With 8:02 remaining in the first half of Friday night's men's basketball game against Yale, Mark Zoller hit a cutting Steve Danley for a layup, pushing Penn's lead to 21-9.
The play was a microcosm of the evening, as the dynamic sophomore frontcourt duo dominated every phase of the game en route to Penn's 65-41 victory in the Ivy League opener for both teams.
Danley scored a then career-high 16 points, off of a 7-for-12 shooting performance. His classmate Zoller was nearly as efficient, netting 14 points and hitting six of 11 shots from the field.
The two sophomore forwards "obviously played well on the offensive end," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "If we can get that kind of percentage shooting from those guys, and that kind of efficiency, that would be great."
The pair's shooting touch was contagious, as the Quakers collectively shot 50 percent from the field in the first half.
Dunphy also praised Danley's defensive effort after the game. The Germantown, Md., native blocked three shots and held Yale center Dominick Martin -- who came into the game third in the Ancient Eight in scoring with 15.3 points per game -- to two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
"I think we're doing a pretty good job defensively and that has to be your staple," Dunphy said.
Indeed the Quakers' defense was relentless, holding Yale (currently 4-11, 0-2 Ivy) to season lows with their 41 points and 28.8 percent field goal shooting.
"Their post-men kicked our behind all night long," a frustrated James Jones, Yale's coach, said afterward.
Determined not to repeat last year's loss to the Elis in their league opener, the Quakers raced out of the gate with visible intensity.
Danley and Zoller helped Penn take control from the outset, as each connected on layups during an 11-0 run to begin the game for the Red and Blue.
"It's a 14-game tournament," Danley said about the Ivy League schedule. "We have to win every game to ensure what we're doing."
In addition to helping Penn to a 36-20 advantage in points in the paint, Danley and Zoller took much of Yale's defensive pressure off of their teammates. Senior Tim Begley, relegated to a supporting role, saw several open looks and nailed three three-pointers en route to a 15-point night.
"When Steven and Mark are getting some baskets in the lane, then obviously there's going to be some help coming from guys up top," Dunphy said. "If they are good at kicking it back out, then Begs should have some open looks, as well as Ibby [sophomore guard Ibby Jaaber] and Oz [senior guard EricOsmundson]."
The exclamation point on the game came with 4:38 left in the second half when Begley hit a streaking Ryan Pettinella with a long outlet pass that set up a thunderous dunk and a foul. With the Palestra crowd on its feet, a smiling Pettinella hit the ensuing free-throw to complete the three-point play.
After a resounding Penn victory, Jones succinctly summed it up.
"We ran into a hot Penn team playing with some confidence."
Notes: Yale forward Casey Hughes' dunk over Penn senior forward Jan Fikiel was featured on Friday night's ESPN SportsCenter's Top Ten Plays, coming in at No. 9.
Friday was also the first time that Princeton lost its Ivy home opener since 1996.
