Penn (7-7) vs.Yale (4-9)
Jan. 28, 2005 at8 p.m.
The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa.
Broadcast Live on CN8and on WXPN, 88.5 FM
The game can also be heard live on www.pennathletics.com
The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team opens its 50th Ivy League campaign on Jan. 28 when Yale travels to The Palestra. The Quakers have a three-game win streak heading into the Ancient Eight campaign after snapping Saint Joseph's 10-game Big 5 win streak on Jan. 25 with a 67-59 win in The Palestra.
Last Time Out
A 14-0 run to start the game and a double-digit lead with 11:47 left in the game was too much for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, who rallied in the final minutes of the game pulling to within three points, but could not overcome Penn as the Quakers rolled to a 67-59 win on Jan. 25. Tim Begley led four Quakers in double figures with 16 points. Sophomores Ibrahim Jaaber and Mark Zoller both scored 13 points and classmate Steve Danley added 10 points in the Quakers' second Big 5 win of the season. The Quakers committed only six turnovers and shot 40.7 percent from the field for the game.
One of the Best
University of Pennsylvania men's basketball program was named the 16th greatest college basketball program of all-time by Street and Smith's Specialty Publications. The Quakers were the first Ivy League and Big 5 institution to appear on the list.
Coaches Corner
Penn
Head Coach Fran Dunphy is in his 16th season at the helm of Penn basketball. Coach Dunphy is the winningest coach in Penn basketball history with 275 career victories. Dunphy has had 11 winning seasons at Penn including three-straight 17 plus-win seasons. Dunphy is the second winningest coach in the Ivy League with 166 Ancient Eight victories.
Yale
James Jones is in his sixth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. He guided the Eli's to the 2002 Ivy League title, the first since 1962-63 and its first postseason tournament victory in 107 years. He was named Ivy League Coach of the Year by Basketball America and CollegeInsider.com. Jones sports a 68-85 overall record, including a 38-32 mark in Ivy games.
Opening Weekend
The 2003-04 season marked the first time since the 1982-83 season that Penn lost both games of the Ivy League opening weekend. Head Coach Fran Dunphy is 26-4 in opening weekends. He has gone 2-0, 11 times including a stretch of nine years (1992-2001) where he won both games in the first Ancient Eight weekend. In Friday night games to open the season, Dunphy is 11-4 and 12-3 on Saturday night contests.
In the Ancient Eight
The Quakers, winners of 22 Ivy League Championships, are 851-405 against Ancient Eight opponents. Penn has winning records against all its Ivy foes, including a commanding 88-18 advantage in the series with Brown.
Tonight's Opponent
Tonight's match-up with Yale is the 201st meeting between the Quakers and the Bulldogs. Penn holds a 135-65 advantage after splitting the series in 2003-04.
Looking at the Bulldogs
Yale is coming off a 13-day layoff from the court after its Ivy League opener against Brown was cancelled due to snow. The Bulldogs come to Philadelphia with a 4-9 overall record and 2-4 on the road. Yale leads the Ivy League in scoring (71.3 ppg.). The Bulldogs are third in assists (15.0) and assist/turnover ratio (0.98). Senior Edwin Draughan and junior Martin Dominick are second and third in the Ancient Eight in scoring, averaging 15.4 and 15.3 ppg, respectively.
The Series
Penn Head Coach Fran Dunphy is 23-8 against Yale in his coaching career. He's guided the Quakers to 13 wins over the Bulldogs in the Palestra and has not lost to Yale on 33rd Street since a 60-58 Bulldogs win on Feb. 15, 1997. In the Ivy League Opener at Yale last season, the Quakers fell 54-52 at Lee Amphitheatre. Senior Tim Begley led all scorers with 21 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. In the next match-up Penn picked up a 69-61 victory at The Palestra. Four Quakers recorded double figures including Begley and sophomore Mark Zoller.
Last Five Meetings
2/21/04 Penn, 69-61
1/30/04 Yale, 54-52
3/1/03 Penn, 80-75
2/14/03 Penn, 68-57
3/9/02 Penn, 77-58
The Red and Blue on Jan. 28
Penn sports a 13-7 record on this day. The Quakers have never faced Yale on this day, but have matched up with Princeton (4-2), Brown (1-0) and Columbia (1-0). The last time the Red and Blue suffered a loss on this day was in 1991 when Lafayette defeated Penn, 83-72, in Easton, Pa.
Up Next ...
The Quakers dive into the Ivy League season with a home contest against Brown on Jan. 29. Penn travels to Harvard and Dartmouth on Feb. 4 and 5, respectively.
Snapping a Streak
Penn's win over SJU on Jan. 25 was the first loss for the Hawks in Big 5 action since 2002. The longest win streak in the city series is held by Penn at 12 that lasted from Jan. 19, 1972 - Jan. 19, 1975. The class of 1974 won 11 of the 12 games.
Turnovers
The Quakers committed only six turnovers in their win over the Hawks on Jan. 25. Its the first time this season the Red and Blue have had less than eight turnovers. The last time the Quakers accomplished that feat was on March 5, 2004 against Dartmouth when they only committed six.
When No. 24 Scores in Double Figures
The Quakers are 5-0 when sophomore Mark Zoller scores in double figures. The forward from Blue Bell, Pa. has double-digit numbers against Quinnipiac (10), Drexel, (22), La Salle (11), Seina (18) and Saint Joseph's (13).
Breaking Down the Points
In Penn's win over the Hawks on Jan. 25, only six players managed to put points on the board, three sophomores and three seniors. The sophomore trio of Ibrahim Jaaber (13), Mark Zoller (13) and Steve Danley (10) combined for 36 points. While seniors Tim Begley (16), Eric Osmundson (9) and Jan Fikiel (6) totaled 31 points.
Starting Sophomores
Steve Danley, Ibrahim Jaaber and Mark Zoller put the first nine points on the board for the Quakers in Penn's 67-59 win over Saint Joseph's. During the Red and Blue's 14-0 run to open the first half, the sophomores had 12 of those points. The trio had 24 of Penn's 35 first half points.
Nationally Recognized
Ibrahim Jaaber ranks among the best in Division I in steals. The sophomore guard has 35 steals or 2.7 spg. to his credit this season which ranks first in the Ivy League and 21st in the nation. Senior Tim Begley is also among the top-50 in Division I in assists. He ranks 23rd in assists per game.
Lending a Hand
Senior Tim Begley tied the program record for assists in a game with 13 helpers against Lafayette. Begley has 84 helpers so far this season and 373 in his career. He needs 14 more helpers to catch former teammate David Klatsky. Begley is currently averaging 6.0 apg, which leads the Ivy League.
Hot Potato
Senior Tim Begley can not only score points, but he can helps his friends score as well. The Freehold, N.J. native dished out a program record-tying 13 assists against Lafayette on Jan. 18. The record, held by Dave Wohl, C'71, went untouched for 35 years. Begley, who averaged 5.6 assists prior to the game, had nine helpers in the first half.
Give Him the Ball
In his first six games, senior Eric Osmundson averaged just 3.7 points per game and was shooting 28.6 percent from the field. But in five of the last eight games, he has scored in double figures and shot the ball much better, especially from beyond the arc. Osmundson combined for 14-for-23 from the field and 8-of-14 on three pointers against Siena and Lafayette. The guard is averaging 8.6 points per game which is third best on the team and ranks in the top-five in the League in three-point percentage (46.2)
Picking Pockets
On Jan. 18 against Lafayette, the Quakers stole the ball away 14 times. It was the second time this season, Penn has picked their opponents pockets that many times. Against the Leopards, eight different Quakers got their hands on the ball. Tim Begley had the most stolen ball with a career-high four, while three other players had two a piece. All five starters have at least one steal as well. Penn also had 14 steals against Bucknell on Dec. 1.
Dominating the Glass
Penn has had 40 or more rebounds in six games this season including four-straight contest - Illinois-Chicago (42), Siena (44), Lafayette (42) and Saint Joseph's (40). The Quakers grabbed a season-high 18 offensive boards against UIC. Tim Begley leads all Quakers, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game, while sophomores Mark Zoller and Steve Danley average 5.3 and 4.8 rpg, respectively. Begley and Zoller rank in the top-10 in the League in rebounding.
Moving Up the Charts
Begley continues to climb the career ladder in three-pointers made. The Freehold, N.J. native nailed two threes against Temple on Dec. 8 to surpass current Assistant Coach Matt Langel on the all-time list. With 13 more treys since then, Begley needs only 29 baskets from three-point land to nab the top spot, which is held by former Quaker Matt Maloney. Begley also stands third in the Penn accolades in three pointers made in a season with 83 in 2003-04.
244 Matt Maloney 1993-95
220 Jeff Schiffner 2001-04
215 Tim Begley 2002-present
201 Matt Langel 1997-00
199 Garrett Kreitz 1995-98
Unblemished
Sophomore Ibrahim Jaaber went 4-for-4 from the foul line against Lafayette. He is just the fourth student-athlete this season to go unblemished from the free-throw line with more than four attempts.Steve Danley went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe against Rider.Senior Tim Begley went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line against Illinois- Chicago on Jan. 8, while senior Jan Fikiel went 4-for-4 against Bucknell on Dec. 1.
Off the Bench
Senior Jan Fikiel did not start on Jan. 12 against the Broncs - it was the first time this season he did not get the starting nod, but it didn't seem to faze him. Fikiel came off the bench to score 21 points, including 10 in the second half and three in the extra period. For the second-straight contest, the forward connected on two three pointers. The Ulm, Germany native went 9-for-13 from the field, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and 1-for-1 from the line.
Back to Business
Senior Tim Begley had his streak of 13 games of at least one three-pointer snapped against Villanova on Dec. 31. But denying him from beyond the arc did not last long as the senior captain has downed trifectas in each of the last six games. Begley has 38 trifectas this season and is on pace to establish a new program record for three-pointers in a career.
Seeing Double, Again
Senior Tim Begley recorded his second-straight double-double against the Broncs on Jan. 12. It's the first time he has made back-to-back double-doubles and is just the fourth of his career. Sophomore Mark Zoller is the only other Quaker to have a double-double this season with a 10-point, 15-rebound effort against Quinnipiac and a 22-point, 12-rebound performance against Drexel.
A Little Help From the Bench
The Penn bench's 32 points on Jan. 15 outscored the starting five for the Saints. Siena's starters managed only 26 points in the game, while five of seven players off the Penn bench scored at least three points. Sophomore Ryan Pettinella and senior Jan Fikiel led the subs with nine points each. Junior Friedrich Ebede scored a career-high seven points in a career-high 21 minutes of action, while senior Nameir Majette scored a career-high four points and went 2-for-4 in his first ever trip to the charity stripe. Freshman David Whitehurst downed his second career three pointer for three points in a career-high 11 minutes of action.
How May I Assist You
The Red and Blue handed out 24 assists against Siena on Jan. 15. It was the second time this season the Quakers have dished out more than 20 helpers. Tim Begley led the way with nine assists, followed by sophomore Steve Danley (five) and senior Eric Osmundson (four), while six other players have one helper.
The Starting Five
All five starters had at least two assists and one steal in the Quakers loss to San Francisco on Jan. 4. Only one player had two turnovers, while the other four each had one. You have to go back to Penn's win at Princeton on Feb.10, 2004 to find a game where all five starters had at least one assist and one steal.
Aiming for 1,000
Senior Tim Begley has 943 career points and needs just 57 to become a member of the 1,000 point club at Penn. There are 31 members of the exclusive group with the most recent entry coming from 2004 graduate Jeff Schiffner.
Love for the Long Ball
Led by Tim Begley's 8-for-11 effort from beyond the arc, the Quakers scored a season-high 13 trifectas against La Salle. Ibrahim Jaaber added a career-high three treys, while Eric Osmundson and freshman Michael Kach each added one. You have to go back to Feb. 27, 2004 against Cornell to find a game in which the Quakers scored more three-pointers in a game.
Beyond the Arc
The Red and Blue shot 78.6 percent from the three-point line against Drexel, breaking the program record for three-point accuracy in a game. The previous record of 75 percent was set against USC on Jan. 11, 2003 when the Quakers went 15-of-20 from beyond the arc. Penn tied the record just 19 days later against Princeton, nailing 6-of-8 trifectas.
Honors All-Around
The Quakers have had three Ivy League and two Big 5 Players of the Week so far this year.
11/29 Ivy League Player of the Week
- Mark Zoller
Big Five Co-Player of the Week
- Mark Zoller
12/6 Ivy League Player of the Week
- Tim Begley
Big Five Player of the Week
- Tim Begley
1/24 Ivy League Player of the Week
- Ibrahim Jaaber
Home Sweet Home
The Red and Blue are 727-314 all-time in The Palestra. Penn has not had a losing season at home since 1984-85 where the Quakers went 4-9. The Quakers have had 19 perfect Ivy League seasons at home and four seasons without a loss in The Palestra.
A Decade Worth of Victories
For the 10th time since his tenure began, Head Coach Fran Dunphy's team has recorded at least 17 victories in a season. The current Ivy League dean of coaches has 11 winning seasons under his belt and three straight heading into the 2004-05 campaign.
He's No. 2
Head Coach Fran Dunphy is second all-time in the Ivy League with 275 career victories, after surpassing Cappy Cappon who recorded 250 wins in 20 seasons at Princeton. Princeton's Pete Carril, who spent 29 seasons with the Tigers, is the all-time Ivy League wins leader with 514. Dunphy is also second in all-time Ivy League wins with 156. He has amassed an overall record of 156-42 against Ivy League opponents in his 14 seasons at Penn, giving him a .788 winning percentage.
Welcome to The Palestra
The Palestra, which was built in 1927, was refurbished in 2000 and reopened amid some hoopla on Dec. 7 as "The Palestra 2000." Known as college basketball's most storied gymnasium, The Palestra was renovated into a type of museum of basketball history that includes players, coaches and fans from Penn, the Ivy League, local high schools, national powerhouse colleges, and of course, the Philadelphia Big 5. In an article titled, "A Museum in the Cathedral," Sports Illustrated's Alex Wolff said "... Old friends - and the new friends The Palestra is making, like the Maryland basketball team, which strolled the halls in December on orders from Coach Gary Williams - regard the temple at 33rd and Walnut as "holier than a mere landmark."
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