New life in New England

Penn finally has another opportunity to establish something it has been missing all season: a winning streak.

After a stunning win over Brown, the Quakers head to Dartmouth tonight with a shot at a second-straight victory before travelling to Cambridge, Mass., to face Harvard tomorrow.

The Big Green (4-14, 0-4 Ivy) have not won consecutive games this season either, and the similarities between Penn and Dartmouth don’t end there.

Both lost their head coaches midway through the season — Dartmouth’s Terry Dunn stepped down in early January — and are without last year’s leading scorers.

While forward Tyler Bernardini red-shirted this season due to injury, the Big Green lost forward Alex Barnett and his 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game to graduation.

And not unlike the injury depleted Quakers’ bench, the Big Green played with just nine available bodies against Columbia last week.

Still, the Quakers (2-14, 1-1) are looking for redemption against a Big Green club that swept them last season.

Jack Eggleston and Zack Rosen are the only two returning starters from last year’s meetings. The two combined for 25 points in the teams’ second matchup Feb. 20, 2009.

But with a talented Harvard opponent looming the next day, it will be up to Penn coach Jerome Allen to determine how long to keep his two stars on the floor.

“[Allen] is going to do whatever it takes for us to get the win,” Eggleston said. “If that means Zack and I playing every minute, then that’s it.”

For a Quakers squad that has struggled against opponents that boast one standout scorer, the Dartmouth lineup could provide some relief. No player on the roster tops 8.1 points per game.

Still, Allen is not putting too much stock into that statistic.

“One of the things that says... is that guys are sharing that sense of responsibility,” he said. “Everybody is equal.”

Eggleston also believes tonight may be a battle of attrition.

“[Penn and Dartmouth] are two teams that are maybe a little undermanned right now, but both desperately in need of wins,” he said. “So we’ll definitely expect a fight from them.”

Meanwhile, Saturday’s trip to Harvard (14-4, 3-1) should show the Quakers the other end of the Ivy spectrum.

Crimson coach Tommy Amaker’s club, especially senior guard Jeremy Lin, has invigorated the Cambridge community and transformed Harvard into a legitimate threat, even outside of the Ivy League.

The Crimson beat Atlantic Coast Conference foe Boston College and lost to then-No. 13 Conneticut by only six points earlier this season.

And despite a 36-point drubbing at the hands of No. 25 Cornell last week, the Crimson have won seven of their last eight games and are undefeated at home.

Lin’s play has warranted two Ivy League Player of the Week awards, a mid-season Wooden nomination as well as a Sports Illustrated feature.

The Quakers will need solid contributions from each player on the court to keep Lin, who scored 30 points against Connecticut, under his average of 17.1 points per game.

“We throw five guys at him,” Eggleston said. “I imagine Rob [Belcore] will draw the assignment per se, but it’s a five man effort.”

“We’ve got to help screens, bump him when he’s cutting through the lane, hedge ball screens and just make everything as difficult as possible for him,” he added.

Penn may have an extra advantage, as it is one of few Ivy teams prepared to handle the rowdy crowd at Lavietes Pavilion. In last year’s showdown at Harvard, the Quakers left with a 66-60 upset.

Harvard Director of Athletic Communications, Kurt Svoboda, confirmed the staff is adding extra seating for the weekend matchup.

“The Palestra gets raucous. We played in Cameron [Indoor Stadium at Duke], I think we’re prepared,” Eggleston said.

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