Lifetimes of low-lying levels in the [Formula Presented] band built on the [Formula Presented] state in the Z-odd nucleus [Formula Presented] were measured with the Doppler-shift recoil-distance technique. Reduced transition probabilities B(E2) were extracted in order to calculate the deformation parameters. These values were compared to theoretical results of the total Routhian surface (TRS) calculations. While the quadrupole moments obtained for the [Formula Presented] excited levels below the first backbend in [Formula Presented] are very similar to those of the [Formula Presented] core, TRS results predict a quadrupole moment of about 50[Formula Presented] larger for the core. © 1998 The American Physical Society.