Penn women’s basketball kept it close to start, but it was all Notre Dame after the first quarter, leading to a 75-55 loss to the defending champion Fighting Irish. Despite the blowout defeat, there are many takeaways from the Quakers’ battle against the nation's No. 1 team.

In this week's edition of Is Stat So?, both Penn and women's basketball saw key contributions from bench players, football struggled to hold onto the ball, and men's soccer finished its season the way it knows best.

For the second straight year, Penn squash handily dominated its competition in the Pennsylvania State Classic Squash Tournament hosted by Franklin & Marshall. 

On Monday, Penn men’s basketball junior forward AJ Brodeur was named Ivy Player of the Week after his dominant performances in the Quakers’ wins this week over George Mason and Rice. Against the Patriots, Brodeur scored 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three assists, and against the Owls, he posted 23 points, 6 rebounds, and five assists.

Brodeur was the Red and Blue's shining star this past week, scoring 42 points and picking up 16 rebounds in the team’s two season-opening wins.

But thanks to a goal in double overtime by sophomore defender Alex Touche, assisted by junior midfielder Brandon Bartel, the Quakers ended the season on a positive note, beating the Crimson 1-0.

The Quakers returned to the University Park course hoping to hold their own in the Mid-Atlantic region after racing on the same course in early October at the Penn State National Open.

Instead of featuring the strengths that Penn has developed during the latter part of the season, the Homecoming defeat highlighted the weaknesses that have plagued the Red and Blue throughout the year. 

With a win on the road at Siena, Penn women’s basketball started off the season on the right foot after a disappointing end last March. Beating the Saints by a comfortable 58-51 margin, the box score might not indicate how exciting this game was, down to the very last minute.

Penn football's seniors, as well as the rest of the team, suffered a 29-7 loss to the Crimson, who earned their first win in the series since 2014.

There is no doubt that the loss of Betley hurts but that isn’t important because as a unit, a multitude of guards can step up and fill the void left by the sharpshooter.

After leading by just two points through the first half, Penn found its groove in the next 20 minutes of action to soundly defeat Rice 92-76. One similarity between the two periods was the way the Quakers started.

Through 20 minutes of action, the Red and Blue lead Rice 37-35. Penn raced out to an early 17-7 lead through the first few minutes of action, but the Owls showed that they wouldn’t go away.

The Quakers will have plenty of opportunities to exact revenge against teams they lost to lost last season, such as Penn State and Villanova on the men’s side and Pittsburgh and Princeton for the women.

This Saturday, Penn football will be playing its final home game of the year, marking the last time the senior players compete in front of the crowd at The Frank.

The opening game will include many new faces on the Quakers' squad, including three new members of the starting lineup. After graduating four seniors, including three starters, this year's Penn team is significantly younger.

Penn men’s basketball had perhaps the most eventful season opener in recent memory at George Mason. The Quakers survived all the adversity to eke out a 72-71 win. Here are three takeaways from the first game of the season.