PHILADELPHIA - After a successful weekend on the road to open up Ivy League back-to-backs, the University of Pennsylvania aims to hold serve at The Palestra, welcoming in Brown and Yale for games on Friday and Saturday. The Quakers sit atop the Ancient Eight as the lone unbeaten team in the conference with a 3-0 record.

In the Series vs. Brown: 84th Meeting
Penn holds a 48-35 advantage in 83 meetings against the Bears, and has held a stranglehold in the series of late, with 14-straight victories dating back back to 2012. Coach McLaughlin is 16-3 against Brown, and the Quakers are 27-14 all-time against the Bears at The Palestra. Penn swept the season series last season, including a 33-point win in Providence and 11-point Senior Night victory at home. 

In the Series vs. Yale: 83rd Meeting
The Quakers are 43-39 in 82 meetings with Yale, and have won two straight in the series after sweeping the Bulldogs last season. Penn is 9-1 in the last 10 matchups with the Elis dating back to 2014. Last season, the Red and Blue notched two double-digit wins against Yale, including a 15-point victory in New Haven and a 12-point triumph at The Palestra. Coach McLaughlin is 10-8 against the Bulldogs.

Catching the Games: ESPN+ and NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus
Both of this weekend's games can can be watched live on ESPN+, as part of the Ivy League's new partnership with ESPN. Saturday's matchup vs. Yale can also be viewed regionally on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus. In-game Twitter updates and video can be found at @PennWBB. A complete recap, box score and highlights can be found on PennAthletics.com shortly after the conclusion of both games.

Last Time Out: W, 72-60 at Columbia (Feb. 2, 2019)
   -   Penn completed a weekend sweep in The Empire State last weekend, fighting past an energetic Columbia squad, 72-60. The win was less than a day after the Red and Blue stifled Cornell on the road, 59-46.
   -   Senior captain Ashley Russell led a group of four players in double figure scoring against the Lions, netting 16 points with seven assists and five steals.

Scouting the Bears
Brown enters the weekend at 9-11 overall, including a 1-3 mark in conference play. The Bears have dropped three straight after winning their Ivy League opener against Yale, falling in a rematch to the Bulldogs and getting swept last weekend to Dartmouth and Harvard. Brown boasts a potent offensive attack, leading the league in scoring, averaging nearly 75 points a game. Two of the Ivy League's top individual scorers come from Brown in Justine Gaziano (19.0 ppg) and Shayna Mehta (17.9 ppg).

Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale sits at 13-6 on the year entering the weekend, with a matchup against Princeton schedule before its visit to The Palestra on Saturday. After dropping their Ivy opener at Brown, the Bulldogs have responded to win three straight, including a buzzer-beater victory over Harvard last weekend. Yale will bring the league's top scorer to Philadelphia on Saturday in Roxy Barahman, who averages 19.3 points per game, while freshman Camilla Emsbo is second in the conference to Eleah Parker in rebounding at 8.8 boards per game.

Ivy League Success 
Last season marked the fifth-straight year that Penn won 11 or more Ivy League games. Prior to that, Penn had won 11 or more Ivy League games only twice in its entire history.

#RoadToIvyMadness
The Ivy League is in its third season with a conference tournament, inviting the regular season's top-four finishers to Ivy Madness. The Quakers have advanced to the championship game in each of the first two editions of the competition, winning the trophy in 2017 at The Palestra. This season, Ivy Madness is set for March 16-17, 2019 at Yale's John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn. 

All About the Defense
Penn's calling card this season has undoubtedly been defense, as the Quakers rank third nationally, allowing just 51.4 points per game. In games against Maine, La Salle, Iona and Drexel, Penn held held four-straight opponents to 47 points or less for the first time since 1975. 

Penn has won 65 of its last 66 games when holding opponents to 49-points or less.

Atop the Mountain
Penn boasts high rankings not just among the Ivy League. The Quakers lead the nation in fewest fouls, playing a disciplined style of defense, while ranking third scoring defense and fifth in field goal percentage defense (33.0). Penn's average of 42.8 rebounds per game is 25th nationally, and its 5.5 blocked shots a game is 11th in the country. Offensively, Penn is third nationally in fewest turnovers.

Brick Wall
Opponents have faced a tough task when going inside to face Parker, as the sophomore ranks second nationally, averaging 3.63 blocks per game. Her 58 blocks so far this season individually would rank her over 121 TEAMS in block totals.

What's Next?
The Quakers return to the road for another Ivy League back-to-back, making the northbound trek to Dartmouth and Harvard next weekend.