Penn hopes to fix kinks vx. Lehigh

The Quakers hope to put together two good halves for the first time. The new season finally began on Tuesday for the Penn men's basketball team. And though the Quakers' 80-74 victory over Towson State was a solid win to kick off the campaign, it wasn't perfect. There's always something to work on, even after just one game. In the Quakers' case, as they prepare for tomorrow's game at the Palestra against Lehigh, it's putting everything together for 40 minutes. Against the Tigers, Penn held a 21-point halftime lead. But in the second half, Towson State cut the deficit down to three with two minutes left, before the Quakers put the game away for good. "I don't know if we let up because of the score," Penn guard Garett Kreitz said. "It was a combination of a lot of things. It was our first game, our first time out there in front of a crowd and everything. We had a couple exhibitions, but nothing compares to real regular season games. We just have to keep it strong for 40 minutes." "In the second half, when Towson made some adjustments, we didn't react to those adjustments very well," Quakers coach Fran Dunphy said. "We needed to make a couple of big shots that would have put us over the hump, and we did not do that. So I'm concerned about our consistency of effort offensively, and I think we can do much better things defensively over the course of a game." One of Towson State's adjustments was in its defense against Kreitz, who made just one field goal in the second half after shooting six-of-eight from the floor in the first. Dunphy wasn't completely satisfied with the reaction of the rest of the team. "We knew they were going to take Garett Kreitz out of the game to the extent they could," Dunphy said. "Then other people have to step up and respond. We did that at the end of the game, but not during that stretch when we needed a couple of crucial baskets to make it more comfortable." Still, Kreitz thinks opponents who focus their defensive energies on stopping him will get burned by the rest of the Quakers, any one of whom could lead the team in scoring on a given night. "I think we have the type of team where they can't afford to focus on me," Kreitz said. "We have a lot of scorers on our team, good shooters, and if they focus on me, that'll just open everything up for everyone else. That would be beneficial for us as a team." Playing against Lehigh has been very beneficial for five teams this season. The Mountain Hawks have fallen to all five of their opponents so far this season, including a 69-68 loss to Cornell, a 103-51 thrashing at Duke and an 82-72 setback against Yale on Wednesday. In at least one respect, however, Penn and Lehigh are similar. Both teams don't have much in the way of experience. The Mountain Hawks have just one senior in their nine-man rotation, and the starting five includes three sophomores and a freshman. But new coach Sal Mentesana does have some talent, especially in the backcourt. Sophomore Brett Eppehimer is the only Lehigh player averaging double figures in scoring, at 19.6 points per game. Running the show is fellow sophomore Sean Tuohey (5.4 assists per game). "They play real hard, they have a lot of young players, and they're playing them," Dunphy said. "They're playing nine and 10 players. So they're going to be deep, they're going to run a lot of people at us, and we're going to have to respond to that pressure." On defense, the Mountain Hawks like to apply pressure. Opponents have turned the ball over an average of 17.2 times a game against them. Against Towson State, the Quakers committed only eight turnovers. "We're going to have to try to push through their pressure and make good decisions," Dunphy said. · Dunphy did not know yesterday if sophomore Frank Brown would be able to play tomorrow. Brown is not yet at 100 percent after knee surgery, although Dunphy said he could have played against Towson State if needed. "The opportunity didn't present itself where I was comfortable putting him in the game," Dunphy said. "And I want him to be comfortable as well."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.