WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J., Dec. 8 - The story for the Penn men's basketball team this season has been its youth. But for once, on Saturday night the Quakers actually looked like the more experienced team on the court. In a game that gave the feeling it would go down to the wire, Penn used a 10-0 run late in the second half to defeat Monmouth 69-61.

While classes ended last week, the men's basketball team still has plenty to learn over winter break. "I think teams . make the most strides when getting to a point where they only have to concentrate on basketball, not school," Penn coach Glen Miller said.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Had the outcome been different, Cameron Lewis's sudden transition from liability to asset would have been reason to celebrate. But the fact that he was perhaps the top option wearing red and blue last night just served to show how muddy and confused the picture has become for the Quakers.

It wasn't a 30-point loss to Florida Gulf Coast, but the Penn men's basketball team took another step backward with a discouraging 88-62 loss at Miami on Wednesday night. Miami took a 38-28 lead into the locker room at halftime but went on an 11-0 run to open the second half.

Heading into last night's game against the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Penn was getting desperate for a win or at least a good showing after losing its last two games by a combined 56 points. The Red and Blue couldn't have asked for a more favorable matchup.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- With freshman point guard Harrison Gaines on the bench against Miami and Florida Gulf Coast with a hamstring injury, something has become clear: The Penn basketball team needs Gaines back in the starting lineup. Sure, there are many other things that need to be fixed from Penn's two losses by a combined 56 points, but there seems to be an answer to the Quakers' floor general problems.

Following their first winning streak of the season two weeks ago, there were encouraging signs that the Quakers were turning a corner, especially on offense. Yet after two straight losses by a combined 55 points, the Red and Blue (3-5) will look to use a 15-day break as an opportunity to rework their game yet again.

BALA CYNWYD, Pa. Don't let anyone ever tell you 6:30 a.m. is too early for pierogies. They aren't your typical breakfast fare, but Matt Viereck and John McGinnis had likely put away more of the Polish potato dumplings before dawn than the entire city of Warsaw does in a day.

The Penn men's basketball team didn't know which Elon squad would show up on Thursday, but it certainly wasn't the one that lost to Division II Tusculum. The Phoenix, which nearly beat Virginia Tech this season, hung tough for the majority of the game, but in the end Tyler Bernardini's 23 points (12 in the final five minutes) and tight defense on the final possession put Penn over the top, 67-64.

When it comes to athletic achievements at Penn, few can top Mark DeRosa. In just two years at starting quarterback he became the fourth-leading passer in Quakers history. And when this Wharton student and Sigma Chi fraternity member hit the baseball diamond in the spring season, he attracted attention from Major League scouts with his superior hitting and fielding skills.

The drought is finally over. The Penn men's swim team captured its first win against Columbia after five straight years of losses to its Ivy rivals from New York. The Red and Blue defeated the Lions 185-114 at Sheerr Pool this past Saturday. "It was a nice win, but more important than winning, it was seeing how fast the men can swim," coach Mike Schnur said.

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. Moments after his team finished an admirable comeback down the stretch at Monmouth, Glen Miller reflected on an adjustment he made which looked dumb if all you saw was the box score. Freshman Conor Turley had played 19 total minutes before Saturday; on Saturday he played 17.

It was a record-setting night for the men's basketball team. But the record is probably one the Quakers would like to give back. They scored an NCAA shot clock era record-low six points in the first half at Florida Gulf Coast last night in Fort Myers, Fla.

With 25 Ivy League titles in 53 years, it's obvious that Penn men's basketball is a successful program. But why are the Quakers so strong year-in and year-out? In his book Jumping Through Hoops: Why Penn Wins, Dr. Harold Gullan answers this question. By following the Quakers during their 2005-06 season, Gullan writes not just about basketball, but about the entire atmosphere surrounding the Quakers' program.

Penn men's swimming coach Mike Schnur is sick and tired of standing alone. Of all the men currently part of the Quakers' swimming program, Schnur is the only one who has ever beaten Columbia in a meet. "It's about time we changed that," Schnur said. The Quakers will have a chance to do just that on Saturday, when they host the Lions at Sheerr Pool at noon.

When Penn plays Monmouth on Saturday, the home team comes in with only two wins, three freshman starters, a deep rotation and a sub-30 percent clip from three. And no, the game isn't at the Palestra. "We're starting three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior, so in some ways we're very similar, even in record," Monmouth coach Dave Calloway said.

There are few people more knowledgeable when it comes to keeping a pulse on the Philadelphia sports scene than Big 5 mainstay and Saint Joseph's head basketball coach Phil Martelli. Born in Media, Pa., Martelli grew up with the City Series in his backyard and has been with the Hawks for 22 years.