W. Hoops drops to 4th

With seven seconds remaining in Saturday's high-scoring thriller at The Palestra between Dartmouth and Penn, Elise Morrison made a short turnaround jumper to give Dartmouth the lead for good.

The clutch shot put the finishing touch on a devastating weekend for the Quakers which featured a 54-51 loss to Harvard at home on Friday, and the two-point heartbreaker at the Palestra against the Big Green, 73-71.

The two losses drastically diminish Penn's chances at retaining its Ivy League title. Going into the weekend the Quakers were tied for first in the Ivy race at 3-0. Now, however, at 3-2, their road to the championship will be much more difficult -- and out of their own control.

"Is it ideal? No it's not ideal," Penn coach Patrick Knapp said. "But I do not buy this crap that you dig a hole so deep that you can't get out of it."

The losses put the Red and Blue in fourth place in the Ancient Eight behind Dartmouth, Brown, and Harvard. However, the tight scores show that anybody can beat anybody on any given night.

After the Harvard loss, Penn couldn't bounce back on Saturday, instead losing another heartbreaker to a tough Dartmouth squad. In the first half Penn shut down Morrison, who was among the Ancient Eight's top scorers, but Big Green guard Ashley Taylor stepped up, sinking five rainbow three-pointers and scoring 19 points in a phenomenal first half performance.

In the second Penn keyed in on Taylor, but Dartmouth's more consistent performers stepped up. Guard Jeannie Cullen, who had no field goals in the first, caught fire, connecting on three three-pointers from the corner. And Morrison who scored only two in the first, finished with 11, including the game winning shot.

The loss came despite a strong showing by the Quakers. Penn scored a season high 36 in the first half, but still trailed at halftime 42-36. Both Penn's inside and outside games were clicking, as junior center Jennifer Fleischer finished the game with 22 points and 11 rebounds and guard Karen Habrukowich scored 19, including a 3-for-4 performance from beyond the arc.

Sophomore Monica Naltner continued to cement herself as one of Penn's most versatile and reliable scoring options. She followed her solid showing against Harvard with a 13-point performance that showcased a wide array of moves -- including jump shots, post moves and three-pointers.

The strong offensive showing was offset by a particularly weak defensive game, normally a point of strength for the Quakers.

"We obviously didn't defend well," Knapp said. "We did not play the perimeter well. We left them open too much."

Penn once again showed a diehard attitude, fighting back from 13 down. The Quakers capped their comeback and pulled even at 71-71 on a Naltner three with 1:31 remaining in the game. But after the Morrison layup, the Red and Blue could get nothing together as Amanda Kammes dribbled into traffic and time expired.

The weekend, despite the two losses, demonstrated just how tight the competition is among the top five Ivy League teams and that no one team is invulnerable. The Quakers may find themselves in a precarious position, sitting in fourth place, but they know they're still not very far out.

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