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Men's Basketball vs. Lafayette - win Credit: Mordechai Treiger

Coming off a three-game losing streak ­— including two losses to previously winless squads — the last thing the Penn women’s basketball team wants to see is a city rival.

The Quakers haven’t beaten a Big 5 team in six years, but that’s what they’ll be up against tonight when St. Joseph’s comes to the Palestra.

Penn’s history with the Hawks is even more daunting. Its last win over a Big 5 team occurred in 2004 — a Dec. 1 triumph over St. Joe’s.

Yet that was also the only time the Quakers have ever recorded a win against the Hawks, losing all other 34 matches of the series.

“They’re big, they’re strong [and] they’re physical,” coach Mike McLaughlin said of this year’s St. Joe’s team.

The Hawks (4-3) will arrive in University City with renewed confidence after an overtime win against Detroit Saturday snapped their three-game losing streak.

Guard play appears to be the key to tonight’s contest. The Hawks’ Michelle Baker scored a career-best 21 points in her last game. She also leads the Hawks with 16.3 points per game.

Baker will go head-to-head with freshman guard Alyssa Baron, who leads the Quakers with 14.8 points per game.

“Their [guards are] very quick [and] they’re athletic,” McLaughlin said. “I think it’s going to be a good challenge for our guards.”

To overcome St. Joe’s stellar backcourt, the Red and Blue will have to score more efficiently, as offensive struggles have plagued the Quakers in recent games.

Though the freshmen have been pulling their weight — accounting for 45 percent of the team’s total points ­­— the Quakers haven’t reached 60 points in their last two games.

Saturday against Army, Penn took nearly four minutes to get on the board, with another seven minutes elapsing before its next basket. In total, Penn made just 26 percent of its shots from the floor.

Baron, the team’s leading scorer, shot 5-for-20.

“I think we have to learn if you don’t score the ball or if you miss an easy shot, you’ve got to maintain that high level,” McLaughlin said.

Getting on the board early also seems crucial for the Quakers, who have struggled to dig themselves out of early holes. Penn has lost 27 straight games when trailing at halftime.

For the Red and Blue to notch their third victory of the season and surpass their win total from last year, they’ll have to maintain a high energy level on the offensive end against a defensively strong St. Joe’s squad.

They’ll also have to put 35 years of history aside for a night.

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