Bulldogs’ fast start bites in Ivy opener

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Point guard Zack Rosen has fulfilled multiple roles for the men’s basketball team this season, from running the offense to serving as a team leader on and off the court.

But in his team’s Ivy opener at Yale Friday night, Rosen had to be something that he hasn’t been all season — sixth man.

Freshman Malcolm Washington started in Rosen’s place. While the sophomore stood on the sidelines for what interim coach Jerome Allen referred to as a violation of team rules, the Bulldogs quickly jumped out to an 11-0 lead.

The Quakers weren’t able to dig themselves out of the hole as the Bulldogs cruised to a 61-48 victory, never giving up the lead.

“To start the game off like that — you know, it’s our first Ivy game, we’re on the road — we try to really establish our identity,” Allen said.

“I thought at certain instances, we played the style of basketball we wanted to play,” he added. “We just need to sustain that over the course of forty minutes and not after you’re down 12-0 — not after 20 minutes.”

Early turnovers proved to be a major factor in the team’s slow start. The Quakers (2-14, 1-1 Ivy) gave up the ball ten times in the first half, resulting in 17 points for the Bulldogs (8-12, 2-1 Ivy) — only three less than the Quakers recorded the entire half.

Although the Red and Blue managed to adjust at halftime, turning the ball over just three times for the rest of the game, the damage had already been done.

“It took twenty minutes to make the adjustment, and unfortunately, this is Division I basketball and we can’t play the game for twenty minutes,” Allen said.

After allowing Yale to establish a 40-26 lead with 14:40 to go, the Quakers started to mount a comeback.

The team began to work the ball inside, which resulted in eight unanswered points — all coming from layups or dunks. With 10 minutes to go, Penn had cut the lead to six.

It was the closest the Quakers would come all night. A layup by sophomore Reggie Willhite got the Bulldogs started on an 8-0 run of their own, effectively ending the Quakers’ chances.

For junior Jack Eggleston, who scored 13 points on the night, Friday’s game brought a familiar set of circumstances.

“We’ve done it the past two games where we’ve cut [the deficit] to five — I think it was six tonight — and we’ve let the other team back in,” he said.

“That’s pretty disappointing that we made the same mistake three times in a row,” Eggleston added. “It’s just kind of a lack of maturity. We as a team have to focus on taking good shots and not let the momentum get to our head.”

And though solid defense resulted in only nine points for Ivy League scoring leader Alex Zampier, the Quakers were ultimately killed by poor shooting, which plagued Penn throughout the game.

The team finished 19-for-53 from the field on the night, and 1-for-18 from distance. The decision to bench Rosen may have affected his focus, as the sophomore was 0-7 from three point range.

Allen, meanwhile, seemed to be at a loss when asked about his player’s offensive woes.

“We gotta do a much of better job of — despite what the defense is trying to do — just executing our stuff,” he said of the team’s shooting.

“We walk into the games with a plan. I might be crazy but despite the elements, I feel like the staff, we try to prepare our guys the best we possibly can.”

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