Ivy League basketball players ought to relax over the next few days, because this upcoming weekend marks the beginning of the trademark back-to-backs that run until season's end. But this past weekend the Ancient Eight was fairly busy, with seven of eight squads in action on Saturday alone.

Aside from the odd Ivy Leaguer drafted into the NFL, the Ancient Eight usually garners little national attention when it comes to big-market athletics. It is, after all, a conference ineligible for postseason play in football (even in Division I-AA), and one that never sends more than its single guaranteed team to the NCAA Tournament in basketball.

Although it took nearly 20 minutes of basketball for Saint Joseph's to suck the drama out of its 84-74 win over Penn on Saturday, three momentum-changing plays can really tell the whole story. The Quakers had closed to within five at 54-49 around the midway point of the half, and Ahmad Nivins threw up one of just three misses of the day.

Looking back through The Daily Pennsylvanian's archives, it's pretty easy to spot a pattern in the paper's sports columns: Every few months, some writer pens a lengthy piece begging the student body to support Penn's teams beyond basketball and football. Let's be honest - nobody really listens.

In his last match, Jason Pinsky's bid to win the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Men's Regional on his home courts was denied by the eventual champion, Virginia Tech's Arvid Puranean. As the snow thaws outside the Levy Tennis Pavilion three months later, Pinsky readies himself for an even grander challenge - leading No.

Early in the season, it seems like teams in many sports claim to be improving. Gymnastics is a rare sport in which the numbers can prove it. Case in point: Penn's meet this weekend against Temple and Towson. The Quakers beat Temple and finished second to Towson with a score of 189.

With his team sporting a 13-0 lead over No. 14 Penn, one boisterous Hofstra wrestling fan couldn't resist the urge to gloat. "Who's stronger now?" he hollered at Penn's Matt Valenti, who was locked in an epic quintuple-overtime match with the Pride's Lou Ruggirello.

There was never a doubt who the favorite was. A 155-game win streak is tough to compete with, and the men's squash team simply did not have the firepower to beat Trinity. The Bantams defeated Penn 9-0 on Saturday. No. 4 Penn visited No. 1 Trinity with its own seven-game win streak, but the Bantams took all nine matches in straight flights.

By the time the Quakers had a chance to lose, all the bounce had gone out of the ball. There was no dramatic finish, no anxious huddle around center court. Even though Kristen Lange, Sydney Scott and Paula Pearson - the top three squash players for Penn - lost their matches, the rest of the lineup was strong enough.

Playing through an injury is always tough, but sophomore swimmer Tara Gillies overcame this burden and swam four of the best races of her life. Inspired by this performance, the Penn women's swim team (11-4, 4-3 Ivy) pulled out a 155-145 victory over Navy (11-2, 6-0 Patriot) Saturday.

Saint Joseph's acted like a well-oiled gridiron offense in the second half Saturday, wearing down the Quakers for an 84-74 win at the Palestra.

When Courtney Jaworski graduated last year, the men's distance squad lost its strongest runner as well as a key component in its 4x800-meter relay. But coach Charlie Powell saw potential in junior Tim Kaijala to step into that type of role this weekend at the Penn State Open.

Was a David vs. Goliath analogy appropriate for the Penn men's and women's fencing teams as they entered the Penn State Invitational last Saturday? Not quite, but both teams had factors working against them heading into the meet. Coach Dave Micahnik conceded that the talent they were facing was of a different caliber.

Ekaterina Kosminskaya and the Penn women's tennis team are undefeated. Get used to hearing it. The freshman standout led the Quakers with two victories in their first match of the promising season, a win at Penn State on Saturday. Kosminskaya was not handed an easy first match.

After Penn's loss to St. Joseph's, it is easy to dwell on the negatives, especially when the game was never really out of reach. But judging from their performances against the Hawks and the rest of the Big 5 opponents, the Quakers are right where they need to be at this point in the season.

By Molin Zhong Staff Writer molin@sas.upenn.edu Dave Micahnik has a dilemma. He doesn't know just how good his fencing teams can be. Only now, the time for scouting has run out. Flip over your cards. Show us what you got. That's the challenge that will be presented to the Penn men's and women's teams at the Penn State Invitational tomorrow at State College.

In her illustrious Penn career, Diana Caramanico set records that nobody else has approached, with 2,415 points and 1,207 rebounds. Still, there are days when she wishes she could make one more easy layup or sky for one more board. After all, her team needs her out there.