Tonight during halftime of the Penn State-Rhode Island basketball game, the action will switch from men trying to get a little orange ball through a hoop to men trying to poke each other with long skinny blades.

Fencing captain Jim Marsh and teammate Geoff Russell will demonstrate epee, one of the three events in men's fencing to promote the sport to both the student body and the community. The fencers will face rival Columbia this weekend and want to invite spectators to witness the matchup. "It's a good chance for us to show what fencing's all about," Marsh said.

"People in this area don't realize how successful we are," assistant coach Wes Glon added.

Coach Emmanuil Kaidanov attributes the community's lack of knowledge to the lack of media coverage. He wanted to promote the team in some way that would reach both students and the State College community.

"It's not as popular as, say, wrestling or football, but still quite a number of people are interested in the sport," Kaidanov said. "I have gotten calls from several people in the community asking about how we are doing."

The fencers also hope to draw a large crowd to this weekend's matchup with Columbia. The match has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday in White Building and will be set up so more spectators can see the action.

"We will have the women fencing on one strip and the men on two," Glon said. "This way more people will be able to follow the action. The action will be very intense."

Both Columbia and Penn State have lost only one dual-meet and have been rivals for the past few years. Last year, the men's team defeated Columbia in the dual-meet season, but Columbia defeated it by two points for the NCAA Championship.

"It will be an interesting match between two of the best teams in the country -- it will be a demonstration of the excitement and the beauty of the sport," Kaidanov said.

Marsh and Russell will demonstrate different rules and target areas in the epee event. Both are All-American fencers and are ranked in the national circuit.