With Dartmouth and Harvard the last two contenders standing for the Ivy crown, it may be tough for the women's basketball team to draw fans to the Palestra for its final three home games, with nothing but pride at stake for either side.
But tonight's opponent, Cornell (10-14, 6-6 Ivy), has two local players on the roster, including junior guard Allie Fedorowicz, who is close friends with Penn junior Caitlin Slover and maintains many ties to her hometown.
"She might outnumber the fans, [just with] her individual family," Slover quipped of the Abington, Pa., native.
Though Slover and the red-headed Fedorowicz have known each other since fifth grade, Penn senior captain Carrie Biemer offered a blunt assessment of the friendship: "Slover just likes gingers."
Penn's next two opponents - Columbia (13-13, 6-6) tomorrow and Princeton (11-14, 6-5) Tuesday - will also be familiar, as both defeated the Quakers earlier this season.
The Red and Blue managed to defeat Cornell, 79-70, on the strength of a season-high 55 second-half points, though Biemer cautioned that the team must be sharp for a full 40 minutes tonight because "we're not going to shoot [roughly] 75 percent in a half again - ever."
As fate would have it, Slover and Fedorowicz are both coming off career weekends. Slover averaged a double-double while Fedorowicz poured in 38 total points, including 13 in handing Dartmouth its lone Ivy loss this season.
"It's just funny because a big joke on our team is that I meander, and I don't really get the boards a lot," Slover said.
Columbia is led by sophomore forward Judie Lomax, who continues to lead all of Division I with 14.1 total rebounds and 6.1 offensive boards per contest.
Although coach Pat Knapp was cryptic about his plans to limit Lomax - "I'm not giving any scouting reports out in the paper, obviously" - it's a good bet that someone other than Biemer will match up against her this time.
"I fouled out in 13 minutes," Biemer said. "I think that's probably an indication that I'd do better elsewhere."
But foul trouble has plagued Biemer at times throughout the season, prompting Knapp to talk to her in practice about moving her feet and putting more space between herself and ball handlers.
Although Lomax may dominate, Penn feels it has the advantage in the backcourt.
"We're a lot bigger than [the Lions'] guards," Slover said. "I think we can take them to the basket a lot."
If they don't get revenge against Columbia, the seniors will have another chance in their final game against the Tigers.
"That's how I'm going to remember the rest of my life," Biemer said. "So we'd better win."
One key will be to come out of the gates strong. In their first meeting Jan. 10, the Quakers failed to record a field goal in the first 8:51 and ultimately fell, 64-49.
Slover had a simple solution to avoid a similar stretch, a refrain that roughly summarizes Penn's season - "Give Carrie the ball."
"We need to take the offensive mindset and just attack," she added.
But with two months between games, the dynamics of the matchup may be different when the teams square off at the Palestra.
"We've been inconsistent, but I think we've developed a lot since then," Biemer said.
As a senior, Biemer anticipates having mixed emotions about finishing her career.
"It's hard to think that you won't be representing your school anymore," she said. "But my body is ready for a little time off. It's been a long season."
