Quakers hold on to defeat Hawaii 58-55

HONOLULU ƒ_" Everyone who thought the Quakers would be a little rusty coming off a 16-day break needed only about two minutes to change their mind. And much to the chagrin of head coach Riley Wallace, Hawaii could be included in that group of naysayers. One problem for the Rainbow Warriors: They forgot to tell Ibrahim Jaaber about the layoff. The junior guard continued his hot shooting, rattling off 24 points as the Quakers held on for a 58-55 win. Clinging to a three-point lead, Penn made smart passes and burned 45 seconds off the clock before senior Eric Osmundson drove the lane and got his layup to fall as coach Fran Dunphy watched from his knees on the sideline. That give the Quakers some breathing room at 56-51 with 50 seconds to play. "That was a huge play, I'm really proud of him for that. He needed to have that kind of game," said Dunphy who, along with his staff, dropped the usual coat and tie for a red and white Hawaiian shirt. But even 5,000 miles from home, old enemies don't go away easily. Foul shooting ƒ_" the Quakers' Achilles all season ƒ_" was what it was going to take to win this one. Penn hit four of its first 11 attempts before junior Steve Danley was able to convert one of two from the line with six seconds showing on the clock to seal the deal for Penn (4-4). It didn't hurt that the Rainbow Warriors (7-4, 1-0 WAC) found all iron from the charity stripe as well. Hawaii hit just 11 of its 22 free-throw attempts. The storyline here was Jaaber, who carried the Quakers on his back in most of the second half and shot nine of 14 on the game. Pressure the ball in transition? Jaaber was there. Harass the 'Bows' outside shooters? Check. And when sophomore David Whitehurst wouldn't get out of his way on a screen? Jaaber stepped back and launched a three over top of his teammate to give Penn a 50-41 edge with seven minutes left. The Quakers were playing in their first game since a 62-55 loss to No. 3 Villanova at the Palestra on Dec. 13. Hawaii, by contrast, had played five games (4-1) in that span. "It is what it is, and your guys just have to step up," Dunphy said of the break. His guys stepped up, the others didn't. Forget the two weeks off, the Quakers came out firing on all cylinders. Penn swarmed aggressively on the defensive end, forcing Hawaii to struggle even for easy shots. At the other end, the offense clicked ƒ_" at least at first. Junior forward Mark Zoller poured in the first seven for the Red and Blue as Penn had little trouble executing its offensive sets and its transition game. The Quakers' defensive pressure forced five turnovers in the first four minutes as they built a 9-2 lead. The initial lead was where the game was won. Hawaii played from behind the rest of the way, and that's exactly what Wallace told his team to avoid time after time. "You don't want to get behind because they will continue to score," Wallace said. The 'Bows never could get over the hump. They got tantalizingly close ƒ_" within one five times ƒ_" but couldn't come all the way back. Hawaii eventually found its rhythm in the first half and the home crowd of 7,176 at the Stan Sheriff Center awoke. The Rainbow Warriors erased a nine-point deficit and closed to within one 28-27 at the break. That was aided by empty trip after empty trip by the Quakers who made just one of nine three-pointers in the first frame (four of 12 overall) and had consecutive layups blocked in dramatic fashion. The long-range performance was nothing new this season. Penn is averaging just 25 percent from beyond the arc. There was some vindication, however, for Osmundson who hit a 20-footer from the right wing midway through the second half prompting a standing ovation from the Penn bench. Some relief for the senior who shot 39 percent from long range last season but has made just nine in 42 attempts (21 percent). That gave the Quakers a much-needed boost after Hawaii had reeled off four second-chance shots at the other end. While the offense cooled off, the defensive effort was as good as it had been in the previous two games against top-five opponents. The Quakers forced 17 turnovers including nine steals which went for 19 points. Wallace, though, was quick to criticize his own team for its ball handling. "Many of those were self-inflicted," he said of the turnovers. Whatever flow there was in the first half evaporated after intermission. Play became choppy, reminiscent of Hawaii's closer-than-expected win over 0-9 North Carolina A&T; here two nights ago. Foul trouble became a major factor for Penn as Danley picked up his fourth with nearly 14 minutes to play. The junior forward returned to the starting lineup wearing a protective headband after missing the Villanova game with a cut on his forehead. Zoller picked up his fourth with more than seven minutes to go. The two pulled it together and played aggressive but foul-free ball the rest of the way. On a night where the Quakers were outmatched physically, they made up for it with intensity, something Wallace emphasized, pointing to Penn's 28-24 edge in points in the paint. And a little stingy defense didn't hurt. "We took advantage of the fact that they had a couple of guys that didn't shoot it as well as they are capable of," Dunphy said. "For the most part, we did a pretty good job." One of them was senior Julian Sensley who came in averaging better than 16 points per game. Against double-team after double-team from the Quakers, Senlsley managed just four ƒ_" and the first two were the first points of the game. After that, the Quakers jumped out in front and try as they might, never let the lead slip away like so many other this season. Hawaii had the opportunity. In the final 10 seconds, Hawaii's Matt Lojeski got his hands on an inbounds pass from Osmundson but Danley swatted the ball out of his hands and earned another trip to the foul line. One make, one miss, then Sensley had his chance with a three to tie it. No good. Ballgame over ƒ_" at last. "We didn't want this to be another 'almost' game," Danley said. "It's important for us to go out and prove to ourselves we can win a close game." Penn certainly proved that, and they will be better for it come Ivy League play. The Quakers visit Division-II BYU-Hawaii Saturday. A full preview will be available on dailypennsylvanian.com. NOTES: This was Penn's first matchup against a team from the Western Athletic Conference. The Quakers have still not faced teams from the Southland, Mid-Eastern and Mid-Continent conferences. * Penn is now 3-4 in games away from the Mainland United States. The Quakers went 1-2 in the 1974 Rainbow Classic here and 1-2 in the 1997 San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico. * The last time Hawaii played a team from the Ivy League was a 89-64 win over Yale in 1988. * Hawaii's Deonte Tatum led the team with a career-high 17 points. * 'Bows coach Riley Wallace, who has 306 wins at Hawaii is now 1-2 against the Ivy League with the other loss coming at the hands of Dartmouth. * Hawaii had won 34 of its last 38 non-conference home games before falling to Penn.

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