This season, Penn women's basketball captains have some big shoes to fill, and some unorthodox ways to go about filling them.

If Penn Athletic Director Grace Calhoun was using the past year to build the platform for a presidential run, her campaign slogan would be simple: Change you can believe in. After Steve Bilsky’s two-decade tenure atop the Penn Athletics mountain, Calhoun took over a program last July that had myriad parts going nowhere.

Yankees legend Yogi Berra once said his sport was "90 percent mental, and the other half is physical." While the statement now draws its notoriety from its mathematical absurdity, its message still rings clear, even if the reasoning is not quite sound.

When the final buzzer sounded at the Palestra after Penn women’s basketball’s loss to Temple, it wasn’t just the end of a season.

Everything about the context of Sunday's game was the same as Penn women's basketball's contest against Temple in January: the two teams doing battle, the Palestra serving as host and a Big 5 matchup coming down to the wire. Unfortunately for the Quakers, this time around, the end result was different. Despite yet another double-double from Ivy League Rookie of the Year Michelle Nwokedi, the Red and Blue faltered down the stretch, giving up a backbreaking three to Owls' freshman guard Alliya Butts with 3:04 remaining en route to a 61-56 loss in the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. "They know it's their last game," coach Mike McLaughlin said.

Ahead by as many as 13 within the final four minutes, Penn women’s basketball fended off a late run from Hofstra to hold on to its first-ever WNIT victory, 65-58. The Red and Blue (21-8) will host Temple on Sunday at the Palestra in the second round

On Senior Night — two and a half weeks ago — Penn women’s basketball clinched its automatic berth in the WNIT following a 59-33 win over Yale that guaranteed the Quakers at least second place in the Ivy League.

When Spring Break rolls around, some college students go on extravagant excursions to exotic destinations, seeking beautiful views, warm weather and adventure.

Despite finishing second in the Ivy League, Penn women’s basketball’s season isn’t over quite yet.

Although Tuesday’s 55-42 loss to Princeton may have crushed Penn’s hopes of walking away with its second-consecutive Ivy League title, the women’s hoops team certainly did not come away from the season empty handed. For the second time in as many years, sophomore center Sydney Stipanovich earned Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year honors.

They're perfect for a reason. Penn women's basketball found that out the hard way...again. Despite a strong effort in the game's first 25 minutes and energized play from forwards Michelle Nwokedi and Sydney Stipanovich, the Red and Blue could not overcome a run from Princeton midway through the second half, falling, 55-42, in the teams' regular season finale.

A couple months ago, at the beginning of the season, Penn’s underclassmen bore a striking resemblance to wannabe New Yorkers.

Powered by a stifling defense and standout performances by Sydney Stipanovich and Michelle Nwokedi, Penn women’s basketball beat up Columbia on Friday in a convincing 50-36 win.

The year was 2011. The Dallas Mavericks had just won their first NBA title. Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” was named the number one song of the year.

On Saturday night at the Palestra, Penn women’s basketball celebrated the careers of its four seniors, and throughout the game that followed, the Quakers never needed to stop their celebration.

It was a mismatch from the opening tip. And the Red and Blue frontcourt of freshman Michelle Nwokedi, sophomore Sydney Stipanovich and senior Kara Bonenberger reaped the benefits all night as they powered the Quakers to a 75-58 victory.

Death, taxes and Michelle Nwokedi winning Ivy League Rookie of the Week. There are certain events that are virtually guaranteed in life.