Challenges await Quakers over break

While most Penn students are off enjoying Christmas break with friends and family, the Penn men's basketball team will continue its preparation for the upcoming Ivy League schedule by playing five games during the vacation.

"We have our tough early season schedule so that we can be better prepared for the Ivy League," coach Fran Dunphy said. "I think we have improved in every game so far this season and I hope that it continues right through those games [over break]."

Penn will first travel to Bucknell to face the Bison on Dec. 20.

Bucknell is currently winless on the season, yet they have played several close games against quality opponents.

In their season opener against then-No.3 Michigan State, the Bison were beaten by 12 points, 64-52. However, Bucknell managed to hit only one of its 17 attempted free-throws in that contest.

Since then, the Bison have pulled their team free-throw percentage up to a much more respectable 61 percent.

Led by sophomore Kevin Bettencourt and freshman Chris McNaughton, Bucknell fell to Ivy League foe Yale in its next game by just one point, 63-62.

Bettencourt, a 6'2" guard, is the team's leading scorer on the season, averaging over 20 points per game. McNaughton has also contributed nicely, dropping 12.4 points per game.

After a brief break for the Christmas holiday, the Quakers will be back on the road, this time traveling to the hallowed grounds of Madison Square Garden to partake in the Dreyfus Holiday Classic.

Often renowned as the mecca of basketball, the players are eagerly awaiting their chance to play on the storied New York court.

"I'm extremely excited personally," Penn senior guard and leading scorer Jeff Schiffner said. "It's a great venue to play in. Places like [Madison Square Garden] are a great experience and something that the guys will remember forever."

Penn will not, however, have long to revel in the awe of the Garden, as its first opponent in the two-day tournament will be the reigning National Invitational Tournament champs, St. John's.

Currently, the Red Storm are struggling at 1-4, but losing to highly ranked opposition such as then-No. 23 Marquette and then-No. 6 Duke makes their record look much worse than it actually is.

St. John's will enter the game with a balanced offensive attack.

Currently, the Red Storm have three players averaging over 10 points per game.

Senior forward Grady Reynolds is leading the way with 15.4 points and five rebounds per game.

Sophomore guards Elijah Ingram and Darryll Hill are second and third on the team with 12.6 and 10 points, respectively.

Penn will then face either Holy Cross or Manhattan in the second game of the tournament. Both teams participated in the NCAA Tournament last season and will face each other in the tournament's other first-round match

Consecutive games are "good for us both mentally and physically," Schiffner said. "I think it prepares us for what we will be facing throughout the Ivy League season and the more experience you get with that the better off we will be."

Holy Cross, last year's Patriot League champion, will enter the game with a 2-4 record, while Manhattan, winners of last year's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, is currently 3-1.

Manhattan has already beaten an Ivy League foe, as they defeated Columbia by a convincing 15 points.

Led by seniors Luis Flores, averaging 22.8 points per game, and Dave Holmes, averaging 14.5 points and eight rebounds, Manhattan has gotten off to a good start, losing only to a tough Wichita State team.

Holy Cross, on the other hand, has struggled early in the season.

Only junior center Nate Lufkin is averaging double digits in points per game, but one of Holy Cross' early wins did come at the expense of Ivy foe Harvard, a 67-58 victory.

After completing their trip to Madison Square Garden, the Red and Blue will get a week's break before returning to the friendly confines of the Palestra to face another Patriot League team, Lafayette.

The Leopards are currently 5-1 and led by two senior guards, Justin DeBerry and Winston Davis, both of whom are averaging over 15 points per game.

Lafayette should provide Pen with a good idea of where it stands in comparison to other Ivy League teams, as the Leopards will be playing Cornell, Princeton and Columbia all during the holiday break before finally traveling to Philly.

In the final game of the break, the Quakers will face another MAAC team in Rider. The Broncs currently stand at 4-2 after a loss to conference rival Manhattan.

Rider is led by Jerry Johnson, who averages 16.8 points per game.

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