Quaker fans savor victory's sweetness

and BETH TRITTER Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor ice could keep crazed Quaker fans away. All 8,711 seats were filled at the Palestra last night as the Quakers clinched their second straight Ivy League title and won a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. While most people would attribute the 53-43 victory to Matt Maloney's shooting or to the overall Quaker team effort, Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson and newly appointed Athletic Director Steve Bilsky jokingly said they thought the credit lay elsewhere. "We take full credit for it," said Lazerson, considering the fact that the Quaker football and basketball teams have both gone undefeated since he and Interim President Claire Fagin took office last June. Bilsky, once a Quaker basketball player himself, also took credit for the victory. "I don't think they could have done it without me, to be honest with you," Bilsky said. But for the hundreds of students who watched the Quaker team cut off the basketball net on the western side of the Palestra, the only thing that mattered was that Penn won. "This is the epitome of greatness for me and for everyone who I always come to the games with," said College sophomore Jerry Greenberg. "This is the greatest moment in my college career -- this is what college basketball is all about." For many seniors in the crowd, the victory was especially sweet because it is their last glimpse of the Quaker team in the Palestra "I'm a senior so it's great to finish off and see this," said College senior Adam Rosenbluth. "It's great to be Ivy champs in both football and basketball -- it's an intense experience." For other students, this victory was one of many to come. "This is my first Penn-Princeton game, and this is the most incredible thing I have ever seen," said Engineering freshman Brian Lappin. "This place is going crazy!" And although some called the game "sloppy," most agreed that the Quakers deserved to win. Even the Princeton fans. "It was a typical Ivy League struggle -- we had a shot to beat them, and they just came up at the end," said Princeton fan and New Jersey resident Dave Watson. "They deserve the Ivy [championship] -- they played well. "They did everything right," he added. Bilsky said he is confident the Quakers will do well in the NCAA Tournament, which begins later this month. "I've seen enough college basketball and I think that Penn can play with a lot of teams," he said. "Obviously size is probably the only potential flaw, but other than that I think Penn can play with everybody in the country."