Through the first half last night, it looked as if the Quakers' inside game hadn't changed since it got beat up by Fordham for a 38-25 rebounding edge in a loss last game. On defense, Illinois-Chicago's big frontcourt manhandled the Quakers for 12 offensive rebounds against Penn's nine in the first 20 minutes.

Brian Grandieri has not built a reputation as a superstar. His knack for being in the right place at the right time has garnered far more attention than his occasional scoring outbursts. And the junior has been injured with an Achilles problem since last week, substituting a protective boot for shoes and forgoing practice until Monday.

Fordham's offense was in a rut before Saturday. The Rams were shooting only 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range. But all they needed was a visit to the Palestra. Marcus Stout knocked down five threes and Brenton Butler hit three as the Rams drained 12-of-21 from behind the arc en route to a 77-60 win over Penn.

Penn will have to wait almost a full two weeks to try and get rid of the sour taste in its mouth, but that might be easier said than done. After being outclassed by Fordham on Saturday, the Quakers have a 12-day break for final exams before they have a chance to redeem themselves.

ELON, N.C. - Trailing late in the game, with their leading scorer on the bench, and a free throw percentage well under 60 percent, Penn seemed on the verge of being upset by 3-9 Elon. But Ibrahim Jaaber, without the assistance of forward Mark Zoller who fouled out with three and a half minutes remaining, helped guide Penn to a 66-64 win with two big plays on the offensive side of the floor that secured the slim lead for Penn.

The events were not scored. Not all of the runners participated. The meet did not count. So the question is, why does anyone care? In reality, not many people do, aside from the team and the coaching staff themselves. However, the New Year Invitational, held in Princeton, N.

For the second year in a row, Penn will head to the Research Triangle to take on a top-5 Atlantic Coast Conference opponent. After losing at then-No. 1 Duke a year ago, the Quakers will find themselves 10 miles up Tobacco Road in Chapel Hill, N.C., where they will face No.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-Penn coach Glen Miller knew two important things before his team played No. 2 North Carolina Wednesday night. First, his team would have to play 40 minutes of good basketball to have a shot; and second, the Quakers would need to play excellent transition defense against the Tar Heels' explosive attack.

Revenge is a dish best served in cold pool water, as the Penn women's swim team found out Friday. The Quakers avenged last year's five-point loss to chief rival Columbia with a 187.5-112.5 victory in their home opener at Sheerr Pool. Last year's meet came down to the final event, the 200-yard freestyle relay, with Columbia winning by three-hundreths of a second.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - If there was any doubt that Ibrahim Jaaber and Mark Zoller could coexist and maintain their level of play, consider Penn's 79-58 victory over Navy as testament to the contrary.

Exactly one year ago from Sunday, Penn women's basketball lost much more than a game in a 70-68 overtime heartbreaker at American. Late in the first half, now-senior Lauren Pears landed awkwardly, suffering what would be a season ending anterior cruciate ligament injury.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Penn had not allowed 99 points in almost seven years until Villanova lit up the Quakers last Saturday. Last night against Navy, Penn proved that the Wildcats were the exception. The Quakers held a team that had been averaging 71.2 points per game and had been shooting very well from behind the arc to just 58 points.

By Zachary Levine Senior Staff Writer zlevine@sas.upenn.edu Think of it as a warm-up for the Ivy League season. After blowing out Navy 79-58 in Annapolis last night, the Quakers will have less than 48 hours to prepare for a team that presents vastly different looks and challenges from the ones they faced against the Midshipmen.

Fordham's offense was in a rut coming into last night's game. The Rams were shooting only 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range, but all they needed was a visit to the Palestra.

Before Dirk Nowitzki took the NBA by storm, basketball was barely on Germany's radar screen. Fortunately for the Fordham hoops team, one young German with American roots wasn't content with just playing soccer.

Monica Naltner keeps on getting better. For the third time this season, Naltner set a new scoring high. Last night, she scored 37 points - 30 in the second half - to propel the Quakers to a comeback victory over Lafayette, 78-74. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Penn (3-3), while Lafayette (2-6) lost its fifth in a row.

Glen Miller has not been in touch with former Brown guard Keenan Jeppesen since Jeppesen left Brown earlier this week, the coach said yesterday. Miller coached Jeppesen for two years at Brown before coming to Penn. Jeppesen nearly followed his coach, but his application for transfer was not considered this summer.