This year's encounters between Penn and Princeton have produced a double-digit swing in the second half score and an overtime victory for the Red and Blue.
And that's just on the women's side.
So chalk up another classic game in the bitter Ancient Eight rivalry, one with particular significance to this year's graduating class.
"Winning the Ivy League championship or not, we beat Princeton two times this year," senior guard Amanda Kammes said. "That's definitely the way I wanted to go out."
Of Penn's 34 second-half points, 18 were scored by members of the Class of 2005. Thirteen came from guard Karen Habrukowich, who, in one stretch, scored seven consecutive points for the Quakers.
Overall, the Newtown, Pa., native made five of her 11 field goal attempts and three of five shots from three-point range.
Virtually absent from the rally, though, was junior center Jennifer Fleischer, who played only four minutes out of the last 20. She ended the night with five rebounds and only three points.
"I just thought we had to go quicker; I just thought we had to spread out and make them move," Penn coach Patrick Knapp said of the change in tactics. "I didn't think they could guard us -- almost like we were chasing them, I wanted them to chase us."
The Quakers have almost become used to games full of chasing. But unlike their other four Ivy League home games, Penn came out on top this time.
"Our entire season has been a season of swings and runs," Kammes said. "We didn't do a great job of coming back against those runs over the past two weekends, but I'd like to think that we're back on track now, and we'll take care of business at the next four games."
Just as Penn got back on track in the second half, Princeton got derailed. The Tigers made a meager nine field goal attempts, two of eight three-point shots and seven of 18 free throws in the second half. In the final 13:23, they scored only 12 points.
"That's their problem, missing the perimeter shots," Knapp said. "I think we got out and guarded them a little bit better."
That stingy defense led to 12 Princeton turnovers and four Penn steals in the second half -- two by Habrukowich and one each by Ashley Gray and Katie Kilker.
"Two points at a time, but really, it was the defense -- we turned it up a little bit," Knapp said.
For the free throws, though, a bit of credit is likely due to the Quakers' mascot. He flopped around like a fish whenever Princeton was at the charity stripe, making quite a racket with his thick rubber-soled shoes.
"I got a huge bruise on my shin from doing those headstands and falling down during their free throws," the Quaker said, declining to reveal his true name. "It is a lot of hard work."
The Quakers on the floor acknowledged the mascot's antics after the game.
"I like him," senior center Katie Kilker said. Kammes added that "it's part of being at the Palestra."
