ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Even Fran Dunphy, the reserved Quakers coach with a temperament as steady as his star guard's poise, was blunt after the Penn men's basketball team went to Crisler Arena and beat No. 25 Michigan 62-60 Tuesday night. Not that Dunphy wasn't entitled. After all, Jerome Allen's leaner on national television with 4.4 seconds left may have an impact on the program well beyond Allen's Penn career. "This is as good as it gets, quite honestly. It's a name team, a nationally recognized team with some very good players. A team that will get better as the years go on, with a terrific coach, and a real class act," Dunphy said. "I'm happy to have come here and to have come away with a victory. It means a great deal to our program." With five seniors on the Penn roster, all starters, the exposure was critical to getting a new top-notch recruiting class. Requests for admissions applications likely exploded yesterday. And when Dunphy goes on his recruiting trip this weekend, Penn may just have some name recognition. Allen's shot was "a 10-foot, one-handed, hook-shot leaner," according to teammate Tim Krug. Nothing special, other than it saved a game Michigan had stormed back to tie at 60 on a Jimmy King layup with 15 seconds left. Penn had led by 21 points in the first half. King, one of the original Fab Five members, scored 12 points, while the other remaining member, Ray Jackson, got into foul trouble and scored only six points in 32 minutes. Michigan coach Steve Fisher benched King for the first five minutes of the second half out of frustration with the Wolverines' play, which resulted in a Penn 41-28 halftime lead. "It wasn't just Jimmy, but Jimmy is a senior and he's been here for a long time," Fisher said. "I didn't think several of them were giving the type of effort that you have to have if you're going to win." Fisher said he is still searching for a clutch shooter to replace former Fab Fivers Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose, who have left for the NBA. Penn (4-1) stormed out to a 24-5 lead behind a shooting clinic from its guards. While Allen (3-for-11 shooting, 6 points) struggled from the field for most of the night, Scott Kegler and Matt Maloney canned three-pointers repeatedly with wide open looks at the basket. Maloney shot 6 for 12 from the field, including four three-pointers. He and forward Eric Moore were the game's leading scorers with 18 points each. Moore was a perfect 10 for 10 from the charity stripe. Kegler was 5 of 12 from behind the three-point line, scoring 15 points. The other senior starter, Shawn Trice, returned to his native Michigan and had 11 rebounds. His clutch steal late in the game, when each possession swung the emotion like a pendulum, was crucial. During its afternoon walk-through, the Michigan coaching staff expressed concern about giving Penn's perimeter players open looks at the basket. The Quakers took advantage. The only other time Allen had seen Penn shoot this well was in practice, he said. Meanwhile, the shooting woes that have plagued the Wolverines all season haunted them again. Michigan (4-4) shot 1 for 11 from three-point range in the first half, and shot just 22 of 61 from the field in the game. "We became disjointed, tried too hard one-on-one to get it back, and you can't do that. Frustration set in big time," Fisher said. As the time ticked away, the Penn bench was celebrating. Cedric Laster and Jamie Lyren, two players who figure to receive playing time next year, joined in the cheerleading. The Quaker mascot danced to the Michigan band, and then was taunted by a student section that came alive late after being silenced for much of the contest. Michigan had not lost to an Ivy team since a 91-82 setback to Princeton 23 seasons ago. When time expired, after a last-second shot by Maurice Taylor missed its mark, the Quakers stormed the court. Allen walked over to Dick Vitale, the loud ESPN broadcaster with the huge assortment of cliches. A few feet away, Jackson had collapsed and was rolling face down on the floor by the ESPN courtside booth in disbelief. Vitale had visited Penn's shoot-around earlier in the day to give the Quakers inspiration. "One of the things he talked about was don't let anybody ever talk you out of your dreams," Kegler said. "And if you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything. And I think that was our whole mentality during the game."
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