W. Hoops ready for Dragons

In tonight's matchup with neighboring Drexel at the John A. Daskalakis Center, the Penn women's basketball team will try to smother the fiery offensive attack of the Dragons to capture its fifth win.

After having their hands full this weekend with two of the nation's top-10 scorers -- Hana Peljito of Harvard and Katherine Hanks of Dartmouth -- the Quakers (4-9, 1-2 Ivy) face the unenviable task tonight of containing Michelle Maslowski, a 6-foot-2 senior who is currently averaging 20.8 points per game.

"Our goal for tonight is to work on our defense," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said. "They are averaging a lot of points and have a high-powered offense. They're also bigger than us, which will be a problem."

To combat Maslowski and the inside height of the Dragons, Penn is looking for a significant defensive contribution from a 6-foot-2 player of its own, freshman Katie Kilker.

Kilker -- the tallest member of the Quakers -- exploded for a career-high 21 points in Friday night's 76-64 drubbing of Dartmouth. Emerging a consistent scoring option for Penn, the center converted 7-of-10 shots from the field.

More important, though, will be Kilker's presence on the defensive end in this evening's matchup. Greenberg hopes that Kilker can not only help bottle up Maslowski and the rest of the Drexel front line in a victorious effort, but also views tonight's challenge as an essential tune-up for the next time Ivy big shots like Peljito and Hanks come around.

"[Defending Maslowski] is not going to be an easy match-up [for Katie], but that's fine," Greenberg said. "She'll be more prepared for bigger Ivy players."

Kilker has never seen Drexel's standout play, but thinks the Quakers will be ready for the challenge.

"We've been playing well together recently and pushing so hard," Kilker said. "Especially in the post, we're battling hard and we know we have a big match-up."

Of course, the Red and Blue are going to have to put up some points of their own to match the Dragons' attack.

To that end, Penn will rely on sophomore Jewel Clark to provide the spark. Clark was awarded Ivy League Player of the Week honors yesterday for the second time this season.

The commendation was a testament to Clark's consecutive double-doubles this weekend in New England. She poured in 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Friday's win over Dartmouth and scored 25 points and brought down 14 boards in a Saturday loss to Harvard.

Still, if Penn is to win, the Quakers need a more balanced offensive attack and cannot rely solely on Clark.

After exploding for 19 points and 9 rebounds against Princeton in Penn's first Ivy contest, senior forward Julie Epton -- the Quakers third-leading scorer (9.5 ppg) -- registered consecutive subpar efforts against Harvard and Dartmouth.

Struggling to score only two points and fouling out against the Big Green, Epton was then promptly shutout against the Crimson.

Aside from Epton stepping up, Penn can also look to its young shooters to provide an added boost.

The Quakers pair of starting shooting guards -- freshman Karen Habrukowich and sophomore Mikaelyn Austin -- can score in bunches.

While Austin is known for her ability to both penetrate and create her own shot, Habrukowich is as pure a jumpshooter as Penn has.

It is in the play of the guards, where the Quakers feel they can get their biggest lift.

"We're going to continue rotating and playing more guards," Greenberg said. "We're just trying to find a real comfortable situation."

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