W. Hoops prepares for Ivy foes without Clark

It's hard for a team to go into the biggest weekend of its season not knowing if its star player will step onto the court. Especially when it happens to be a player like junior Jewel Clark, the Penn women's basketball team's leading scorer. Clark is still unsure of her status due to an injury to her right foot . "We have no idea yet," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said about Clark's status against Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend. Clark is optimistic about her chances of playing. "I don't think I'll be resting tomorrow," Clark said. "I don't want to, but I don't know." Clark -- who is averaging 19.9 points per game -- has not practiced for two days. "Somebody landed on my foot a little harder than normally," Clark said. "So it's just a little swollen." Clark may not be the only starting player on the bench this weekend. Sophomore center Katie Kilker is sick and her playing status for the weekend has also not been determined. "We're just going to play it by ear," Greenberg said. "It should be interesting." Despite these setbacks, the Quakers (10-10, 4-3 Ivy) are going into this weekend as they would any other Ivy League game. A win in Friday night's game against Harvard (16-4, 8-0) is a must if the Quakers want to keep any chances for an Ivy League title alive. But Penn knows that this win will not be easy. The league-leading Crimson already beat the Quakers this season in Boston, and this game promises to be another test. In order to beat Harvard, the Quakers will have to focus on getting the ball off the boards. "We know that they're a lot bigger than us in every position," Greenberg said. "So we just need all five white jerseys rebounding the basketball all 40 minutes." Greenberg expects Harvard's height advantage to prove an acute problem for Penn on the defensive end of the court.

"We have to rebound, the second shot opportunities," Greenberg said. "If they get them, there is no way we can hang them." Though defense may be a key component to winning tonight's game, the Quakers will need to step up there offense, especially if Clark is not in the line-up. Harvard is averaging 69.1 points per game, consistently outscoring its opponents by at least five points. "So we have to score," Greenberg said. "We need different people to step up." The Crimson are partly able to do this because of team speed. "Harvard really likes to run," Penn senior captain Tara Twomey said. "So we really want to get back on 'D.' " Though Dartmouth (11-10, 5-3) may not boast the best record in the league, the game tomorrow night will not be easy, either. The Quakers managed to squeak by the Big Green earlier this season, but Dartmouth has been winning big games ever since. "They're good, we knew when we beat them up there it was a great win," Greenberg said. "They're a team that gets better as the season goes on every year." Size will also play a factor in this game. "We just have to play bigger than we are size wise," Greenberg said. Though this weekend's games may seem formidable, the players are confident that they will get the results they are hoping for. "Two W's," Clark said. "Two wins, that's all."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.