CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-Penn came out against North Carolina firing, appearing more than prepared to compete against the No. 2 team looking for its tenth consecutive win.
But the Quakers were unable to keep up with the explosive North Carolina squad and fell to the Tar Heels, 102-64.
Penn (6-6) started out looking fresh and scored the first five points of the contest, chiefly off of backdoor cuts through North Carolina's defense.
But the Tar Heels (13-1) were quick to respond to the Quakers' opening tactics, limiting Penn's opportunities inside and forcing miscues.
"We ran a couple backdoor cuts [in the beginning of the first half] and then for whatever reason we kind of deferred from that," Mark Zoller said. "Whether it was their doubling the ball . we just kind of got a little flustered out there, turned the ball over."
Freshman Tommy McMahon started things off with a three on Penn's first possession and followed up with an inside cut for a lay-up.
A Kevin Egee three gave Penn its largest lead of the game, 18-8, but North Carolina coach Roy Williams was quick to make adjustments, replacing all five starters.
"The first couple of minutes, needless to say, I was not pleased," Williams said. "Everything that we said in the scouting report they did, and our guys stood out there looking like they never heard anything about it."
Bobby Frasor, in his first game back since a foot injury sidelined him for six games, responded with back-to-back baskets for the Tar Heels to start a 24-7 North Carolina run.
The Quakers coughed up four turnovers in their next four possessions to help put the Tar Heels up by 14.
Williams played deep into his bench, with nine players seeing double-digit minutes.
Reyshawn Terry and Tyler Hansbrough led North Carolina's high-tempo offense with 19 points apiece, while Philadelphia native Wayne Ellington added 17 of his own.
"We wanted to stay away from turnovers and low field goal percentage against this team," Penn coach Glen Miller said. "They get out in transition and convert better than anybody in the United States, so that's where we got ourselves in trouble."
Penn cut the lead to single digits going into halftime, but the Tar Heels established momentum early in the second frame.
Fans grew animated when North Carolina continued to dominate the scoreboard, as Chapel Hill has a tradition similar to Penn's century mark free cheesesteaks - fans get discounted biscuits and sausage gravy at Bojangle's restaurants the morning after the game if the team scores 100 points.
After shooting 56.5 percent from the field in the first half, Penn's offense crumbled under the Tar Heels' relentless defensive press, shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor in the second.
Ibrahim Jaaber led the team with 21 points, eight assists, four rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocks. Zoller had a frustrating night with six turnovers and just eight points, but chipped in by grabbing 10 rebounds.
Miller also went deep into his rotation, with Kevin Egee playing 22 minutes off the bench and scoring eight for the Quakers.
The loss exposed key weaknesses in Penn's ability to execute under pressure, and gives the Quakers plenty to work on before Ivy League play commences next week.
"Across the board we're not going to play a point guard as fast as Lawson, and we're not going to play a big man as good as Hansbrough or Wright, but this'll get us prepared for league," Zoller said.
