Penn men’s basketball had a great week, and much of that success is owed to senior forward Sam Jones.
Jones’ stellar shooting and efficiency helped propel the Quakers to three straight road victories this week and were also enough to earn him DP Sports’ Player of the Week.
Jones was quiet in last Monday’s win over Howard with only three points, but his performances improved with each passing game.
Against Lafayette on Wednesday, the Arizona native scored nine points on three for five shooting (three for four from three) and on Saturday against Dayton, Jones finished with 15 points after taking all six of his shot attempts from behind the arc.
Perhaps what was most impressive about Jones’ play, though, was just how efficient his scoring was. Jones finished the week with almost as many points (27) as minutes (31), and in each of Penn’s last two games, his scoring total exceeded his total minutes played.
After the Dayton win, which was the most impressive of the Red and Blue’s eight wins so far this season, coach Steve Donahue attributed the upset to Jones’ play.
“It’s hard to imagine winning that game without his input,” Donahue said. “We know what we can do. I think it’s a heck of a weapon.”
In total, Jones took 12 shots from behind the arc this week and made nine of them to record a staggering 75 percent three-point percentage. His only shot from inside the line was a miss.
“My guys were just getting me open shots. My job is to shoot the ball when I’m open, and the guys just got me the ball in great spots,” Jones said after the Dayton victory.
For Jones, this week's performances might have been his best since his 2015-2016 sophomore season in which he started 23 games, even though Jones has not started a single game this year. Last season, he averaged less than four points per game as he bounced in and out of the rotation.
If he can keep this shooting up, his senior season has a chance to be his best yet.
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