M. Hoops looks to brush off Colgate

The Quakers will entertain Colgate in a matinee at the Palestra tomorrow. Last night's dramatic four-point victory over Big 5 rival La Salle was just the beginning of a grueling stretch for the Penn men's basketball team. Tomorrow at 2 p.m. the Quakers (7-3) host Colgate (9-7), which currently sits atop the Patriot League standings. The game is the Red and Blue's second of four games to be played in a week's span. "Right now we've played 10 games, and most teams have played 15, 16 games, so we're ready for this stretch," junior power forward Paul Romanczuk said. Penn will have just one day to prepare for the Red Raiders, who come into tomorrow's contest riding a three-game winning streak after victories over league rivals Holy Cross, Army and Lehigh. If recent history is any indicator, Penn could have an opportunity to release some of its frustrations on the unfortunately named Colgate. The last time these two teams met, the Quakers rolled in a 93-58 win at Madison Square Garden, in the first round of the 1994 ECAC Holiday Festival. Also, shot-blocking machine Hassan Duncombe abused Colgate in 1990, putting up 37 points and netting a Penn-record 15 field goals. But Quakers fans should not be so quick to whet their cheesesteak appetites. This year's version of the Red Raiders has limited its opponents to 66 points a game. Speaking of shot-blocking machines, Penn center Geoff Owens will be an easy man to spot on the Palestra floor tomorrow afternoon. Colgate's tallest player, center Robert Akers, is listed at 6'9''. Owens should have an opportunity to improve on a subpar performance last night. He scored three points on a 1-for-2 shooting effort from the field against a tough La Salle interior defense. The Quakers pivotman excels against shorter competition. Matching up with Yale's 6'10'' center Neil Yanke, Owens had just two points in 20 minutes of play. The next night, Owens had 14 points in just 25 minutes against Brown, which starts 6'8'' Kamal Roundtree in the middle. Owens also lit up Lehigh for 18 points on December 3. The Engineers' tallest starter was 6'6''. Penn will have to deal with Colgate's freshman phenom Pat Campolieta. The 6'6'' forward leads the Red Raiders in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per games, and in rebounding, grabbing 4.8 boards per contest. Campolieta is also second on the team in assists, with 1.9 per game and leads the team in steals. Tomorrow's game marks the only matinee performance at the Palestra this season, throwing Romanczuk and the Quakers for a loop. "[It's] very different," Romanczuk said of the unusual afternoon tip-off time. "I'm confused. I don't know who's going to be there, if people even know it's two o'clock."

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