Penn junior guard Tim Begley erupted for a career-high 19 points Saturday afternoon, as the Quakers defeated Bucknell, 58-49, in front of a paltry Bison crowd of just over 1,000 fans.
Begley shot 6-7 from the field and 5-6 from downtown while also grabbing a team-high four rebounds. Senior swingman Jeff Schiffner added 11 points in the Penn victory.
The Quakers trailed 19-16 after a low-scoring first half, but they outscored the Bison (1-6) by 12 in the second frame to move to 3-4 on the season.
Freshman forward Mark Zoller made a surprise start, getting the nod over junior Jan Fikiel. Zoller tallied seven points and four boards in his 18 minutes of play, while Fikiel went 0-2 from the field in his 15 minutes on the court.
Starting point guard Charlie Copp was cold from the field, shooting 0-7 and 0-6 from beyond the arc, netting just one point in his 35 minutes of play.
Bucknell was led by freshman center Chris McNaughton, who scored 20 points.
The Quakers return to action Dec. 28 when they take on St. Johns at Madison Square Garden in the opening round of the Dreyfus Holiday Classic. The Red Storm (2-3) recently fired head coach Mike Jarvis after a poor start to the season.
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