M. Hoops tested by Israeli all-stars

The kids are alright. On the wings of strong performances from its three newest members, the Penn men's basketball team defeated the Israeli team Maccabi-Givat Shmuel last night to the tune of 77-66. The contest was an exhibition, held at Drexel's Physical Education Center. The game was not played at the Palestra because of the ongoing renovations there. Penn forward Adam Chubb and guards Jeff Schiffner and Charlie Copp -- all freshmen -- not only ranged from the solid to the impressive, but also proved critical to Penn's victory. After two free throws from Maccabi center Tomer Shteinhaur pulled the Israeli team even with the Quakers at 56 with 7:25 left in the game, Chubb and Schiffner sparked the Quakers on a 21-10 run to end the game, scoring 13 of those 21 points. In that run, Schiffner displayed an outside touch, knocking down two three-pointers. Perhaps the most impressive newcomer, however, was Chubb. The athletic cager from Harrisburg, Pa., was the game's leading scorer with 19 points, notching them in just about every conceivable way. In the game, he was strong inside and was able to knock down shots from outside. He proved that he could post up defenders, as he hit a soft turnaround jumper off the glass with a defender on his back to make it 13-12 in the first half. Chubb also pulled down seven rebounds. "I thought Adam Chubb was very athletic, as he typically is in a practice setting," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "He had a number of good opportunities to score, and defensively, he changed some shots for us." "I thought I played alright," said Chubb, who played with Schiffner, Copp and several other Penn players in a summer league. "We really worked together a lot, just trying to get a little gel between us, especially, and basically just work it in with everybody else." The moderately sized group of Quakers faithful present at Drexel was treated to its first sight of the impressive talents of the freshmen, and to a glimpse of possible things to come. But for now, Dunphy and the rest of the Quakers know they are not yet playing their best basketball. With its season opener at N.C. State looming on the horizon on Friday, it is apparent that Penn is a work in progress. "I think we're a ways away," Dunphy said. "I don' think we'll know what kind of team we have until January, to be honest with you.... We need to get an understanding of what we want to do in a hurry here. Obviously, this weekend's going to be a real tough test." Penn's problems start with the possibility that forward Ugonna Onyekwe will not be able to play in this weekend's games. Last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year sat out last night due to a sprained ankle. Dunphy, however, is optimistic that he will be able to play, terming Onyekwe's chances for Friday as being "pretty good." "I'm sure he wants to play, and he'll be ready to go," he said. Penn also looked sloppy and rusty at times on both ends of the court against a wily, veteran, perimeter-shooting Maccabi team that also had its moments of ineptitude. "I think we need to tighten up defensively and get a better sense of what we want to do on the offensive end," said Dunphy, who mentioned that he'd like to see the Quakers feed the post and shoot free throws better. "[We need to work on] just every phase of the game. We need to really start to tighten up. That's what's good to see where we are on a night like tonight. But we don't have a lot of time to concentrate our efforts and improve in every phase. We wish we had more time, but we don't have very much time." "I think if we persist in practice, it will start to show in games," Chubb added. "We can go as far as the basketball will take us." After point guard David Klatsky hit a three-pointer 17 seconds into the game to give Penn a 3-0 lead, Maccabi forward Oren Aharoni answered with a three of his own. But for the next five minutes, each team treated the ball like a hot potato -- both Penn and Maccabi committed several turnovers in that stretch. Once both teams started to look more comfortable, however, the first half turned into a three-point shooting fiesta. Maccabi guard Moshe Brenner hit three from outside the arc in four attempts, and Aharoni added another. For the Quakers, Copp and guard Lamar Plummer added three-pointers. The teams combined to take 20 three-point attempts before halftime. In the second half, the Quakers opened up a 46-36 lead partially on the strength of sophomore forward Koko Archibong's solid play, but Maccabi came roaring back to tie the game at 52 when Penn forward Dan Solomito's pass was intercepted by Shteinhaur, who dished it off to guard Aaron Mitchell for a driving dunk and a foul on Chubb. But Mitchell blew the opportunity for a three-point play when he missed the free throw, and Chubb scored the next four points for the Quakers to make it 56-52. Penn would never look back.

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