Virginia, the Quakers’ next opponent, is no stranger to big-time basketball. Duke, North Carolina, Florida State and Miami are a few of the teams the Cavaliers play against every year in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference.
On Sunday, when the women’s basketball team travels to Charlottesville, Va. to take on the Cavaliers in the John Paul Jones Arena, Penn will face a battle-tested group. Thus far this season, the Cavs are 8-1 at home.
After stringing together three wins in a row for the first time since the 2008-09 season, the Red and Blue (5-7, 0-1 Ivy) are in the midst of the toughest stretch of the year. Having lost their last two games, they will look to slow down a very capable Virginia offense that averages 66.9 points per game compared to Penn’s 54.6.
Coach Mike McLaughlin cited controlling the tempo as one of the keys for Penn.
“They have the ability to score 70, 80 points, and I don’t know if we do,” McLaughlin said. “We have to make sure we manage the tempo and put this game in an area, scoring wise, where we give ourselves a fighting chance because they do have the ability to score.”
Indeed, the Virginia scoring attack, led by guard Ariana Moorer and forward Chelsea Shine, has eclipsed the 70-point mark ten times already this season. The Quakers’ only 70-point performance came in their season opening 70-59 win over Bryant on Nov. 12.
Keeping up with the Cavaliers will be a tall order, and McLaughlin knows that.
“We put this game on the schedule because it is a challenge, and I want our players to embrace that challenge,” McLaughlin said.
“We’re going to go on the road, we’re going to play in a great environment, [and] I think it will be a great experience for us,” he added.
Senior guard Erin Power said she understands these tough games will help the team gear up for Ivy League play.
“It’s good to challenge ourselves,” Power said. “These teams are definitely very good, but we know we can also beat them. They are not unbeatable. We’re not playing UConn.”
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