Penn (14-7, 7-0 Ivy) vs.Brown (9-11, 2-4 Ivy)

Winning Ways

The Quakers extended their win streak to 10 games and improved to 7-0 in League action by defeating Cornell, 63-50, in The Palestra on Feb. 12. Penn hits the road for five of its final seven League games including a four-game road trip to New England and New York. First up - Brown where the two leading scorers in League action (Forte and Begley) face off for the second time this season.

Last Time Out

Tim Begley scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half against Cornell on Feb. 12 to give Penn a 64-50 victory over the Big Red. Penn rallied from a 26-24 deficit at the half midway through the second stanza. At the 11:18 mark of the second half, Begley drained his fifth three ball of the game to tie the score at 39. On the other end of the court he picked Jason Mitchell's pocket and laid in a basket to give Penn its first lead in the game since the 15:57 mark of the first half. The Quakers went on a 21-5 run to take an 18 point lead with 1:40 remaining and cruised to its 10th-straight victory. Ibrahim Jaaber only had three points, but he dished out eight assists, collected four rebounds, blocked four shots and picked up four steals.

Quite A Run

The Quakers 10-game win streak is the seventh longest unbeaten streak in Division I college hoops. Penn trails Holy Cross and Winthrop by just one game and Davidson by three, while Illinois leads all teams with a 25-game streak.

Halfway There

The Ivy League season is now halfway over. Penn holds a three-game lead on Cornell, which stands second in the League with a 5-3 record. The only other team with only three losses is Yale, but the Elis have only played six games thus far. Harvard stands at 4-4 and Brown is 2-4, while the other three Ancient Eight teams all have five losses.

One of The Best

The 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 284 career victories. He 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 173 Ancient Eight victories.

Brown

Glenn Miller put together back-to-back 17 game winning seasons and a school record 12 Ivy wins in 2002-03. In his fifth season at Brown, Miller has produced two of the top-three scorers in program history. He has finished second in the Ancient Eight in two of his four seasons and last season won 14 of his last 16 games and swept Princeton for the first time in school history.

Since We Last Met

Brown has struggled since opening the Ivy campaign with a win over preseason favorite Princeton. Since falling to Penn on Jan. 29, the Bears have lost three of their last four games, including the last two. A cold shooting Brown fell to Harvard, 65-53, and Dartmouth, 48-40, last weekend. Brown shot 30.8 percent from the field against the Crimson and 24.5 percent from the field versus the Big Green, which included a dreadful 15.4 percent (4-for-26) in the second half. Despite the hardships, the Bears still have reigning Ivy League Player of the Year in Jason Forte. Forte leads the League in scoring, averaging 17.3 ppg overall and 17.3 points in conference action.

Earlier this Season

Steve Danley went a perfect 7-for-7 in the first half en route to a career-high 22 points to lead Penn to a 83-60 win over Brown on Jan. 29. The Quakers went 19-for-25 in the first half and finished the game shooting 63.5 percent from the field. Ibrahim Jaaber added 16 points, while Eric Osmundson chipped in with 18 on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. The Red and Blue held the Ivy League's leading scorer, Jason Forte, an 0-6 effort in the first half, while the Bears shot only 38.6 percent. All 13 players on the Penn bench made their way onto the court with 11 of them scoring at least two points.

The Series

Prior to last season's 78-74 win in The Palestra, the Bears had not been victorious on Penn's home court since a 61-58 win on Jan. 11, 1991. The Bears have only won a total of four games in The Palestra against Penn with two of them coming in the Dunphy era. Overall, Coach Dunphy is 25-6 against Brown. From 1992 to 2001, Penn won 19-straight games against the Bears. Penn sports a 89-18 lead in the series.

Last Five Meetings

1/29/05 Penn, 83-60

2/20/04 Brown, 78-74

1/31/04 Brown, 92-88

2/28/03 Penn, 69-65

2/15/03 Penn, 73-66

The Red and Blue on Feb. 19

The Quakers are 24-9 on the 19th of February. Coach Dunphy has picked up four wins on this day in four games. Penn has not lost a game on this date since a 76-67 loss at Harvard in 1965. The only meeting against Brown on this day came in 1954 when Penn topped the Bears in Providence, 79-67, in overtime.

Up Next ...

Penn continues its road trip with a 6 p.m. match-up against Yale in New Haven, Conn. on Feb. 20. Next week, the Quakers travel to the Empire State for games against Cornell and Columbia on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to close out the month of February.

Coach Dunphy in February

Head Coach Fran Dunphy is 113-34 all-time in the month of February. The 16-year coach has gone undefeated four times in his career in 1993, 1994, 2000 and 2003. When Coach Dunphy and his Quakers have seven or more wins in February, Penn has won eight Ivy League Championships and finished second four times.

Getting the Votes

The men's basketball team received a little Valentine's Day present on Feb. 14. For the first time this season, Penn cracked the collegeinsider.com Top-25 Mid Major Poll. The Quakers came in at No. 25.

Dominating League Stats

In conference games, Penn ranks first in nine statistical categories, including scoring offense, scoring defense, rebounding offense, blocked shots, field goal percentage defense and turnover margin. The Quakers are among the top-three in 15 of the 19 statistical areas.

Foul Shots

Forty-five percent of the Quakers points came from free throws on Feb. 11 against Columbia. Steve Danley scored 14 of his game-high 18 points from the foul line. Penn attempted 47 shots from the charity stripe - the most by a Penn team in the last two years and by a Columbia opponent in two seasons.

In League Action

Steve Danley has been impressive in conference action this season. The starting forward is second on the team in points per game with 13.1. He leads the team in rebounds (6.4), blocks (11) and assists (18) and is third in steals (5). Danley has been the leading scorer for the Red and Blue in three of their last seven games.

Danley in The Palestra

Danley has been very effective in League action, but he is a real threat at home. In Ancient Eight games in The Palestra, he is averaging 16 ppg. He has scored double figures in four of those five games and added 23 rebounds, 14 assists, six blocks and three steals.

Ice Cold

Penn opened Friday night's game ice cold from beyond the arc. Penn hit 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) three ball attempts in the first half. Penn recovered in the second half, hitting 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) and ended the game with 31.6 percent from three-point land.

Extra Time

Penn's match-up with Princeton on Feb. 8was the Quakers' second overtime game this season as Penn lost to Rider on Jan. 12, 74-68, in The Palestra in extra minutes. It was the 16th time the Penn vs. Princeton game has gone into overtime, with the schools splitting the outcomes of those contests. Penn had not won an overtime game at home since 75-74 victory over Temple on Dec. 5, 2001.

Putting the Defense to the Test

Heading into the Penn vs. Princeton game, the Tigers ranked second in Division I in scoring defense, holding their opponents to 52.8 points per game. Penn scored a season-best 70 points against the Tigers. Two schools managed to score 68 points against the Tigers, Davidson in double overtime and UTEP.

Second Half Surge

For the second time in three games, the Red and Blue battled back from a halftime deficit to earn a victory. Against Cornell on Feb. 12, Penn battled back from a 12-point deficit to earn a 64-50 win. The Quakers went on a 21-5 run to take an 18 point lead with 1:40 remaining. Princeton held a 15-point lead on the Quakers on Feb. 8 before a 21-3 run ignited by Eric Osmundson's seven points in 20 seconds evened the score and sent the game into overtime.

Bounce Back Jaaber

Ibrahim Jaaber is scoring more but shooting less. During the Red and Blue's five game losing streak earlier this year, the sophomore guard averaged 10.6 ppg on 20-of-56 (.357) shooting from the field. In Penn's current 10-game win streak, Jaaber is averaging 11.1 ppg on 39-of-78 (.488) shooting from the field. When Jaaber scores 10 points or more, the Quakers are 9-2 and Penn is 5-5 when he scores less than 10 points.

Congrats to the Newest Member

Tim Begley became the 32nd member of the 1,000 point club on Feb. 5. With 16:26 remaining in the second stanza against Dartmouth, the Freehold, N.J. native downed a three-pointer to score the 1,000th, 1,001st and 1,002nd points of his career to join the exclusive club. With seven games left in the regular season, the senior captain, who averages 14.2 ppg., stands 29th all-time in program history with 1,062 points.

Picking Pockets

Ibrahim Jaaber has done his share of picking pockets this season on the court. With 58 stolen balls so far this season he is just four shy of owning the school record for steals in a season. The current record is held by Matt Maloney from the 1993-94 season, where he picked up 62 steals in 28 games (2.21).

Multiplicity

Senior Tim Begley leads the team in multiple double-digit games. The senior has 15 games in double figures this season, including five straight and 11 of the last 13 contests. Five other Quakers have had several double figure games - Ibrahim Jaaber (11), Steve Danley (10), Eric Osmundson (9), Mark Zoller (7) and Jan Fikiel (5).

Honors All-Around

The Quakers have had four different players earn Ivy League Player of the Week honors and two receive Big 5 Player of the Week accolades.

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

1/31 Ivy League Player of the Week

- Steve Danley

2/14 Ivy League Player of the Week

- Tim Begley

Big Five Player of the Week

- Tim Begley

Non-Conference

Penn finished its 2004-05 non-conference campaign with a 7-7 mark. Six of the Red and Blue's seven wins were double-digit victories including a 30 point win over Drexel on Nov. 23. Penn picked up wins over Bucknell and Lafayette to win 19 straight games against Patriot League opponents. The Quakers went 2-2 in the Big Five defeating La Salle, 78-67 and Saint Joseph's, 67-59.

When 24 Equals Perfection

The Quakers are 7-0 when sophomore Mark Zoller scores in double figures. The forward from Blue Bell, Pa. had double-digit numbers against Quinnipiac (10), Drexel, (22), La Salle (11), Seina (18), Saint Joseph's (13), Yale (14) and Dartmouth (12).

A Streak of His Own

Senior Eric Osmundson has hit at least one three pointer in his last 17 games and has had three games with four or more trifectas this season. He's shot 50 percent or better from beyond the arc seven times and ranks fourth in the League in three-point field goal percentage (41.6).

Nationally Recognized (as of Feb. 14)

Ibrahim Jaaber ranks among the best in Division I in steals. The sophomore guard has 56 steals or 2.7 spg. to his credit this season which ranks first in the Ivy League and 16th in the nation. Senior Tim Begley is also among the top-50 in Division I in three-point field goals made and three-point field goal percentage. He ranks 40th in treys made and 46th in three-point percentage.

Lending a Hand

Senior Tim Begley tied the program record for assists in a game with 13 helpers against Lafayette on Jan. 18. The record, held by Dave Wohl, C'71, went untouched for 35 years. Begley has 96 helpers so far this season and 385 in his career. He needs two more helpers to catch former teammate David Klatsky, who is fourth on the career list. Begley is currently averaging 4.6 apg, which leads the Ivy League.

Dominating the Glass

Penn has had 40 or more rebounds in eight games this season, including six straight contests - Illinois-Chicago (42), Rider (44), Siena (42), Lafayette (41), Saint Joseph's (40) and Yale (43). The Quakers grabbed a season-high 49 rebounds against Dartmouth on Feb. 5 as sophomore Steve Danley grabbed 10 boards, while classmate Mark Zoller hauled in nine. Eleven of the 12 Quakers who got in the game pulled down at least two rebounds.

Moving Up the Charts

Tim Begley took over sole possession of second all-time in career three-pointers. The Freehold, N.J. native went 1-for-5 from three-point land against Harvard to surpass former teammate Jeff Schiffner who had 220 trifectas. Begley added 15 trifectas over the last four games for 236 triples in his career. He has downed trifectas in each of his last 13 games. Begley needs nine treys 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

236 Tim Begley 2002-present

220 Jeff Schiffner 2001-04

201 Matt Langel 1997-00

199 Garrett Kreitz 1995-98

Beyond the Arc

The Red and Blue shot 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the three-point range 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.

Home Sweet Home

The Red and Blue are 732-314 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 recorded at least 17 victories in a season when Penn went 17-10 in 2003-04. 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 284 career victories.Dunphy is also second in all-time Ivy League wins with 173. He has amassed an overall record of 173-42 against Ivy League opponents in his 16th season at Penn.

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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