Penn (15-7, 8-0 Ivy) vs.Yale (8-12, 4-3 Ivy)
Feb. 19, 2005 at6 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater - New Haven, Conn.
Broadcast live on CN8 and www.cn8.tv
Listen at WXPN 88.5 and on www.pennathletics.com
Winning Ways
The University of Pennsylvania improved to 8-0 in the Ivy League and 15-7 overall with a 79-62 win over Brown on Feb. 18. Four Quakers scored in double figures including a double-double by sophomore Mark Zoller. The Quakers travel to Yale tonight for a 6 p.m. match-up between the top-two teams in the League. Penn won the first meeting this season at The Palestra, 65-41.
Sweet Revenge
Last year Brown swept the Quakers in League action and prevented them from defending their Ivy League title. Penn swept the Bears this season with a 79-62 win in Providence, R.I. on Feb. 18. Four Quakers scored in double figures including a double-double by Mark Zoller. Tim Begley and Ibrahim Jaaber each scored a game-high 22 points, while Ryan Pettinella added 10. Penn shot 52.7 percent from the field including 69.2 percent in the second half. The Red and Blue used a 25-4 run in the second half to run out to a 31 point lead with 4:21 remaining. Penn dominated on the boards, picking up 51 rebounds.
Quite A Run
The Quakers 11-game win streak is sixth longest unbeaten streak in Division I college hoops. Penn and Holy Cross are tied with 11 straight wins. They trail Winthrop by just one game and Davidson by three, while Illinois leads all teams with a 26-game streak.
Halfway There
The Ivy League season is now halfway over. After Friday night's games, the League standings have changed yet again. Yale moved into second place after defeating Princeton, 56-43, to improve to 4-3 in conference play. Harvard handed Columbia its sixth loss and improved to 5-4 in League action. Dartmouth defeated Cornell to improve to 4-5 while the Big Red fall to 5-4.
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 285 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 174 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.
Since We Last Met
After starting the Ivy League season 0-2, the Bulldogs have battled back to win three of their last four games including sweeping Harvard and Dartmouth weekend. Yale improved its conference record to 4-2 with a 56-43 win over Princeton on Feb. 19. The Bulldogs, who lead the Ivy League in scoring 67.9 ppg., shot 52.9 percent from the field against the Tigers. One of the Elis to watch out for his is Dominick Martin, who is second in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.529), third in rebounding (7.4 rpg.) and ninth in scoring (12.7 ppg.).
Earlier this Season
The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team turned an early 11-0 run into a 65-41 victory over Yale on Jan. 28 at The Palestra in its Ancient Eight Opener. Sophomore Steve Danley led all scorers with a career-high 16 points, while two other Quakers, senior Tim Begley (15) and sophomore Mark Zoller (14) also scored double-digit figures. Penn shot 50 percent in the first half and despite poor shooting in the second (35.7) increased their lead to as many as 30 (62-32).
The Series
Penn Head Coach Fran Dunphy is 24-8 against Yale in his coaching career. He's guided the Quakers to 14 wins over the Bulldogs in the Palestra. Penn holds a 136-65 advantage in the series
Last Five Meetings
1/28/05 Penn, 65-41
2/21/04 Penn, 69-61
1/30/04 Yale, 54-52
3/1/03 Penn, 80-75
2/14/03 Penn, 68-57
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 ...
The Quakers travel to the Empire State for games against Cornell and Columbia on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 respectively, to close out the month of February. Penn returns home for two final games in The Palestra the following weekend when they host Dartmouth and Harvard.
Coach Dunphy in February
Head Coach Fran Dunphy is 114-34 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.
Crashing the Boards
Penn dominated the boards against Brown on Feb. 18. For the first time since Nov. 23, 1999, the Red and Blue grabbed 50 or more rebounds. Penn had 50 boards against Temple. On Friday against the Bears, Mark Zoller led the Quakers with 12 boards, while eight other players pulled down at least tow rebounds.
Gone Running
The Quakers have won their last four games on second half runs. Penn has outscored their opponents, 83-18 on their runs. Penn's biggest run came against Princeton on Feb. 8, a 21-3 run to overcome an 18 point deficit with less than eight minutes remaining.
Looking at the Points
Penn had 44 of its 79 points come from inside the paint on Feb. 18 against Brown. The Quakers outscored the Bears in second chance points, 21-6, and fast break points, 8-6.
Too Many Turnovers
For the first time in the Quakers 11-game win streak, Penn turned the ball over 20 times or more against Brown. Penn had 26 turnovers on Feb. 18 - which was the most since Penn fell to Rider, 74-68, on Jan. 12.
Career Numbers
Freshman David Whitehurst played a career-high 21 minutes against Brown on Feb. 18. Whitehurst also scored a career-high four points, dished out a career-best three assists and tied his career-best with three rebounds.
Equaling Your Best
Sophomore Ryan Pettinella tie his career-high of 10 points against Brown on Feb. 18. The forwards previous career-best came against Villanova on Dec. 31. He also equaled his career numbers in assists, dishing out two helpers.
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 its game against Columbia 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. 8 was 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.
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 11-game win streak, Jaaber is averaging 11.7 ppg on 48-of-90 (.533) shooting from the field. When Jaaber scores 10 points or more, the Quakers are 10-2 and Penn is 5-5 when he scores less than 10 points.
Movin' On Up
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 six games left in the regular season, the senior captain, who averages 14.6 ppg., stands 26th all-time in program history with 1,084 points.
Picking Pockets
Ibrahim Jaaber has done his share of picking pockets this season on the court. With 59 stolen balls so far this season he is just three 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).
Almost There
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 19 trifectas over the last five games for 240 triples in his career. He has downed trifectas in each of his last 14 games. Begley needs five 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
240 Tim Begley 2002-present
220 Jeff Schiffner 2001-04
201 Matt Langel 1997-00
199 Garrett Kreitz 1995-98
Another Record Book
Tim Begley currently sits fourth all-time in Ivy League career three pointers. He is just two away from Jim Barton of Dartmouth (1986-89), four away from former teammate Matt Maloney, while Brian Earl of Princeton (1995-99) owns the record with 281 trifectas.
Multiplicity
Senior Tim Begley leads the team in multiple double-digit games. The senior has 16 games in double figures this season, including six straight and 12 of the last 14 contests. Five other Quakers have had several double figure games - Ibrahim Jaaber (12), Steve Danley (10), Eric Osmundson (9), Mark Zoller (8) 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 8-0 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), Dartmouth (12) and Brown (14)
A Streak is Over
Senior Eric Osmundson hit at least one three pointer in 17-straight games heading into the Brown game on Feb. 18. His was held scoreless from beyond the arc during the game. The Carlsbad, Calif. native 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 104 helpers so far this season and 393 in his career which ranks fourth all-time. He needs just three helpers to grab the third spot which is held by Paul Chambers from 1989-1992. Begley is currently averaging 4.6 apg, which leads the Ivy League.
Dominating the Glass
Penn has had 40 or more rebounds in nine 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 51 rebounds against Brown on Feb. 18.
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 285 career victories.Dunphy is also second in all-time Ivy League wins with 174. He has amassed an overall record of 174-42 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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