all that the Quakers would need, as the play of highly touted Penn freshman Karen Habrukowich (11 points) and Penn's foul shooting (70 percent in the second half) carried the Quakers to the 63-59 victory.

"Hofstra was a good test for us," Clark said. "They kept trying to come back, but we were able to hold on."

In Saturday night's championship game, the Quakers faced a much tougher test in a Davidson squad that had crushed Army the previous night, 72-58.

In the first half, the Wildcats showcased their scoring talent against Penn, shooting 40 percent from the field to take a 39-37 lead.

But the Quakers were able to keep the game close as Penn shot 16-of-18 from the line.

The lead would change hands throughout the course of the second half, until a pair of three-point plays by Julie Epton and Jennifer Jones gave Penn a 73-70 lead with under a minute remaining.

Davidson had one final attempt to tie the game, but Wildcats guard Robyn Flewelling misfired on a three-point shot.

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