Villanova possessed too much fire power for the Quakers to handle, handing Penn its 11th consecutive Big 5 defeat, 62-47

With a trip to Sunshine State for anything but a vacation in the rear view for Penn swimming, will the training be worth it?

It isn’t every night that Penn basketball gets to play in front of a sold-out crowd, but Saturday’s game against No. 5 Villanova isn’t an ordinary night.

In the first meeting between the two teams since 1995, the Quakers defeated Richmond for the first time in school history, 49-47, off the strength on a late three from freshman Anna Ross.

It’s a new year with a new lineup for Penn, yet the Red and Blue’s results were similarly lackluster. Following a mediocre performance at the prestigious Midlands Championships, the Quakers under-impressed in their dual meet with Iowa State.

The clock is ticking on Jerome Allen. Penn basketball is 3-8 this season, a subpar record in its own right.

PRINCETON - Everything was set up for Penn basketball to set the tone for the remainder of Ivy League play, to capture a win over its biggest rival in an arena that had been a house of horrors for over half a decade. But suddenly, the opportunity was gone.

Last season, Penn women’s basketball went on the road and ended Princeton’s season, upsetting the Tigers to win the Ivy League title. In their return trip to Jadwin Gym, the Quakers wouldn’t be so fortunate.

For most of Monday evening at the Palestra, offense was tough to come by for Penn women’s basketball. But unlike the majority of their shots, the Quakers did not allow their shot at history to rim out.

Take a step back into the world of 1990’s rap, if you will, and pause to consider Penn coach Jerome Allen surveying the state of his team with a withering look somewhat akin to the gaze of the Nurse Ratched figure in Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” video. “I don’t really know where we’re at,” he said when asked to describe his team’s progress following last night’s 82-67 loss to La Salle.

The Big Five is always a tough challenge for Penn Basketball and Tuesday was no exception, as La Salle built an early lead and held on for a 84-67 win over the Quakers.

Last season, Sydney Stipanovich became the first player in Ivy League history to win the Ancient Eight's Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. If the sophomore puts together a few more games like her performance on Monday night against UMBC, she may add Player of the Year to her already loaded trophy case in the near future. Nine days after Penn women's basketball's disappointing loss to Drexel, one in which Stipanovich notched only eight points and three rebounds in 23 minutes, the Red and Blue rebounded in style with a 69-63 win over the Retrievers due in large part to the second-year center's incredible outing. Despite battling a UMBC (5-5) frontcourt highlighted by three players over six-feet tall, Stipanovich recorded 29 points and 14 rebounds while senior forward Kara Bonenberger added 14 points and eight boards of her own as the Quakers (5-4) won for only the second time in December. After the game, Penn coach Mike McLaughlin was not only impressed with his frontcourt's production, but the ability of his team to respond to a short winter break. "This is a group that only got four or five days home for Christmas yet they all probably wanted to spend more time at home," McLaughlin said.

Tennessee has certainly not been kind to Penn's basketball teams this season. The Red and Blue's two basketball programs have both traveled to the Volunteer State to take on SEC opponents over the past month.

About a half-hour before one of Penn basketball’s typical Tuesday evening practices, assistant coach Ira Bowman was counting out Greg Louis — literally.

2015 Cheshire Academy (Ct.) shooting guard Tyler Hamilton verally committed to Penn basketball on Monday, becoming the fifth member of the Quakers' Class of 2019, reports Alex Kline of The Recruit Scoop. Hamilton is a 6-foot-4, 180 pound guard from Norcross, Ga.

Photographs from Penn basketball vs. Marist on Dec. 9, 2014. Photos by Thomas Munson.

Penn women’s basketball will be staying home in Philadelphia for the holidays with four games in Philadelphia prior to playing at Princeton on Jan. 10.