GAME NOTES: The Penn Quakers head back to the hardwood for the first time in nearly two weeks as they challenge the Vanderbilt Commodores in non-conference action at Memorial Gym.

Not only are the Quakers fresh and ready to go, the team is enjoying its longest non-conference win streak in more than seven years, yet is still two games under .500 at 3-5. The team started off the 2014-15 campaign with five consecutive defeats, but has since bounced back to produce wins over Navy, Binghamton and, on Dec, 9, Marist by a score of 59-42 at home.

Off to an impressive start with seven wins through 10 games, the Commodores find themselves playing four of their next six games at home where they are already 6-1. However, the team needs to regroup after losing to Georgia Tech on the road two days ago in a 65-50 final.

Vandy leads the all-time series by a count of 2-1, although the most recent clash took place almost three decades ago in 1986 when the Commodores slipped by in a 71-70 decision in Philadelphia.

For the Quakers, this game is the first of four straight on the road. The team will not play at home again until Jan. 17 versus Villanova.

Against an overmatched Marist squad, the Quakers found themselves with a 20- point lead in the first half and were able to ride that wave to a decisive win at home on Dec. 9. Sam Jones carried much of the scoring load for Penn as he came off the bench to knock down 5-of-6 shots behind the 3-point line, en route to a game-high 19 points, followed by Greg Louis who tallied 13 points.

On a team that is generating just 66.5 ppg, which is just one-tenth more than they are giving up at the moment, the Quakers are led in scoring by Tony Hicks with 14.6 ppg, although his 40.9 percent shooting from the field is less than ideal. Darien Nelson-Henry checks in with 10.4 ppg and a team-high 7.3 rpg, his efforts on the glass providing Penn with a rebounding advantage of 7.3 rpg ironically enough.

The Commodores shot an impressive 54.5 percent from the floor in the first half against Georgia Tech, but after intermission the roles were reversed and Vandy struggled from the field (.391) and missed all seven chances behind the 3-point line, en route to the five-point road loss. Josh Henderson and Damian Jones both tallied 12 points, the latter clearing seven rebounds, and Riley LaChance 10 for a squad that knocked down only 3-of-15 tries out on the perimeter.

Jones, a 58.4 percent shooter from the field, not only paces the Commodores in scoring through 10 games with his 16.7 ppg, he is also first on the glass (7.2 rpg) and has accounted for 17 of their 49 blocked shots, which makes it somewhat easier to overlook the fact that he has just nine assists and 20 turnovers to this point. LaChance pitches in with 13.2 ppg while connecting on 38.9 percent of his attempts from the outside.

The Quakers should be fresh and ready to go for this meeting, but that does not necessarily mean they are destined to pick up the win against an opponent that played over the weekend. Much like The Palestra in Philadelphia, Memorial Gym provides a huge advantage for the Commodores against non-conference opponents, and that should be the case tonight.