In a previous basketball life, the scene might have made sense. With Penn down almost 30 late in the second half against a Big 5 rival, Fran Dunphy, red in the face, smacks the scorer's table after one of his players is whistled for traveling. The crowd is so dead that it's impossible to miss the coach's corresponding obscenity.

When women's basketball senior captain Carrie Biemer sees her team show flashes of exceptional play to stake an early lead, she senses that they are on the verge of turning the corner. But suddenly - and without explanation - the Quakers revert to their wildly inconsistent ways.

Jan. 6 - Up 14 at halftime against Lafayette, Penn could have turned in a poor second half like it did against Central Florida last week. Instead, the Quakers got a trio of threes to start the half, as sophomore Tyler Bernardini and freshmen Zack Rosen and Rob Belcore drained treys on three successive possessions to key Penn's 9-2 run at the start of the second frame.

By KATIE SIEGMANN Staff Writer siegmann@dailypennsylvanian.com The women's swimming team rang in the New Year the best way possible: with a win. After spending the closing days of 2008 on a training trip in Boca Raton, Fla., the Quakers greeted 2009 with a first-place finish at the Florida Atlantic University Invitational on Jan.

Penn men's and women's fencing coach Dave Micahnik describes himself as a perfectionist. As a recent inductee into the U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame, Micahnik is always looking to improve his teams' performances. On Saturday and Sunday, both teams began their seasons at the Philadelphia Invitational Multi-Meet in Hutchinson Gymnasium.

It's a good thing that coaches can't play for their teams. If they could, the Penn women's squash team would be facing a tough task in tonight's match at Franklin and Marshall. The Diplomats' men's and women's head coach, John White, was ranked No. 1 in the world in March 2004, and retired from professional squash in October as No.

To start its 2009 season, the gymnastics team fell to Ball State 190.725-184.350 Friday at Hutchinson Gymnasium. Despite the disappointingly close result, the Quakers still saw some positive signs for the future, as five freshmen competed, including Megan Metsgar who scored a 36.

To say that the Penn men's swimming team took the cake at the Jan. 3 Florida Atlantic Invitational would be an understatement. The men placed first with a score of 830.5, defeating Ivy League rival Brown by a margin of 264.5 points in a league-sanctioned dual meet.

With 310 victories as Penn men's basketball coach, Fran Dunphy knew the taste of victory in the Palestra. But two years ago, in his first opportunity to savor success as a visiting head coach, Dunphy and his current team - Big 5 rival Temple -- blew an early 19-point lead and lost to Penn, 76-74, on a trio of Mark Zoller free throws with 1.

Classes may just be resuming today, but the No. 23 Penn wrestling team certainly did not have a break over the last three weeks. The only breather was the Penn Duals on Jan.3, in which the Red and Blue beat Franklin & Marshall, 49-0, Delaware State, 42-9, and East Stroudsburg, 38-7, and competed in an exhibition dual against Gloucester.

ORLANDO, Fla. Dec. 29-30, 2008 - At the UCF Holiday Classic, Penn was on a mission to notch its first win since a Nov. 22 drubbing of Monmouth. The Quakers didn't succeed on their first try, falling, 81-64, to the tournament's host but were able to bounce back, beating Campbell, 78-67, to take third place i

Classes may just be resuming today, but the No. 23 Penn wrestling team certainly did not have a break over the last three weeks. The only breather was the Penn Duals, in which the Red and Blue beat Franklin & Marshall, 49-0, Delaware State, 42-9, and East Stroudsburg, 38-7, and competed in an exhibition dual against Gloucester.

Don't underestimate the underclassmen. At the Nike Invitational hosted by Kenyon College this weekend, Penn freshman Brendan McHugh received Co-swimmer of the Meet honors as he broke a pool record in the 1650-yard freestyle on Thursday, came in second in the 100-yard breaststroke on Friday, and finished off the weekend with first-place finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley on Saturday.

The women's swimming team ringed in the New Year the best way possible: with a win. After spending the closing days of 2008 on a training trip in Boca Raton, Fla., the Quakers greeted 2009 with a first-place finish at the Florida Atlantic University Invitational on Jan.

After a devastating start to the season with five straight losses in November, the women's basketball team was looking for a reversal of fortune heading into December. Now on a two-game winning streak heading into winter break, the Quakers (2-6) may have gotten just what they were hoping for.

Ib-by Jaa-ber! I can still hear it. The chant, followed by five quick claps, would echo off the Palestra walls after Ibrahim Jaaber delivered one of his devastating fast-break dunks, sending a buzz through the crowd. And before that, "UUUU," for Ugonna Onyekwe.

The Quakers have 24 long days - a program record for time off - to stew over what went wrong against Navy on Friday night. At least when Dec. 29 finally rolls around and Penn tips off again, the Palestra will be a good 900 miles away. They'll be in Orlando, Fla.