LOS ANGELES — The team that came to California was not going to defend its Ivy title. It isn’t just that Penn women’s basketball hadn’t been playing well — though that was certainly the case.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — In the City of Angels, a star was born. Thanks to a team-high 15 points from freshman Phoebe Sterba, Penn women’s basketball completed a sweep of its California adventure with a 71-55 win over UC Riverside on Monday.

Everything looks better from above .500. Penn men’s basketball topped visiting Fairfield, 74-68, today in its second and final winter break home matchup. Freshman AJ Brodeur led the Quakers to a hard-fought victory with a career-high 27 points.

Behind a career-high 13 points from sophomore forward Princess Aghayere, Penn took unquestionably its top win of the season, topping Cal State Northridge, 47-36, in a gritty defensive battle.

Only 0.6 miles separate the basketball facilities of Penn and Drexel, and somehow that proximity is reflected on the scoreboard whenever the two teams play.

Penn men’s basketball will take a vacation over the next few weeks, with its next game coming December 28 against Drexel at the Palestra.

A lot can happen in three weeks. When Penn women’s basketball next takes to the court, three weeks will have gone by since the team’s last outing. Last Saturday, the Quakers won a nail-biter against Richmond 47-44, but now they’ll have a new challenge, not playing basketball. “It’s a chance for us to take a little bit of a pause and reflect on where we are at,” coach Mike McLaughlin said.

“Trust The Process.” The phrase is only three words, but for Philadelphia 76ers fans, it has come to mean so much more.

If I told you that Penn could be a great place to be a college sports fan, how would you react? You would probably laugh at me, and for most people, this statement doesn't hold up.

All season long, Penn men's basketball appeared to be on the verge of improvement in coach Steve Donahue’s second year in charge, but the Quakers still needed that signature win to prove to the college basketball world that they were for real. Thanks to a breakout performance from junior Sam Jones, that big-time victory is in the books.

Sports Editor-elect Jonathan Pollack: For me, the best part of Penn Athletics this year was sprint football winning its first outright CSFL title since 2000, so the best moment should come from that season.

With 8:42 remaining in the second half, junior guard Darnell Foreman’s jumper put Penn within two points of George Mason at 57-55. Between that moment and senior guard Matt Howard’s free throw with 3:07 left, the Quakers scored zero points on nine missed shots and a turnover.

For the second time this week, Penn women's basketball went right down the stretch. This time, however, it was much happier with the result.

It was poetic, almost, the transfer of dominance. After senior guard Matt Howard lit things up in the first half, scoring 12 of Penn’s first 15 points, freshman forward AJ Brodeur took over in the second period, tallying 16 of his 22 after intermission.

This was a game Penn should’ve won. With leads late in both the 4th quarter and overtime, it was the Quakers’ game for the taking.

Penn women's basketball, playing far better of late, will look for far better results in its second Big 5 contest. The Quakers (3-3) will be at home on Wednesday night to take on La Salle (4-4) for some midweek action at the Palestra.

Penn men’s basketball knew that its opening set of non-conference games to start the season would be challenging. The Quakers were right.