With Penn up by eight against Harvard and with an open look, Brennan Votel was in a perfect spot to put up the three-pointer. It is a shot that has only been successful for him 16 percent of the time so far this season, but he took the chance. The gamble paid off, and as the ball swished through the net, Votel must have felt that it was going to be a good night.
Whoa there, Princeton. Just take a deep breath. You see, the same thing seems to happen every year with us. When confronted with the sad realities about your basketball program, you throw a hissy fit. You try to say you're better than us, that Penn stinks, and that we took your lunch money when you were little kids.
For the second time in three years, a strange sight will appear at the Palestra. One of the two best teams in Ivy League history is in its proper place at the top of the conference standings. Penn (14-8) is in first place at 5-1. But archrival Princeton (10-10), as it was two years ago, comes limping into tonight's 7 p.
There were plenty of obstacles that freshman Marcus Schroeder had to hurdle to find his way into a Princeton uniform and the starting lineup. There was the geographic divide that the Concord, Calif.
Whoa there, Princeton. Just take a deep breath. You see, the same thing seems to happen every year with us. When confronted with the sad realities about your basketball program, you throw a hissy fit. You try to say you're better than us, that Penn stinks, and that we took your lunch money when you were little kids.
For the second time in three years, a strange sight will appear at the Palestra. One of the two best teams in Ivy League history is in its proper place at the top of the conference standings. Penn (14-8) is in first place at 5-1. But archrival Princeton (10-10), as it was two years ago, comes limping into tonight's 7 p.
Last Friday against Harvard, Penn's leading scorer was held to four points in 30 minutes on 2-of-11 shooting. But coach Pat Knapp saw a bigger problem. "That's not the story of the weekend," he said when asked about Monica Naltner's season-low output. "The story of the weekend is how poorly we defended, particularly on the perimeter.
Charge and retreat. Advance and regress. These words were used more than just to describe the heated action on the fencing strip, but could also trace out Penn men's and women's fencing teams this season. Yesterday at the Ivy League Round Robin No. 1, both were charging.
Consecutive 9-0 losses to the nation's top two teams were major setbacks in the Quakers' quest to be considered among the nation's elite. But now, No. 4 men's squash can say it's in the ballpark. Penn split the weekend's matches at Ringe Courts, losing to No.
Penn may have finished off a weekend sweep with Saturday night's 67-53 victory over visiting Harvard, but it wasn't one-sided. The Crimson walked away with a better three-point showing, shutting down the Penn players who shot from beyond the arc. All but one.
Home cooking has never tasted so sweet for the gymnastics team, which beat Ursinus (186.375), West Chester (175.775), and Wilson (151.075) with 189.425 points on Saturday. The team "showed more effort in fighting for their routines, and they showed a lot pride today," coach John Ceralde said after the meet.
The scoreboard told the story of a new Saint Joseph's team, and Phil Martelli found an explanation in the simplest of places. His Hawks were out for blood. And not without reason. After suffering a 56-39 embarrassment against archrival Villanova on Tuesday, the Hawks walked into the Palestra Saturday afternoon with a collective chip on their shoulders.
The Quakers destroyed a sloppy Dartmouth team with pressure defense and a solid inside game for the 73-53 win. It was the Red and Blue's first home Ivy contest this season, and they looked energized and much more comfortable than they were in New Haven, Conn.
Harvard coach Frank Sullivan couldn't sit down. He dutifully answered the questions at Penn's post-game press conference, but after about five minutes he did what he had been itching to do since it became apparent that the Crimson were going to lose - he left the Palestra.
They may not have a perfect record and they may not be No. 1, but the Penn women have never been more confident. "I feel our chances for a national championship are pretty good," senior and co-captain Paula Pearson said. One week ago, she may have been less optimistic after Princeton ended the Quakers' bid for an undefeated season and seemingly shattered her hopes of a national title.
The Penn wrestling team made the long trip to Ithaca on Friday with an Ivy League title on its mind. But in front of a packed house at Niemand Arena, Cornell - in a quest for its fifth-straight league crown - took the wind out of the Quakers' sails.
Playing two singles and two doubles matches in 24 hours is a daunting task, but the women's tennis team just sees it as an opportunity for two wins. The Quakers beat nationally-ranked Marshall 5-2 on Friday afternoon and then woke up early to crush East Tennessee State 6-1 on Saturday.
The Tar Heel State was not friendly to the men's tennis team this weekend. On a Friday-to-Sunday road trip to North Carolina, the Red and Blue were shut out in both their matches this weekend by 7-0 scores. Both defeats came at the hands of ACC powerhouses.
Penn's flicker of hope for an improbable Ivy League women's basketball championship was short-lived. On Friday, Dartmouth (5-2 Ivy) continued its roll in a big way, as the Big Green won, 70-43. Harvard (6-1) held off the Quakers, 87-74, to maintain its spot atop the Ivy standings.
The Quakers are in unfamiliar territory, having lost their first game of the season at Princeton last week. But that hasn't put women's squash coach Jack Wyant in panic mode. "That night just wasn't our night," he said. "We have some great opportunities coming up, though.
Solutions by The State News
