Cagers' Split Against Penn: Men Lose, Women Cruise

And the beat goes on.

The Harvard women's basketball team (9-11, 6-2 Ivy) continued in its winning ways last night, steamrolling the Quakers of Pennsylvania (7-14, 4-5 Ivy), 69-54.

The Crimson has won four straight contests, six out of its last seven.

Led by junior Erin Maher, freshman Nikole Cronk and junior Debbie Flandermeyer, Harvard exploded from the start with nine unanswered points. The Crimson never trailed in the game and led by as many as 28 points.

Scrappy Harvard defense and poor shot selection held Penn to woeful 17 percent shooting in the first half.

"Nothing would go down for us, unfortunately," Penn Coach Julie Soriero said, "and Harvard shoots so well that if you don't hit enough to stay even with them, you'll be in trouble."

Cronk sparked the team during the first half with her sharp-shooting from beyond the three-point arc. The guard tallied 15 points in the game--all treys.

Flandermeyer definitely made her presence known in the key against 6 ft. 5 in. sophomore Katarina Poulsen. The Crimson center snatched 10 rebounds in the first period--she pulled down a game-high 15 by game's end.

Meanwhile, Maher continued her phenomenal play. Leading all players with 20 points, she seemed to hit all the crucial buckets.

A 13 point run by Penn early in the second half revitalized Quaker hopes.

But Maher dashed them. She lined up her patented jumper from behind the three-point line and knocked it home. The shot rejuvenated the Crimson and the team cruised from there to victory.

Quaker Co-Captains Dionne Anthon and Jen Dorfmeister both had quiet evenings, netting five and six points respectively.

Penn was led by freshman Shelly Dieterle who ended the contest with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Princeton blows into town tonight for an eagerly awaited rematch. The last time the two teams met, visiting Harvard stunned the Tigers on their home court, winning 68-65.

Coach Kathy Delaney Smith expects a hard-fought contest tonight since Princeton beat the Crimson statistically last time.

"It should be the best game of the year," Maher said. "They're coming in with a vengeance."