If anyone thought Penn would take it easy in the last three games of the season, Friday night's 64-37 drubbing of Dartmouth should should be enough to convince them otherwise. The Quakers (18-8, 11-1 Ivy) built a comfortable lead in the first half and held a hapless Dartmouth squad to just a field goal for the first 12 minutes. As Penn prepared to say goodbye to the class of 2005 in the seinors' penultimate game at the Palestra, sophomore Ibby Jaaber stole the spotlight, again. The 6-foot-2 guard snagged nine steals on the night to give him 80 for the season -- a new Ivy League record. And Jaaber -- who was just three years old the last time Dartmouth managed a win over the Quakers Feb. 2, 1987 -- showed off what is quickly becoming his signature move: the put-back jam midway through the second half. That reignited a Palestra crowd of 4,533 that had become complacent with a 20-point lead. Sophomore Mark Zoller led the way for Penn with 14 points and nine rebounds. The 6-7 forward and teammate Ryan Pettinella, had little trouble establishing themselves inside against a tall, but less athletic Dartmouth frontcourt. The Big Green (10-16, 7-6) had no answer for Penn's aggressiveness, as the Quakers compiled a 44-19 rebounding edge. Dartmouth may have won five straight before coming to Philadelphia, but after opening the game by making one of 13 shots and committing eight turnovers the game was out of reach by the third media timeout. The Quakers shot a cool 51 percent from the field -- their third straight game above the 50 percent mark. Dartmouth managed only 32.6 percent on the night.
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Harvard, who lost to Princeton 66-44 Friday, will visit the Palestra for senior night on Saturday at 7 p.m. Penn's four seniors will be honored before tipoff, and head coach Fran Dunphy indicated that would all be starting the game. "It's the worst night of the season for me," Dunphy said about saying goodbye. PROJECTED LINEUP: g Tim Begley g Ibby Jaaber f Jan Fikiel f Eric Heil f/c Namir MajetteNotable:
Jaaber's nine steals Friday also set a new single-game record for both Penn and the Ivy League. Ira Bowman (1995), John Wilson (1987) and Ken Hall (1981) shared the Penn record with eight. Dartmouth was the opponent on two of the three occasions, while Wilson nabbed eight against Cornell. Freshman David Whitehurst started his third straight game in place of Eric Osmunson. The senior guard was reportedly under the weather, and spent the night on the bench in street clothes. Penn last held an opponent under 40 points on Mar. 7, 2003 when Columbia fell 63-39 at the Palestra. Going into Saturday's game, the Class of 2005 has amassed a record of 82-31 (46-8 Ivy) while collecting three Ivy League titles in the process.Elsewhere:
At Jadwin Gym: Princeton 66, Harvard 44 At John J. Lee Ampitheater: Yale 79, Cornell 63 At The Pizzitola Center: Brown 80, Columbia 56 Tonight: Harvard at PENN, 7 p.m. Cornell at Brown, 7 p.m. Columbia at Yale, 7 p.m. Dartmouth at Princeton, 7:30 p.m.The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
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