M. Hoops wins in a laugher

Penn looked strong as it went on a 20-0 run and eased by the Converse All-Stars in its last preseason game. Last night, the Penn basketball team cakewalked through the first 38 minutes of the game before sleepwalking through the last two minutes and allowing the Converse All-Stars to make the game mildly competitive. The 92-81 final score does not represent how the actual game unfolded. With a little over four minutes into the contest, the Quakers went on a spectacular 20-0 run and never looked back, giving Penn a 34-7 lead The streak was keyed by three pointers and steals. Jamie Lyren's and George Mboya's quick hands on defense, helped to start three Penn fast breaks that resulted in big plays. Off the Lyren steal, Matt Langel -- who seems like he can't miss a shot -- drained a trey from the left corner, and the Mboya pick resulted in another Langel three pointer, this time from the right side. Also cashing in from downtown during the opening minutes was Garett Kreitz and Jed Ryan. Kreitz finished with fourteen points (nailing four of six from behind the three-point line), and Ryan's strong effort knotted him in a tie with Langel, as the team leader in points (17) on the night. Langel, who for the second straight pre-season game, led the Quakers in scoring, pointed to the seniors on the team for making all the freshman's transition to collegiate hoops much easier. "The older guys like Jamie and Garett have done a good job taking care of us young guys," Langel said. "I am just trying to go out there and do my job, and right now I am feeling pretty comfortable." Quakers coach Fran Dunphy overall was pleased with the effort put in by his players, but did find a couple things he hopes to fix by Dec. 3, when Penn takes on Towson State in its home opener. "I think we, for the most part, played well," Dunphy said. "There are little things we can absolutely improve on. Again we got into too much foul trouble. What would help is better communication on the defensive end." It is hard to believe, but Dunphy actually thought the Converse All-Stars, (who shot 37 percent in the first half and were down in the second half by as much as 25 points) played Penn tough offensively. "On the offense, I thought they played us a little harder than last Tuesday," Dunphy said. With the game in wraps by the midway point in the first half, the crowd gave a rousing ovation when Dunphy sent Frank Brown into the game to see his first action of the season. The sophomore, despite coming off knee surgery performed only five weeks ago, played well ( four points in 12 minutes) and caught Dunphy's eye. "Last Thursday was really his first day back," Dunphy said. "He did practice the past three days and I thought he looked pretty good for just a few days of practice. "We are trying to work him in as slowly as we can and give him an opportunity to play because he is certainly a significant member of our offense." The other Quaker who had surgery in the off-season was Paul Romanczuk on his left wrist. Dunphy felt the sophomores wrist needed a "little more strengthening," but commented that he should be ready shortly. "We are pleased with his progress," Dunphy said. "But I really didn't want to chance it tonight to be honest with you." As for Penn's bullish freshman, Dunphy again was pleased with their tenacity on offense and defense. One player Dunphy would have liked to see more of is freshman Geoff Owens. The 6-foot-11 center saw only eight minutes of action due to constant foul trouble. All in all, captain Lyren summed up the Penn undefeated pre-season record nicely. "As you can see when we have a team effort, I think that is when we are at our best," Lyren said. "If we can just play together and have four or five double scorers we should be fine."