Onyekwe starting to patch up spotty year

All seemed normal again at the Palestra this weekend. The Penn men's basketball team easily topped two Ivy League foes and fans had an opportunity to chant their favorite vowel -- "U" -- with regularity. Perhaps the loudest celebration of a play by Ugonna Onyekwe was the capper to his weekend, an over-the-shoulder pass to Dan Solomito that was more reminiscent of the Lakers' Showtime offense than of Onyekwe's more familiar rim-rattling displays. The sophomore power forward has had a somewhat spotty year. Last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year outplayed highly-touted frontcourters Eddie Griffin of Seton Hall and Terence Morris of Maryland, but struggled mightily in close losses to Drexel, Fordham and N.C. State. Onyekwe has hit just 50 percent of his free throws this season, and has missed foul shots at critical times in close losses. But this weekend on 33rd Street, it was like old times for the quiet star from London, England. He scored 15 points with seven rebounds and seven assists against Columbia and scored 17 the next night against Cornell with 11 boards and four assists. "Their front line is the best in the league," Columbia coach Armond Hill said. "Ugonna, I think he's a pro. He's that good." Onyekwe was particularly dominant in the decisive first half of each game. In the 13-0 run that gave Penn a wide margin over Columbia, Onyekwe scored two points, dished out two assists and blocked two shots. On Saturday night, Onyekwe scored six straight points as part of a 16-3 Penn run that put the Quakers up 28-10 with 8:29 to play in the first half. His pass to Solomito and the subsequent layup in the second half gave the Red and Blue a 24-point edge, their largest lead of the night. For the weekend, Onyekwe shot 13-of-23 from the field. Perhaps more importantly, he stayed out of foul trouble and was able to cast an imposing presence on the floor for all but seven minutes of the two games. The 6'8", 225-lb. Onyekwe also used his size to his advantage this weekend. Columbia's starting frontcourt duo of 6'8, 215-lb. Joe Case and 6'7", 205-lb. Mike McBrien combined for 15 points and six rebounds, while Cornell's forward tandem of 6'6", 212-lb. Jake Rohe and 6'5", 230-lb. Ray Mercedes scored a total of 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Only one Penn shot was blocked all weekend, by the Lions' Chris Wiedemann in the second half on Friday night. Onyekwe and Penn's front line left a definite impression on their vanquished opponents. "They have so much strength," Cornell coach Steve Donahue said. "And I also think that they can do some damage if they get a second chance in the NCAA Tournament." The picture was not all rosy for Onyekwe this weekend, though. He still struggled with his free throws, going 1-for-5 on Friday night and 2-for-4 against Cornell. Penn coach Fran Dunphy criticized Onyekwe's foul shooting after the win over Columbia. "Close games are going to be won or lost at the foul line," Dunphy said. "We can't shoot 7-for-16. Ugonna, hopefully he's going to get there a lot. He can't go 1-for-5. He's got to start working at it." Still, Onyekwe was dominant in back-to-back Penn wins this season, something the Quakers hope to continue to produce as the season moves on.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.