Michael Gertner: Begley's points not essential

EASTON, Pa.

It is important to see that the Quakers can win big against the teams they are supposed to defeat.

But it is even more important to see that the Quakers can maintain their offensive attack without much contribution from their major scoring threat.

Penn received a very balanced scoring effort against Lafayette last night, and it showed in the stats.

The Red and Blue was able to tally its second-highest scoring output this season, and the team did it with only three points coming from senior Tim Begley.

True, the Leopards were a more offensive-minded team, and seemed confused with Penn's inside cuts and high screens. But the Quakers were able to balance their attack with sufficient scoring from inside the paint as well as from three-point range.

Penn guards Ibby Jaaber and Eric Osmundson hit a combined eight shots from behind the arc while the Quakers big men outrebounded Lafayette by 15, allowing Penn to amass 21 second-chance points to the Leopards' eight.

With several key contributions spanning the entire Penn lineup, one conclusion must be drawn.

Tim Begley's scoring output is not the key to a Quakers' win.

Yes, Begley is still the leading scorer on the team, and, as captain, is still a proven veteran who motivates his team on the floor each day.

But only two of Penn's six wins this season have involved Begley dominating his teammates in points.

In wins against Bucknell, Siena and now Lafayette, Begley was not even the leading scorer. In fact, there is almost no statistical correlation between Begley's scoring output and the Quakers' winning percentage.

So there must be some other factor that drives the Quakers to victory. Not surprisingly, it is contributions from other players.

Penn must have another one of its players besides Begley take enough shots to provide a significant scoring output, whether it is Jaaber, Osmundson, Mark Zoller, Jan Fikiel or anyone else. With opponents often focusing on Begley and double-teaming him, there will be plenty of opportunities for others to find open shots.

The Quakers also have to concentrate on other, more intangible activities, such as creating turnovers and crashing the boards.

They did all the little things correctly in their last two victories, scoring more points in each game than any other this season.

It seems that if Penn spreads the wealth around a bit, points are easier to come by.

When Dunphy was asked about the amount of games he thought Penn would win when Begley scored only three points, he reiterated the necessity to receive a balanced offensive attack.

"We have pretty good balance throughout the lineup. Mark gets five points ... and you get Jan with five and Ryan Pettinella with nine," Dunphy said. "That's what you need when the guy who you think is gonna score the most for you is not knocking it down."

What makes this point even clearer is that Begley, by all standards, had a great game last night, tying Penn's single-game record with 13 assists.

He even joked after the game that if Jaaber would have made his final shot, then Begley would have broken the assists record.

Nonetheless, Jaaber was able to break a mark of his own -- a career-high in points.

On the horizon for the Quakers is a full slate of Ivy League teams that are well acquainted with Begley after playing against him for three years. With opposing coaches and players giving him extra attention, the Quakers should expect more than one player to share the spotlight along with their senior captain -- in fact, they need it.

Michael Gertner is a junior biological basis of behavior major from Bellmore, N.Y. His e-mail address is mgertner@sas.upenn.edu.

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