FINAL: Penn 69 Lafayette 81
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SHAREFINAL: Penn 69 Lafayette 81
The inability to take care of the ball and to make meaningful defensive stops again sinks the Quakers. Kach had a nice game for the Quakers with 17, and Grandieri played well too, but the rest of the guard play and perimeter defense was terrible.
0:31.7 2nd Half, Penn 69 Lafayette 81
Eggleston converts inside on a stop-and-go move. Gruner drives inside and gets fouled, continuing the theme of Penn being unable to make any stops or score when they do. The lead is stuck at 12, and this one is just about done. Lafayette is killing the clock and Penn is not fouling.
2:19 2nd Half, Penn 65 Lafayette 80
Cohen hits a trey behind the Grandieri screen, but the Leopards again respond with one of their own. Penn has been unable to stop the three in the second half. What Lafayette missed in the first, it's making in the second.
3:18 2nd Half, Penn 62 Lafayette 76
Kach hits a nice pull-up in the lane and Penn is somehow still in it, though it's slipping away with every stop the Quakers fail to make. Gruner hits a two as time on the clock expires.
5:34 2nd Half, Penn 57 Lafayette 73
Yet another easy inside bucket for Lafayette extends this seemingly-endless (because of all of Miller timeouts) run to 18-2. Gaines scores off a third chance, but Brown shoots over him with a Dirk-like semi-spin at the top of the key for two. Grandieri hits a three, but again, Brown answers back.
8:02 2nd Half, Penn 52 Lafayette 65
Bernardini stops the bleeding with a lay-up and-1 on the fastbreak. A missed assignment and Cummins gets open from 23-feet on the wing for a three. Two missed threes by the Leopards, but they get both offensive boards.
9:50 2nd Half, Penn 50 Lafayette 62
Detmer throws down a vicious dunk on the fastbreak after Lafayette picks off a Penn entry pass. Miller is forced to call another TO. 13-0 run now for Lafayette.
10:44 2nd Half, Penn 50 Lafayette 58
Gaines back in for Cohen, and he beats his man in the set all the way from halfcourt for a tricky layup. Eggleston hits only the second three for Penn. Things are starting to go a little more the Quakers' way, but their good play goes to their heads and they start to rush things and commit a few bad fouls. Brown hits Lafayette's first three in a while and Cummins follows it right up. Brown triples up again with a pull-up over Egee to cap a 9-0 run in a little over a minute.
15:34 2nd Half, Penn 37 Lafayette 40
Gaines hits a little pull-up from the baseline to start off the half. More penetration and easy dishes for the Leopards, though. A pair of little floaters by Bernardini and Grandieri at the baseline gives Penn its first lead since it was 5-4. Cohen checks in for Gaines, and the Quakers turn it over on offense.
HALFTIME: Penn 29 Lafayette 34
In my opinion, the Quakers are lucky to head into the locker room only down five. Their offense has been completely impotent, and players are having to try really hard to get shots. Nothing easy is coming around the perimeter -- everything is coming off the surprisingly good free throw shooting (10-12) and putbacks. Meanwhile, Lafayette is creating turnovers and getting high-percentage shots.
0:23.4 1st Half, Penn 29 Lafayette 34
Nearly one half has elapsed and Penn still cannot disrupt Lafayette's offense, and the press is giving the Quakers problems as well. Luckily, a foul sends Reilly to the line, and he makes both. Reilly picks up his second foul bumping his man in the lane. Kach gets another two from the line, but fouls his man on the other end.
3:37 1st Half, Penn 17 Lafayette 30
A nice putback by Grandieri off the Lewis foul line miss. Yet another open three for Lafayette, as Penn cannot fight around the picks and movement. Eggleston misses from downtown but crashes the glass to put in his own miss. Grandieri rolls off his man in post for the easy lay-up. Lafayette goes to a full-court press after an inbounds.
7:43 1st Half, Penn 11 Lafayette 21
Without any good motion going, the Quakers are having to generate their own shots. Kach's athleticism gets him to the line for two. Gaines, Grandieri and Bernardini check back in. More defensive trouble, as the Quakers are again a step too slow.
8:54 1st Half, Penn 9 Lafayette 19
Lewis and Cofield check in for Penn, but Cofield scrambles to try and stop the open three for Gruner -- he's too late. The Quakers continue to struggle on offense, and are unable to get any open shots or cuts, and they turn it over again, the fifth turnover in as many possessions.
11: 09 1st Half, Penn 9 Lafayette 16
Grandieri gets a tough baby hook in the low post. Brown hits a contested trey at the wing for Lafayette. Penn is getting sloppy on offense, turning it over three times on three straight possessions.
12: 44 1st Half, Penn 7 Lafayette 9
Lafayette is using a lot of picks and movement around the perimeter. Penn can't get anything going on offense, as the Leopards are shutting down the passing lanes and double-teaming effectively on the inside. Mike Kach and Aron Cohen check in. Kach immediately pays off as he goes baseline for a nice pull up and kiss off the glass.
16: 07 1st Half, Penn 5 Lafayette 9
Schmidt takes it inside and gets his own board to open the scoring. Penn moves the ball well in its own set but Bernardini forces up a three that hits the backboard and nothing else. Another offensive board for Lafayette and Cummins tips it in for two. Bernardini gets open for three in the corner and hits it, and then Reilly hits Grandieri on a cut for an easy lay-in. The Quakers are in man defense on the other end, but some miscommunication and Gaines can't get over to his man in time to stop the three.
Out in Easton, Pa., the Quakers get set to take on the Lafayette Leopards.
Starting lineups:
Penn:
G Brian Grandieri
G Harrison Gaines
F Tyler Bernardini
F Jack Eggleston
F Justin Reilly
Lafayette:
G Michael Gruner
G Paul Cummins
G Andrew Brown
F Everest Schmidt
C Matt Betley