Penn Women's Basketball Outruns Columbia, 63-51

Courtesy: University of Pennsylvania

Release: 02/12/2005

Jennifer Fleischer's 21 boards ties for the fourth-most ever
in a Penn women's basketball game.

Ithaca, N.Y. - Despite amassing a 16-point second-half lead, Penn
women's basketball survived a 15-0 run to defeat Cornell, 51-50,
at Newman Arena on Saturday night. Jennifer Fleischer set a new
career high with 21 rebounds, tied for the fourth-most in a single
game at Penn, and Monica Naltner registered her first career
double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Quakers (12-8, 5-2 Ivy) used a 14-4 run to start the second half
to open up a 42-26 lead at the 14:29 mark. Karen Habrukowich scored
nine of her 13 points during the run. From that point the Red and
Blue went cold and the Big Red (2-19, 0-8 Ivy) went on a six-minute,
11-second run to pull within one point at 42-41 with 8:37 remaining.
Katherine Stritzl, who sparked the spurt, led Cornell with 15 points
on the night. She had the opportunity to tie the score at 46 but
missed a free throw. Habrukowich hit a three-pointer on Penn's next
possession with 3:02 remaining. The Quakers' final points came on a
Fleischer put back after her 21st rebound of the night. With the
career-best, Fleischer tied Kirsten Brendel (1987-91) and Michelle
Maldonado (1995-98) for the fourth-most rebounds in a Penn women's
basketball game.

Fleischer owned the first half of play as the junior center led all
players with 11 points (4-of-6) and an astounding 15 rebounds.
Penn opened the half with five-straight points on a Cat Makarewich
trey and an Amanda Kammes foul-line jumper. The Quakers used a
four-minute, 57-second Cornell scoring drought to build am 18-12
lead when Naltner hit a field goal at the 7:40 mark. Naltner
finished the first half with six points and five boards.

Penn grabbed a double-digit lead twice in the first frame, going
ahead by 10 at 26-16 on a pair of Ashley Gray free throws at the
1:29 mark and again, 28-18, on a Joey Rhoads mid-range jumper
with 59 seconds remaining before break. Gray contributed a
career-high five rebounds. The Big Red had another nearly
five-minute scoring drought but managed to cut the lead to six at
the break, 28-22, on a pair of long two-point field goals by Claire
Perry and Amy Lyon. Lyon led Cornell with eight points at halftime.

Penn heads back to The Palestra for its final five home games,
starting with a 7 p.m. tip against Brown on Feb. 18.

Written by Mat Kanan, associate director of athletic communications