Despite defeat, school spirit prevails

Although the result of the Penn-Florida basketball game was not what fans had wanted or expected, there was still no lack of "PENNdemonium" on campus Saturday afternoon after the final buzzer sounded. Hundreds of fans once again poured into Cavanaugh's Restaurant at 39th and Sansom streets, to watch the Quakers fall to the Gators, 70-58. They came from all over -- the University, Temple and Drexel Universities and the community at-large. With every good play, the Quaker fans erupted into ear-splitting cheers, and with every mistake, they shared a common bond of agony. Wharton junior Mark Jones said that despite the loss, he has "never seen so much school spirit" as there was at Cav's Saturday night. "It was great to be a Penn student today," he said. "It really felt good -- the best it's ever felt." But in the end, it was difficult to suppress the disappointment of another tournament victory that could have been. "They could have had it in the bag," said Engineering junior Nathan Shapiro. "They just couldn't come through at the end?they just weren't sinking it." "I thought they had a chance to win -- it's just a shame," added 1992 graduate Steve Wall. Despite the tough loss, many fans remained positive and thankful that the Quakers made it as far as they did in the NCAA Tournament. "All in all the whole year showed what Penn was all about," said Temple senior John Shutack, who has also taken classes at the University. "A lot of courage, a lot of strength [and] a lot of personality went into this team." Jones echoed Shutack's sentiments. "They had the size over us and in the end, they just wore us out," he said. "But we played tough and we have nothing to hang our heads down about." Many fans took the time immediately following the game to contemplate what went wrong for the Quakers. "I think we got a little panicky at the end and we kept trying for those outside three-pointers," said College senior Ilana Klein. "We should have maybe taken it a little slower." "Florida and Penn matched up real well," added Wall. "[But] against Nebraska they were perfect. Today, they just played a great game." And with four of the Quakers' five starters returning next year, fans concurred that another Ivy League championship is on its way. "Next year, Penn's going to be back strong and take care of business," said Shutack. "We'll be even better?and go even further in the tourney," added Wharton sophomore Carol Citkovic. Staff Writer Adam Mark contributed to this story.