Quakers take USC to school in opener

Second-half surge keys big win LOS ANGELES – The Penn men's basketball team showed no signs of fear of the obstacles it faced on Saturday. The Quakers travelled almost 3,000 miles, but they did not exhibit any nagging effects of jet-lag. They were going against a nationally-acclaimed basketball program from one of college's elite conferences, but that did not stop them. Even the hostile crowd in the Los Angeles Sports Arena could not throw the Quakers off their course. On Saturday, Penn was on a mission for national respectability, and it may have finally earned it with a 77-62 pummeling of Southern California (0-1), the worst Trojan loss at home in three years. "I don't think this group gets intimidated about much," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "That's not how they think. They came to Los Angeles thinking they could win. It's just their mentality." Penn dominated Southern Cal for almost the entire game. The Quakers took their first lead only 33 seconds into the contest and held onto it for all but a one-minute span in the middle of the first half. After Penn took a 41-35 lead into the intermission, the Quakers came out of the locker room ready to prove who the better team really was. The Quakers, led by junior guards Jerome Allen (16 points, 7 rebounds) and Matt Maloney (19 points), went on a 18-5 run to start the second half. "Matt and Jerome just went off," Penn senior captain Barry Pierce (14 points, 7 rebounds) said of the run. "They're good at that because they can just score a bunch of points quickly. When we got up big, it just took the air out of their balloon." The Penn offensive onslaught began when junior center Eric Moore (11 points) sunk a post-up shot over Trojan sophomore guard Burt Harris, as well as drawing the foul. Although Moore was unable to convert the three-point play as he missed his free throw, the Quakers came up with the loose ball off the rebound and Allen pulled up and hit an open three-pointer. After another Allen basket and a Pierce hoop, USC freshman guard Claude Green hit a three-point basket. However, within seconds of Green's shot falling through the net, Maloney connected on a long three-pointer of his own. The Quakers added two more baskets by Moore and Allen to go up by 17, 57-40. The route was capped off by Allen, who stole a Harris pass intended for Green and took it the distance for an easy two points to give Penn a 59-40 lead. "The second half, I just wanted to increase my production," said Allen, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes of the game. "Being one of the veteran ball players on the squad, I felt as though I had to step up." But after a Trojan timeout, USC attempted to get back into the game behind their team leader, junior forward Lorenzo Orr (20 points, 7 rebounds). The Trojans went on a 9-0 run in about a three-minute span, but the Penn lead still stood at 10 points, 59-49. After this Southern Cal comeback attempt put a temporary scare into the Quakers, Penn held on throughout the second half, never letting the Trojans get within single digits and cruising to the easy victory. "[Penn] really took advantage of our mistakes," said Harris, who finished with a career-high 13 points. "They hit their shots down the stretch when they had to, even the tough ones. That's when they really showed their experience." Penn slowed the offense down at the same time as it went into a two-three zone defense in the second half. This alignment controlled the bigger Trojan frontcourt. Even one of the nation's top recruits, USC freshman Avondre Jones – who towers over the Penn frontcourt at 6-11 – was neutralized by the Quaker zone. Jones, who reportedly received over 900 letters from collegiate coaches nationwide in a two-week period before he committed to the Trojans, did not make one shot in the contest. In fact, Jones, and the rest of the USC offense, never really got on track throughout the game as the Trojans were only able to connect on 41 percent of their shots. "This was a game that I suspect that experience and confidence played an immense role," Southern Cal coach George Raveling said. "Penn tested us in every facet of the game. They tested our mental patience, our work habits and our shot selection. This was an admissions test to get into an Ivy League school, and we flunked it." The Quakers were able to accomplish this impressive defensive stand even without the services of senior Andy Baratta, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament during practice two weeks ago and is out for at least a month. To overcome Baratta's absence, Penn filled his spot in the four-man frontcourt rotation with sophomore Bill Guthrie and freshman Nat Graham. "[The loss of Baratta] hurts our rotation," Dunphy said. "We went with some younger kids in the fourth spot. We're going to need four big guys. Even more than that, Andy's an emotional leader for us." But even without Baratta, the Quakers sent a message to anyone listening that they are a team not to be overlooked. Even as time was running out, Pierce still flew through the air to block a shot with authority and send the ball back into the stands with less than half a minute to play. The senior captain then stripped the ball from Orr and slammed it through the basket as time was running out. The Quakers were determined not to let the numerous obstacles that they faced on Saturday effect them. So even without the services of Baratta, even travelling across the country and even playing against a powerhouse from the Pacific-10 conference, Penn was still able to send a message loud and clear to the college basketball community. "We've played bigger games than this," Pierce said. "We're not intimidated because we know how good we are."