W. Hoops set to face Lehigh on the road

The Penn women's basketball team has two opportunities left to get back on the winning track before it opens its Ivy League campaign against Harvard in Boston, Mass. on Feb. 1. The Quakers will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., tonight to take on Lehigh before welcoming the Delaware Blue Hens to the Palestra next Tuesday. Penn last played a week ago in a 70-60 loss to Saint Joseph's on Hawk Hill. Last week's loss was Penn's (4-8) 28th all-time to the Hawks. The Red and Blue have never beaten St. Joe's. A struggling Lehigh team will play host to the Quakers tonight. The Engineers (6-9) are entering tonight's game after a loss at the hands of American on Saturday. Penn has not faced Lehigh since the 2000-2001 season. In its last meeting with the Engineers, then Penn senior Diana Caramanico -- the Quakers' all-time leading scorer -- scored a season-high 32 points to lead Penn to a decisive 88-66 victory. The Quakers' hot hand from the field allowed the Quakers to claim the easy victory two years ago, as they shot 67.7 percent from the field on 21-for-31 shooting. If the Quakers are to earn their fifth win of the season tonight, they will need to shut down Lehigh's balanced offensive attack. The Engineers boast an experienced frontcourt that leads the team in scoring. Senior forward Anne Tierney has been Lehigh's most prolific scorer, averaging 11.4 points per game, while pulling down 7.1 rebounds a game. Another upperclassman, junior forward Jana Ransom will look to solidify Lehigh's presence in the frontcourt with Tierney. Ransom is the team's second leading scorer with 10.1 points per game and 5.4 rebounds. In addition to a potent frontcourt, the Engineers also possess a capable pair of guards. Freshman Dawn Gorynski and junior Carli Toliver run Lehigh's offense. While their scoring averages of 9.4 and 9.3 points per game, respectively, are not overly impressive, their play works to support Lehigh's frontcourt. In many ways, Penn will face a similar type of opponent in Lehigh as they did against St. Joseph's last week. The majority of St. Joe's offensive output came from the strong play of junior center Irina Krasnoshiok, who scored 16 points in 37 minutes of action against Penn.

The Quakers' inability to shut down Krasnoshiok and some of the Hawks' other offensive weapons overshadowed Penn's own offensive achievements. Junior forward Jewel Clark continues to pace the Quakers on the year. Clark chipped in a game-high 23 points in the loss to St. Joe's despite having to sit out much of the second half with four fouls. Clark leads the team in scoring with 18.1 points per game and an 81.1 free-throw shooting percentage. In addition to Clark, Penn has been spurred along by the strong play of sophomore center Katie Kilker. Penn's main offensive weapon inside, Kilker has surprised some by averaging 14.8 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds, as opposed to 8.5 ppg last year. Another sophomore, guard Karen Habrukowich, leads the Quakers with her outside shooting. She averages 13.1 points per game with a 41.4-percent average from behind the arc. Tonight's game offers Penn an opportunity to claim a win and prepare itself for the Ivy League schedule. The beleaguered Engineers could be the perfect victim for the Quakers to get back on track.

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