The Penn men's basketball team didn't know which Elon squad would show up on Thursday, but it certainly wasn't the one that lost to Division II Tusculum. The Phoenix, which nearly beat Virginia Tech this season, hung tough for the majority of the game, but in the end Tyler Bernardini's 23 points (12 in the final five minutes) and tight defense on the final possession put Penn over the top, 67-64.

When it comes to athletic achievements at Penn, few can top Mark DeRosa. In just two years at starting quarterback he became the fourth-leading passer in Quakers history. And when this Wharton student and Sigma Chi fraternity member hit the baseball diamond in the spring season, he attracted attention from Major League scouts with his superior hitting and fielding skills.

The drought is finally over. The Penn men's swim team captured its first win against Columbia after five straight years of losses to its Ivy rivals from New York. The Red and Blue defeated the Lions 185-114 at Sheerr Pool this past Saturday. "It was a nice win, but more important than winning, it was seeing how fast the men can swim," coach Mike Schnur said.

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. Moments after his team finished an admirable comeback down the stretch at Monmouth, Glen Miller reflected on an adjustment he made which looked dumb if all you saw was the box score. Freshman Conor Turley had played 19 total minutes before Saturday; on Saturday he played 17.

It was a record-setting night for the men's basketball team. But the record is probably one the Quakers would like to give back. They scored an NCAA shot clock era record-low six points in the first half at Florida Gulf Coast last night in Fort Myers, Fla.

With 25 Ivy League titles in 53 years, it's obvious that Penn men's basketball is a successful program. But why are the Quakers so strong year-in and year-out? In his book Jumping Through Hoops: Why Penn Wins, Dr. Harold Gullan answers this question. By following the Quakers during their 2005-06 season, Gullan writes not just about basketball, but about the entire atmosphere surrounding the Quakers' program.

Penn men's swimming coach Mike Schnur is sick and tired of standing alone. Of all the men currently part of the Quakers' swimming program, Schnur is the only one who has ever beaten Columbia in a meet. "It's about time we changed that," Schnur said. The Quakers will have a chance to do just that on Saturday, when they host the Lions at Sheerr Pool at noon.

When Penn plays Monmouth on Saturday, the home team comes in with only two wins, three freshman starters, a deep rotation and a sub-30 percent clip from three. And no, the game isn't at the Palestra. "We're starting three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior, so in some ways we're very similar, even in record," Monmouth coach Dave Calloway said.

There are few people more knowledgeable when it comes to keeping a pulse on the Philadelphia sports scene than Big 5 mainstay and Saint Joseph's head basketball coach Phil Martelli. Born in Media, Pa., Martelli grew up with the City Series in his backyard and has been with the Hawks for 22 years.

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. Moments after his team finished an admirable comeback down the stretch at Monmouth, Glen Miller reflected on an adjustment he made which looked dumb if all you saw was the box score. Freshman Conor Turley played 17 minutes on Saturday; he'd played 19 in total before that.

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J., Dec. 8 - The story for the Penn men's basketball team this season has been its youth. But for once, on Saturday night the Quakers actually looked like the more experienced team on the court. In a game that gave the feeling it would go down to the wire, Penn used a 10-0 run late in the second half to defeat Monmouth 69-61.

Forget the Penn and Princeton rivalry. When the women's swim team faces off against the Columbia Lions tonight, that's when the competition will get really heated. "It is a great rivalry," said head coach Mike Schnur. "Neither team really likes each other a lot.

The Quakers surpassed their previous game's point total by halftime last night against Lafayette, but they were hardly in the mood to celebrate. In their first contest since the 26-point showing at Villanova on Saturday, the Quakers fell to the Leopards 71-56 at the Palestra, dropping to 3-5 as the team begins its two-week hiatus for finals.

With eight minutes remaining and his team trailing by 31 points to the No.1-ranked team in the country, freshman Remy Cofield finally got the call from coach Glen Miller to enter the game. Cofield was the tenth man off the bench on Tuesday. He got a quick steal for his only crooked number on the score sheet, but was taken out two minutes later.

The only two wins for the men's basketball team so far this season have been against military academies - The Citadel and Navy. That's just so un-American. If it hasn't already, the NSA should hurry up and get a wiretap in Glen Miller's house. In all seriousness, though, Penn's two lone victories highlight a jarring truth: This non-conference schedule is beating up on the Quakers.

Penn's sophomores have had a tough time establishing themselves this season. Forwards Andreas Schreiber and Justin Reilly have looked very good at some times, while at others they seem to be lost. And let's not forget about Darren Smith, who broke his kneecap in the season opener versus Drexel.

Though officially part of the Centennial Conference, the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (4-3) have been the unofficial doormat of the Ivy League this year. After opening the season with four wins over non-Ivy opponents, the Diplomats enter tonight's match at Penn (1-3, 1-2 Ivy) having lost their last three matches to Dartmouth, Yale and Princeton by a combined score of 25-2.