Penn-Lafayette Game Notes in PDF Format
PHILADELPHIA -- If this past weekend was any indication, the University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team is not going to hand over its Ivy League championship trophy without a fight.
GAME 14 -- Penn (8-5, 2-0 Ivy) vs. Lafayette (8-7)
Monday, Jan. 16,2006at7 p.m. EST
Arena (Capacity): The Palestra (8,722)
Television: None
Radio/Internet: WXPN (88.5 FM) and www.pennathletics.com
Brian Seltzer, PBP; Vince Curran, analyst
The first shred of evidence came in Friday's conference opener against Cornell, when the Quakers turned a nine-point halftime lead over the Big Red into a laugher quickly, scoring the first 19 points of the second half and building a 41-point lead with more than seven minutes remaining in the contest.
That proved to be mere prelude to Saturday night, however, when the Quakers stopped a 6-0 Columbia run (that had cut Penn's lead to just 27-22) with 26 unanswered points bridging both halves. By the team the Lions stopped the bleeding with a pair of foul shots, the score was 53-22 and another rout was in progress. Saturday's win was Penn's 1,600th as a program, as the Quakers joined seven other NCAA Division I programs in reaching the milestone (Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, St. John's, Syracuse and Temple).
Tonight, Penn head coach Fran Dunphy once again matches wits against a protege, as 11th-year Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon brings his Leopards to town. While the game will be Penn's third in four days, the Quakers have been aided by the fact that the first two were blowouts, allowing Dunphy to give his regulars ample rest.
Today's game is the first of three in a row against non-conference opponents, the last three contests that Penn will play this season against non-Ivy League foes.
Jaaber, Zoller Honored by Ivy League
Penn junior guard Ibrahim Jaaber was named the Ivy League Player of the Week for January 16. It is the third time he has been honored this season, and the second time this month (alsoJan. 2). In three games last week, Jaaber averaged 18.7 points, 4.7 steals and 4.3 assists, highlighted by his 20 points, eight assists and seven steals against Cornell Friday. He shot 14-for-20 in the two Ivy games.
Junior forward Mark Zoller was named to the conference's weekly honor roll after getting a double-double at Fordham, then hitting Cornell and Columbia for 33 points.
The Series with Lafayette
? Tonight represents the 40th meeting between Penn and Lafayette; the Quakers hold a 36-3 lead in the series, and have won eight in a row over the Leopards.
? Penn head coach Fran Dunphy has a 14-2 record against Lafayette.
? Penn is 153-45 all-time against the schools that currently make up the Patriot League, with a winning record against all but one of them. The mark includes a 44-4 ledger under Dunphy. Earlier this season, the Quakers defeated Navy, 86-73.
American6-0 (Dunphy 4-0)
Army20-12 (1-0)
Bucknell4-1 (3-0)
Colgate7-1 (4-0)
Holy Cross3-3 (1-1)
Lafayette36-3 (14-2)
Lehigh22-4 (12-1)
Navy55-21 (5-0)
? To say that the Quakers have had success against Patriot League teams would be an understatement; in fact, they have won 20-straight games against the Patriots, with the last loss coming January 27, 1997 -- against, you guessed it, Lafayette.
Lafayette Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon -- entering his 11th season with the Leopards -- took over that program after serving as an assistant coach for six seasons under Dunphy. You might say that his tenure with the Quakers ended in style -- from 1992-95, his last three seasons, Penn earned three-consecutive NCAA Tournament berths while recording a perfect 42-0 record in Ivy League play. O'Hanlon is the third head coach with Penn ties to bring his team to The Palestra this season -- former Quaker player Fran McCaffery (Siena) and long-time Dunphy assistant Steve Donahue (Cornell) are the others.
Penn Eighth to 1,600 Wins
Saturday's win over Columbia made Penn just the eighth NCAA Division I program to gain 1,600 wins. The Quakers boast an all-time record of 1,600-900-2. The programs that beat Penn to 1,600 wins read like a who's who of elite college basketball: Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, St. John's, Syracuse and Temple. Just behind Penn? Indiana (1,580), Utah (1,577), Notre Dame (1,574) and UCLA (1,562).
Download: MBK Notes 14 (Lafayette).pdf
