W. Hoops knocks off Lehigh

Coming into last night's game, the Penn women's basketball team was in dire need of a big win. And that was exactly what they got. The Quakers (5-8, 0-1 Ivy) defeated Lehigh (5-10), 79-69, at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa. "It was a really good win," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said. "It should give us confidence and keep helping us get ready for the Ivy League." The Red and Blue were coming off two narrow losses against Princeton and Saint Joseph's and needed this win as they head into the heart of their Ivy League season. "We knew we just really needed to win," Penn sophomore Karen Habrukowich said. "We played with a sense of urgency." The Quakers dominated from the beginning, taking the lead less than five minutes into the game on a layup by junior Jewel Clark. Penn never relinquished that lead. In her first start of the season, Quakers' junior Mikaelyn Austin came out with 11 points in the first half and finished the game with a season-best 14 -- four points shy of her career high.

"She really came out looking to score," Greenberg said. "That really helped the team later in the game." The Quakers led 37-35 at the half, finishing with 41-percent shooting from the floor. Lehigh senior Carli Toliber led the Engineers in the first half, going 6-for-7 from the field, finishing the half with 15 points. Habrukowich kicked off the second half with a three-pointer just 28 seconds in, to increase the Quakers' lead to five. She sank another three with 13:38 left to give Penn a double-digit advantage. Keeping Penn in firm control of the game, Clark earned Penn its biggest lead of the night on a breakaway layup, bringing the score to 69-52 with 5:32 left. Lehigh senior Anne Tierney answered with a layup, but Habrukowich came right back with a layup of her own, keeping the lead at 17. The Engineers began to mount a comeback, going on a 7-0 run late in the half, but Penn refused to give up the lead. With 2:03 remaining, freshman Henley Hansen came off the bench to score a crucial layup, leaving the score at 75-63. However, the Engineers would not go down easily. They cut the lead to nine with 1:24 left on a three-point play by Tierney, but Penn made four free-throws in the last minute to seal the 10-point win. The Quakers were able to overcome Lehigh's advances by taking their time on the offensive end of the court. "We slowed down our offense," Clark said. "We took our time to execute the plays." The Quakers had four players score in double digits. Austin's 14 were complemented with 26 from Clark and 20 from Habrukowich. Sophomore Katie Kilker had 13 points and 10 rebounds -- her second double-double of the season. The Quakers' bench also stepped up the scoring in the second half. "Maria DiDonato was huge for us in the second half," Greenberg said. "And Jennifer Fleischer came out looking great." Heading into the rest of the season, Greenberg will rely on the steady play of her team. "Consistency is so huge," she said. "If we can get that from the bulk of our team, we will be fine." Next up for the Quakers is Delaware, which visits the Palestra on Tuesday night.

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