NOTEBOOK: M. Hoops on winning streak

The Quakers have won four straight since losing by four points at Temple. For the first time this season, the Penn men's basketball team has a winning streak to speak of. The Quakers enter the month of February having won four straight. The streak began January 25 against Drexel and continued through last Monday's win over Big 5 rival St. Joseph's. Prior to that game, however, Penn had not put four wins together since February 20, 1999. "Last year we got a streak going right at the beginning of the Ivy season," Penn senior Geoff Owens said. "We were really hoping to do that again." Owens said the victory over St. Joe's was especially important for the Quakers' morale. "We really didn't want to go O-for the city," he said. Senior Michael Jordan shared his teammate's sentiments, especially considering that Monday was the last Big 5 match-up of his career. "I didn't want us to go winless in the Big 5," Jordan said. "I think I could have had less turnovers and made more shots, but I'm happy that we came away with a win." · Jordan and freshman Ugonna Onyekwe's contributions have been largely responsible for the Quakers' recent success. The duo scored 39 points against the Hawks, while the rest of the team put up just 29 collectively. This effort came after a week in which Jordan's 47 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists led to wins over Drexel, Columbia and Cornell. Those numbers translated into Ivy League Player of the Week honors for the senior, who had already earned the distinction once this season. In the same three games, Onyekwe added 30 points, 24 rebounds and three assists for the Quakers in becoming the Ivy Co-Rookie of the week along with Brown's Earl Hunt. · Penn coach Fran Dunphy feels his team's defense deserves most of the credit for the four-game streak. "[Owens] has been influencing shots, rebounding well and blocking well," Dunphy said. "And Ugonna is becoming a force inside, but he is also stepping out on the perimeter and contesting shots." Dunphy also said that, even though one of Jordan's main strengths is his defense, it can often go unrecognized when compared with his offensive accomplishments. "He's always been a terrific defender who can guard all sorts of people during any game," Dunphy said. "We'll put him on the guys who are really hurting us." · Due mainly to injuries, the Quakers have witnessed a number of personnel changes during the past few games. Since sustaining a concussion against Drexel, freshman Koko Archibong has been absent from the starting lineup, giving senior Frank Brown a spot he has not seen since the Quakers played Kentucky on November 17. Brown had been out with an ankle injury, but appears to have fully recovered. He is averaging about 25 minutes since Archibong's departure. "I'm happy for Frank that he's getting the opportunity to play again after sitting out about six games, but his play could be better on both offense and defense," Dunphy said. "He needs to make better decisions. He walked with the ball [against St. Joe's] at a critical time and you just can't do that." When asked if Brown's poor decision-making could be due to inexperience, Dunphy was hesitant to use that explanation. "He can't get a whole lot more experience," the 11th-year coach said. "He's been in the program for five years now." Dunphy described Archibong's condition as "fine" and said he was optimistic that the freshman will fully recover soon. · One thing that Dunphy was not as optimistic about, however, was his team's free-throw shooting. The Quakers have been stumbling at the charity stripe, recording a less-than-heroic 62 percent for the season. Jordan has been a bright spot at 82 percent, including 16 out of 19 in the past four games. But Owens' 6'11'' frame has cast a bleak shadow at 44 percent from the line. "Last year our team was bad at foul shooting (65 percent), but it was still better than this year, so that really tells you something," Jordan said. "I don't know what the problem is. It's all mental, and it's different for each person. But I know that missing free throws can be contagious, so I hope that we can nip it in the bud and start making them." Dunphy was similarly concerned. "I don't know what to do," Dunphy said. "We talk about it; we don't talk about it; we work on it; we don't work on it. It's an individual concentration thing. I'm not smart enough to figure out what to do about it." For Owens, the upshot of poor foul shooting is a seat on the bench during the final minutes of any close contest. "It's almost embarrassing that I can't be in at the end of the game," the Penn center said. "And I think it hurts our team that I can't be in there." But Owens said his recent performances have convinced him to start revamping his shot. "When you get in a game and there's a little tension, that can make you change your shot and miss," Owens explained. "I'm trying to simplify it so there are less mistakes to be made." · The Quakers will continue their Ivy League play this weekend when they travel to Yale and Brown. Penn had an easy time on this road trip last year, beating the Bears, 73-57, and the Elis, 71-50, but both teams are off to a 3-1 start this season under the leadership of new coaches. "We expect great challenges in both games," Dunphy said. "We've been watching films and they're playing well. Plus, we're going on the road." Dunphy said he will not have a tailor-made strategy for either opponent, though. "I'll worry about what we do first," he said. "If we play consistently on both nights then I'll feel good."

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