Lions look for repeat shocker

Last time the Penn men's basketball team took the floor at Columbia's Levien Gymnasium, it was 7-0 in the Ivy League, having just completed a perfect run through the first half of the conference slate.

Forty minutes later, the Quakers were 7-1 after a shocking 59-57 loss to the 1-7 Lions, in which Penn didn't score a point in the final 4:42 of the game.

This time around, Penn will head to Manhattan much earlier in the season - and will be facing a Lions squad that may play a considerably larger role in the Ivy League title race.

The upset over the Quakers sparked a three-game winning streak for Columbia, which included a weekend sweep over perennial league powers Penn and Princeton. Largely because of that statement, many are expecting 2007 to be the Lions' breakout season.

So far, it looks like they may be heading in that direction. While its schedule hasn't been nearly as challenging as Penn's, Columbia currently sits at 9-5, only behind Princeton for the best record in the league.

At the beginning of the Ivy season, that 9-5 mark doesn't mean much, but after what happened in New York City last season, the Quakers are certainly aware of the threat that the Lions pose.

"Everything goes out the window once you start the conference. Everyone's 0-0 . [but] we know how talented they are," said senior forward Stephen Danley. "We know in the league they can do some damage, because they did it to us last year."

Miller recognizes that "their talent level is good enough to compete for a championship," but noted that what appeared to be a decent start for the Lions last year fizzled out once Ivy play began.

These early troubles were typified by the Lions' first game against Penn last year. The Quakers won 87-55 in a laugher at the Palestra. Regardless, nobody is overlooking the importance of this game.

"I think this is probably as big a weekend as we're going to have," Danley said.

If the Quakers hope to avoid a repeat of their last trip to Morningside Heights, they'll have to shut down the Lions' potent offensive combination of John Baumann and Ben Nwachukwu. The pair of juniors lead the team with 12.3 and 9.8 points and 6.6 and 5.4 rebounds per game, respectively.

The Red and Blue are well aware of the threat that these players represent.

"Baumann's had some big games against us," said Danley, alluding to Baumann's rookie season, when he scored 17 against Penn at the Palestra.

And while Nwachukwu has yet to attempt a three-point shot this season, his 53 points from the foul line, coming at a .791 percentage, add to his inside threat.

Other players to watch for include junior guard Justin Armstrong, whose 23 points led Columbia to their upset last season, and Brett Loscalzo, whose .459 outside shooting and 2.43 assists per game will pose a threat from the perimeter.

If the Quakers can neutralize these dangers and get past the Lions' strong defense, which is allowing 63.8 points per game (third-best in the league), they may be able to get revenge for last year's defeat.

And whatever else this game means in terms of the Ivy League standings, revenge will no doubt play some role in the game.

Says Danley: "I think it probably puts a little fire under us."

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