Four wins over break would have been too much to ask for the men's basketball team - the last time Penn went undefeated over winter vacation was 1979, when the Quakers ended up in the Final Four.

By Eric Karlan Staff Writer karlan@sas.upenn.edu It wasn't the most humiliating defeat. It wasn't even their poorest performance. But after the Quakers lost their fourth straight game on Saturday night - 78-72 to Princeton - women's basketball coach Pat Knapp sat in the press room looking utterly dejected.

By Josh Wheeling Sports Editor jw4@sas.upenn.edu CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan 3 - Five minutes into the game, Penn was making No. 2 North Carolina's defense look like Swiss cheese. The Quakers' perimeter offense, typically with four players outside the three-point arc and one at the high post, used motion and sharp cuts to the basket to open up a 15-8 lead over the Tar Heels at the Smith Center.

Whitney Downs did what she had been doing all along. The Princeton sophomore forward stepped out and nailed a three-pointer, her 5-foot-11 frame letting her get it off cleanly in the face of a shorter defender. It didn't matter that Joey Rhoads drained one of her own on the next possession for three of her game-high 24 points.

A cold afternoon from the field and ineffective defense off the dribble sent Penn to another loss on Saturday, as the Quakers closed out 2006 with a 94-85 defeat to Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena. After crashing back to earth in a 80-61 loss to Virginia Tech two days earlier, the Pirates (7-2) exploited a shaky Penn defense to go on a 13-3 run late in the first half.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Congratulations are in order for Ibrahim Jaaber, who scored a career-high 32 points in Penn's loss to Seton Hall on Saturday. As notable of an accomplishment as that is, it never should have been achieved. Not even close. If you ask Penn coach Glen Miller, he will tell you, "We don't have trouble scoring points, we share the ball.

The holidays are right around the corner, and the Penn basketball team certainly looked like it started the winter vacation early in its loss to Fordham on Saturday. Perhaps the Quakers have been pulling too many all-nighters as the semester winds down, but the sharp Rams squad left no room for error and easily exploited Penn's lackadaisical play.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Five minutes into the game, Penn was making No. 2 North Carolina's defense look like Swiss cheese. The Quakers' perimeter offense, typically with four players outside the three-point line and one at the high post, used motion and sharp cuts to the basket to open up a 15-8 lead over the Tar Heels at the Smith Center.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-Penn came out against North Carolina firing, appearing more than prepared to compete against the No. 2 team looking for its tenth consecutive win. But the Quakers were unable to keep up with the explosive North Carolina squad and fell to the Tar Heels, 102-64.

Though the score did not suggest it, its meet against Columbia was by far the men's swimming team's closest of the year. Columbia defeated Penn 177-123 Saturday in New York, in a meet full of close races - most of which did not go the Quakers' way. "It was unbelievable," coach Mike Schnur said.

By David Gurian-Peck Staff Writer dgurianp@sas.upenn.edu Monica Naltner has played in about 40 games at the Palestra, but she still has not played in a true home game. The senior standout will not have to wait much longer. While the Quakers normally do not look beyond the next game on the schedule, Jan.

By Eric Karlan Staff Writer karlan@sas.upenn.edu Playing on the home court doesn't seem to be an advantage for the Penn women's basketball team. The Quakers continued their home woes on Sunday, when they fell to American 61-51. This was their fourth loss out of four games at the Palestra this season.

After a tough loss, it can't be easy to wait 11 days to play again. It is even harder to get rid of that sour taste against a top-5 team. But that is the tall order the Penn Quakers face after a 94-85 loss to Seton Hall last week. Their method? A trip down to Tobacco Road to square off against No.

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.