After coming out cold on a clear December day, the Penn men’s basketball team made it rain at the Meadowlands.
The Quakers couldn’t seem to hit a shot in the first half, but they broke out of the shooting slump to cruise to a 68-52 win against Army (4-4) at the IZOD Center Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J.
While Penn shot just 1-for-10 from three in the first half, they hit 6-of-8 from distance in the second. The 16-point victory was the largest for Penn this year and its first one away from home.
“We had some decent looks in the first half, but we rushed a little bit and settled for the three,” coach Jerome Allen said. “In the second half we had the right spacing … and stepped up and made some shots.
“Overall, our effort as a team was to play for someone else,” he added. “When you have that type of attitude and commitment then guys are going to get easier baskets.”
Junior guard Zack Rosen, who aggressively drove to the basket the entire game, finished with 20 points and three assists as Penn improved to 4-3 on the year — the first time Penn has sat above .500 since the season opener.
The Quakers received a great deal of help from senior guard Tyler Bernardini, who scored 11 of his season-high 13 points in the second half. Senior Conor Turley, who started in place of senior center Andreas Schreiber, also scored a season-high 11 points and grabbed seven boards.
“[My play] is one of those things that is up and down,” said Bernardini, who shot 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the second half, and is working to improve after missing most of last year with a foot injury.
“Each day, I’m playing and I’m getting better,” he said. “I don’t want to compare myself because I’m very different, and this team is very different, and I’m just being the best player I can be.”
Allen seems pleased with Bernardini’s continued refinement, though he will always look for more progress.
“We’re counting on him this year, besides just shooting the ball,” Allen said. “The most glaring stat for me as a coach was his five rebounds. Do I want more? Yes — but just to have him contribute in other areas is just as important as him making shots.”
While the outcome favored Bernardini and the Red and Blue, they struggled to find their groove in the first half. One play summed up their frustration.
As Rosen drove to the basket, he drew contact from a defender and kicked the ball out to Bernardini, who was still searching for his first three of the afternoon. Bernardini nailed the shot, but the play was called back on a blocking foul and the guard threw his hands in the air in disbelief.
Tied at 28 going into halftime, Allen’s team opened up a lead midway through the second half, thanks to some outside shooting and a 14-to-8 scoring advantage in the paint.
The Quakers also turned it up defensively against Army, holding the Black Knights to 30 percent shooting in the second half.
“They had a number of guys play with confidence and hit some shots,” said Army coach Zach Spiker, a one-time assistant under former Cornell coach Steve Donahue. “This is a good Penn basketball team that could challenge for an Ivy League championship.”
After wins against University of Maryland at Baltimore County and now Army, Penn will look to ride the momentum into Wednesday’s matchup with Villanova — the Red and Blue’s first Big 5 game of the season.
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