VILLANOVA, Pa., Dec. 1 - Well, it's been worse. Against Villanova on Saturday, the Penn women's basketball team scored 26 points, the third-lowest output in team history. In a game that will take a place in the record books, the Quakers were handed a 66-26 loss by the sharp-shooting Wildcats (6-1).

Coach Pat Knapp and his team might want to look for a fallout shelter, because when they face Villanova (4-1) tomorrow, it'll be bombs away. Tomorrow, Penn will have to deal with a squad that has already developed a reputation of being a huge three-point threat.

How badly do they want it? When the men's squash team plays host to Yale and Brown this weekend, its desire will be put to the test. The Quakers (0-2, 0-1 Ivy), who remain winless this year after two early-season losses to Cornell and Western Ontario, will look to rebound when they face off against the Bulldogs (0-0) and the Bears (0-1, 0-1) at friendly Ringe Courts this weekend.

Look through the Villanova men's basketball roster and you'll find every player is from the Northeast or mid-Atlantic. Every player except Frank Tchuisi. Tchuisi [TWEE-see] hails from another continent altogether: Africa. "I was born in Douala, Cameroon," said the 6-foot-8 forward, who still bears a heavy accent.

One did a Napoleon Dynamite-inspired dance to Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat." Another busted out the same moves as Justin Timberlake in "Sexyback." No, not at a Saturday-night fraternity party - at an Engineering class. Freshmen in the Electrical Systems Engineering introductory lab course ESE 112 showcased their talent yesterday through biologically inspired hexapedal robots in the First Annual ESE 112 Dance Recital.

Avery Lawrence is a College senior from Charlottesville, Va. His e-mail address is lawrence@dailypennsylvanian.com.

2007 College alumnus Stephen Danley was one of at least 40 American students to receive the Marshall Scholarship for 2008. Danley, former co-captain of the men's basketball team, will travel to Oxford next year to earn a Masters of Philosophy in the university's comparative social policy program.

This weekend the Penn women's squash team will compete against some familiar faces as it battles Yale, Brown, and Columbia over a two-day span. Some of Penn's competitors are former teammates. Coach Jack Wyant and freshman Annie Madeira became familiar with some of Yale's competitors over the summer working on the Junior National team.

Grateful students and proud donors gathered last night in Wynn Commons, with financial-aid recipients interacting with the people who have made their education possible. The event also served as an opportunity for Penn President Amy Gutmann and other administration officials to call attention to Penn's ongoing capital campaign and encourage donations to Penn's financial aid programs.

After a disappointing loss this week to Lafayette, the men's basketball team won't have to wait for a chance to atone thanks to a quick turnaround. Unfortunately for the Quakers (2-5), atonement will not be easy to come by as they travel to the Main Line to take on Villanova in this season's Big 5 opener tomorrow night.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the indictment of Engineering junior Ryan Goldstein yesterday for his alleged involvement in a global computer-hacking conspiracy. Goldstein was arrested Nov. 1 and charged with computer-fraud conspiracy, to which he pled not guilty.

The number of early-decision applications to Penn dropped slightly for the second year in a row, admissions officials announced yesterday. Penn received 3,929 early-decision applications this year, a 1.8 percent fall from last year's 4,001 applications. Interim Dean of Admissions Eric Kaplan said he expects early-decision applicants to make up 45 to 48 percent of the class of 2012, which translates to an acceptance rate of about 30 percent.

Proud of our women professors To the editor: As Electrical and Systems Engineering Department chairman, I write to allay your worries about diversity in faculty hiring ("Defenseless Diversity" 11/19/2007). We only hire faculty who have achieved preeminence in high impact areas of technology and engineering science and whose compelling intellectual vision sets the standard for research and teaching in their fields.

Troy Brown, the man charged with committing 10 robberies last November by threatening his victims with a screwdriver, heads to court today for trial. Jury selection for Brown's trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas begins this morning, and opening arguments will take place in the afternoon.

There are certain things you will never read if you are a student here. These include: "Penn professor acquitted in murder trial," "Unidentified woman ambushed with flowers outside Wizzards," and "Security guard exposes his amazing personality." Trust me, you just won't.

An abortion debate hosted yesterday by OurVoice 2008, a group that aims to mobilize young voters, repeatedly broke down into a single vitriolic exchange between the pro-choice and pro-life debaters. "Why can't we agree on common-sense measures to reduce the need for abortion?" Aubrey Montgomery, an executive of pro-choice organization NARAL asked her pro-life counterparts.

Villanova's Pavilion only seats 6,500 people - compared to the Palestra's 9,821 - and the Penn Band nearly found itself in the unlucky 3,300 or so. But thanks to a long-standing tweak in Villanova's policy concerning visiting bands, the Band will be playing at the men's basketball game in Villanova, Pa.