Toughening league competition and Princeton’s quirky academic calendar are the two main factors that brought about this year’s Monday night special at the Palestra.

Sydney Johnson had conquered the Ivy League. Yet three weeks later, he stunned the Tigers faithful when he left for Fairfield. His former teammate, Mitch Henderson, was hired as his replacement.

Losing five of their first six matches, the Quakers’ comeback attempt fell well short in a 23-13 defeat to the No. 24 Pride.

In stark contrast to Friday’s game, the Quakers had just two players in double figures — sophomore Alyssa Baron, who tallied 24 points, and freshman Jackie Kates, who scored 10.

The ovation Penn basketball captain Jess Knapp received was not only for her long-awaited return, but for her toughness in coming back to play with two torn ligaments in her right knee.

To My Fellow Quakers, On behalf of the entire men’s basketball program, I want to thank all of you who have attended our basketball games this season.

While the Quakers now have the upper hand in the national rankings, the Red and Blue are not overlooking the young, but talented Bantams.

Sunday in Hartford, Conn., the Penn men’s squash team will have its shot at tagging the Bantams with another ‘L.’

With tough meets coming almost weekly, Friday’s matchup gives the Quakers an opportunity to break away from their normal meet routine.

When Jess Knapp tore her ACL and MCL, everything changed for the Penn women’s basketball team. But with Knapp’s return to practice this week, despite her unhealed knee, spirits are high once again.

For the Penn swimming teams, third place ­at the Ivy League Championships — after Harvard and Princeton — is usually the goal.

A roundup about Penn Men's Basketball class of 2016.

Brooklyn Juday, of Tipton High School in Indiana, and Keiera Ray, of national powerhouse Bolingbrook High School in the suburbs of Chicago, will be joining the Quakers in the fall.

This year, pride will have to wait. For the first time since 1997, there was no neighborhood matchup.

A first-year environmental studies major, Allan has launched an eco-blog, a website on sustainability and most recently, a social media consulting firm for environmental non-profit organizations.

Formed in 1955 to exhibit the city’s hoops prowess, the unofficial conference has since become a staple — not just of Philadelphia, but of college basketball as a whole.

Both Thomas Brandt and Christian Barreiro were selected in the MLS Supplemental Draft and have reported to their respective teams.