Women's Hoops Faces Critical Weekend At Princeton, Penn

The Harvard women's basketball team will head south this weekend on a crucial Ivy road trip to face Princeton on Friday night and Penn the next evening.

With just over two weeks remaining in the Ivy season, both games are must-win for the Crimson. Friday's loss to last-place Brown knocked Harvard a game back of red hot Dartmouth, winners of 10 straight, leaving little room for error.

Despite last week's upset loss, the Crimson should be able to step up its play. Sophomore guard Jenn Monti, who has amassed an Ivy-best 132 assists this year will be back to top form now that she has overcome her recent bout with the flu.

Captain Laela Sturdy will look to match her sharp performance from her last "Killer-Ps" weekend two weeks ago, in which she hit 68.0 percent from the floor and twice led the team in scoring.

Even with Monti back at full health, Harvard must continue to survive with limited services from two of its original starting five.

Sophomore forward Katie Gates, one of the Crimson's top defensive players, has struggled with injury and illness since sustaining a concussion against Yale in January. She did not make the trip with the team this time.

Junior center Melissa Johnson has not played since injuring her knee in the Crimson's earlier 78-76 loss to Penn. Though she now wears a knee brace and her mobility has improved, her playing status will be determined at game time.

Freshman Kate Ides has done an excellent job filling in for Johnson. After breaking through with a 12-point effort against Princeton on Feb. 12, Ides led the team with 14 points against Brown, and followed up with a near double-double - nine points, eight boards - against Yale the next day.

"I'm pleased with the way that Kate's been playing," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. "She's starting against Princeton."

Freshman Bree Kelley should also be a player to watch. While starting in place of Gates on Feb. 11 against Penn, she scored 17 points, including a hook shot that capped a 16-point Harvard comeback.

Princeton (6-17, 3-6 Ivy) can not be taken lightly, despite its abysmal record.

The Tigers showed some of the chemistry that gave them a share of last year's Ivy title with consecutive wins over Columbia and Cornell last weekend. In their first meeting with the Crimson, they cut a 15-point lead down to two before Harvard eventually won, 73-67.

"I think [the Tigers] always play hard, and that their record is in no way indicative of their ability," Delaney-Smith said. "I am not one bit surprised about their recent wins. The fact that they're still coming into their games with heart is a reflection of a good coach."

Harvard will have to once again shut down the veteran Tiger back court of Maggie Langlas and Kate Thirolf in order to come away with the win on the road. Last time the two seniors combined for 30 points to lead Princeton's comeback before the Crimson defense stepped up its play.

Penn (16-7, 7-2 Ivy) will have its hands full at home this weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard, and the Quaker season rests on the outcome of these games.

Two wins will put Penn in control for the remainder of the year, but a loss in either game will leave the Quakers in need of some help.

The good news for Harvard is that Penn has struggled in its recent Saturday games--an 89-71 thrashing at the hands of Dartmouth, and a shocking 70-67 upset by Columbia.

"I don't think Penn is terribly deep," Delaney Smith said.

But the Quaker veteran starters are as talented as any in the Ivy League. Junior Diana Caramanico is the No. 2 scorer in the nation, the league's top rebounder and Penn's all-time-leading scorer as off last week. However, she struggled last week against Columbia, and Ides did a superb job defending the forward when they last met.

Sophomore Julie Epton has been a defensive force this season. She is the Quaker's top rebounder and shot-blocker after Caramanico.

The key matchup in this game pits Monti against Penn senior Mandy West. The two had some heated exchanges in their last meeting.

"She threw the ball at me or something," said Monti after the earlier game. "So I sort of gave her [a slap], and that was the end of it."

More importantly, however, Monti and West are the crunch-time players. With Penn trailing 74-73, West hit a 3-pointer with 1:03 left to put the Quakers up two. When Monti was the given the ball with 18 seconds left, she failed to find her shot.

Although West got the upper-hand in the first meeting, Monti will surely be looking for payback on Saturday night.

Harvard will meet the Tigers tonight at 7 p.m. at Jadwin Gymnasium, and the Quakers tomorrow night at the same time in the famed Palestra.