Tyler Bernardini, in his short time at Penn, has made a habit of carrying the Quakers on his back. He's been the subject of heavy praise and, for opposing coaches, the cause of much frustration.
But on Saturday night, during the Red and Blue's 83-62 win over Monmouth at the Palestra, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year took that frustration to a whole new level.
"He's a sophomore? Jesus," Hawks coach Dave Calloway said. "It seems like he's a senior already."
Bernardini led the Quakers (1-2) with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting, draining three three-pointers and all five of his free throws.
But it was his performance in the first half - when he scored 16 of Penn's 26 points and accounted for five of its seven field goals - that put his team in a position to notch its first victory of the season.
The Quakers and the Hawks (0-4) shot a combined 27.7 percent in that first frame, but Bernardini couldn't seem to miss. And that stroke became infectious in the second half, when the Quakers scored 57 points on 65.6 percent shooting and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.
"Once a few guys start knocking them in, we'll just start raining them down," Bernardini said. "Raining buckets."
With sophomore guard Remy Cofield - who had three steals and 12 points on the night - leading the way on defense, Penn forced 25 turnovers with its matchup zone and subsequently ran it down the Hawks' throats.
"We got our fast break going in the second half for the first time all year long, and we want to see more of that going forward," Penn coach Glen Miller said.
Senior guard Kevin Egee, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, complemented Bernardini and freshman guard Zack Rosen (who had five assists and made his first collegiate field goal on a three-pointer) in the backcourt.
Egee's two treys and two steals in that second half helped give Penn the momentum it needed to keep the Hawks at bay.
"We felt like . we needed to definitely extend the defense and put the pressure on them, get more turnovers, more transition buckets," Egee said.
Even though Egee and Bernardini paced the Quakers, the victory was the product of a balanced effort.
Rosen and Cofield set the tone on offense and defense, respectively, and sophomore Conor Turley led Penn with eight rebounds.
The Quakers' old hands made their presence felt as well. Senior forward Brennan Votel tallied 14 points after struggling in the first half, and senior swingman Tommy McMahon - who hasn't been on the floor since Penn's NCAA Tournament loss to Texas A&M; in March 2007 - saw 10 minutes of action.
After missing last season recovering from hip surgery, McMahon had only practiced twice this season before Saturday's contest. He hit the only jumper he took, as well as both of his free throws.
McMahon's return was just one of the bright spots in Penn's first victory, which by most accounts was not the picture of consistency.
The Quakers' inside game wasn't always there, their shooting wasn't always perfect and their rebounding was, as Miller said, "a deficiency."
But as far as first victories go, this one felt pretty good.
