While many Penn students departed campus for winter break, Penn’s basketball teams spent much of their month on the court. As the Quakers charge into the teeth of the conference season, let’s recap Penn men’s and women’s basketball’s winter break action.
Men’s Basketball
Record: 8-7, 1-1 Ivy League
Penn men’s basketball closed its non-conference slate with a 1-2 record, first battling to close losses against Big Ten Rutgers and Atlantic 10 George Mason, which ranks 68th out of 365 teams in the NCAA’s NET rankings this season. Then, Penn ended 2025 in the win column with an 80-61 win over NJIT on New Year’s Eve, a game that saw the Quakers connect on nearly 40% of their looks from three.
In the new year, Penn began the conference campaign with a back-and-forth loss at Princeton on Jan. 5 and a home win over Brown on Jan. 10. The latter marked new coach Fran McCaffery’s first Ivy League coaching victory.
Game of note: 78-76 loss to Princeton, Jan. 5
The Quakers’ loss to the Tigers extended their streak of defeats in the once-bitter rivalry to 14 games, but the matchup itself was not without intrigue. Penn took a 13-point first-half lead before a spree of 16 straight made field goals put Princeton ahead. A 13-0 Penn run in the final three minutes gave the Quakers a chance to win on the final play, but sophomore guard AJ Levine’s last-second three-pointer was off the mark.
Player of note: Senior guard/forward Ethan Roberts
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Penn men's basketball prevails over Brown, giving coach Fran McCaffery his first Ivy League win
Penn women’s basketball falls to Brown in double-overtime thriller
Roberts, Penn’s leading scorer, missed four games after suffering a concussion in the Quakers’ Big 5 championship loss to Villanova on Dec. 6, but returned to the lineup against Princeton and led the team with 19 points. Following that game, McCaffery said Roberts had to “get back in rhythm.” The former Drake transfer seemed to do just that against Brown, notching 28 points and bringing home the Big 5 Player of the Week award.
Stat to know:
Penn is shooting 39.6% from three as a team so far this season, good for ninth out of 365 Division I teams.
Quote that sums up the season so far:
“It sort of hit me the first game I coached,” McCaffery said of coaching his alma mater’s team. “But after that, it was kind of like ‘Ok, next game. It’s a Big 5 game, it’s an Ivy League game, it’s somebody else.’”
“It’s just: prepare the team, get them ready to try to win, try to improve as the game’s going on. Make adjustments, get [opponents] to make adjustments, and then get better, collectively and individually.”
Up next:
At Dartmouth on Saturday, Jan. 17, 3 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
Record: 10-5, 0-2 Ivy League
The Penn women’s team picked up an impressive 67-62 win versus PAC-12 opponent Washington State to tipoff winter break action. The victory was fueled by the scoring efforts of senior guard Simone Sawyer and sophomore forward Katie Collins, who notched 15 points each.
The team then traveled across state lines to Hackensack, N.J. for the FDU Christmas Classic. Penn won the tournament, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore 78-57 and Binghamton 59-54. But the Quakers’ success soured once Ivy play began, losing to Princeton 74-68 and Brown 77-65.
Game of note: 77-65 loss to Brown, Jan. 10
In their most recent matchup, Penn fell to Brown 77-65 in a double-overtime slugfest. Throughout regulation, the Quakers never led and trailed the Bears by as much as 12 points. Still, Penn was able to battle back to force extra time not once but twice before the Bears pulled away.
Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia have ruled the conference in recent years. If this trend continues, Brown and Penn are expected to compete for the last spot in Ivy Madness. This early loss to the Bears could prove troublesome for a Penn team looking to make the conference tournament.
Player of note: Sophomore forward Katie Collins
In 34.3 minutes per game, Collins is averaging a team-high 13.2 points alongside eight rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. After her rookie of the year campaign last season, she was asked to move from center to primarily playing power forward. She’s barely missed a beat.
At the FDU Classic, she was named FDU Classic’s most valuable player, averaging 19.5 points, 9 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks between the two matchups.
Stat to know:
Penn is getting it done on both sides. Among the eight Ivies, the Quakers rank third overall in total offense and defense.
Quote that sums up the season so far:
“I know non-conference games have really helped us prepare,” senior guard Saniah Caldwell said following the FDU Classic. “I know that we have a lot of confidence, a lot of energy, and a lot of excitement heading into Ivy play.”
Up next:
Harvard at home on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2 p.m.
