Penn vs. Monmouth, Live Updates

Good evening from the Palestra, where the Penn Quakers (0-2) and Monmouth Hawks (0-3) are both looking for that elusive first win of the season. For Penn, Andreas Schreiber, Aron Cohen, Darren Smith and Justin Reilly are all in street clothes, while Tommy McMahon is in uniform for the first time in ages. Keep refreshing the page throughout the game for live updates on the Quakers' home opener. --Andrew Todres

Final, Penn 83, Monmouth 62

Penn eased up a little bit and Monmouth knocked down a few shots down the stretch, but the finish was just a formality. Cameron Lewis put the icing on the cake with a dunk in traffic. Overall, great second half for the Quakers, who finally have a win under their belts.

3:10 to go in the 2nd, Penn 77, Monmouth 52

Not much to report. Votel hit three consecutive baskets and Cofield's great athleticism has been on display. This is just a great team win for the Quakers -- so many different players have contributed quality minutes. The Hey Song started out a cappella and was subsequently drowned out by the band's rendition of Final Countdown.

7:41 to go in the 2nd, Penn 62, Monmouth 40

Penn is holding steady with a comfortable lead and has seen a lot of good minutes out of Cofield. Possibly the best athlete on the team, Cofield had a nice tip-in on a Gaines miss and a strong layup after a pretty move on the baseline. He has also been a force defensively, forcing a couple of turnovers and putting pressure on the Monmouth offense.

11:28 to go in the 2nd, Penn 53, Monmouth 29

As I expected, Penn has finally taken over this game. Egee has really helped out on both ends of the court. He hit two deep threes to extend the Quakers' lead, and he followed up a pair of free throws by forcing a turnover off the ensuing inbound. Bernardini had a great 3-point play off of a spin move into a layup on a breakaway, and McMahon hit his first field goal -- a midrange jumper. Penn is firing on all cylinders right now.

15:17 to go in the 2nd, Penn 38, Monmouth 23

Penn is finally starting to pick it up offensively, thanks to Bernardini (as usual) and Zack Rosen, who just came on strong with his first two field goals of his career. After a big three-pointer by Bernardini to put Penn up 13, the Quakers executed a great play to find Rosen all by himself in the corner, and he drained the 3. After Monmouth's Yaniv Simpson responded with a 3 at the other end, the lefty Rosen ran the floor and hit a tough lay-up with his right hand, giving Penn the 38-23 advantage. One other note -- Eggleston picked up his 3rd foul 20 seconds into the half and was replaced by Turley. Right now, the lineup is Bernardini, Cohen, Turley, Egee, and Votel.

Halftime Stats

Penn

Bernardini, 5-8, 16 points

Egee, McMahon, Belcore, Cofield, and Votel all have two points each

Rosen, 4 assists

Votel, 4 turnovers, 5 rebounds

Turley, 5 rebounds

7-26 FG as a team, 2-12 3pt, 10-12 FT

Monmouth

Travis Taylor, 8 points, 7 rebounds

Rutledge, 6 points

8-28 FG as a team, 2-12 3 pt

Haltime, Penn 26, Monmouth 18

Poor shooting and finishing around the basket has really kept Penn from pulling away with this game. Votel has provided a nice presence inside, but he just doesn't have any touch around the basket today like he did Tuesday against Drexel. Glen Miller has gone to a pretty deep rotation this half, with Turley seeing a lot of positive minutes. Penn's free throw shooting has been much improved -- except for two Votel bricks, Penn has been perfect from the line. The Quakers' defense has been strong as well, and they're doing a great job of hustling for loose balls and securing rebounds to start breakaways. Rosen has been relatively quiet after sparking Penn early with two assists, and he doesn't seem too confident in his ability to score. He still is without a field goal in his collegiate career, and he pulled up on a breakaway and caused a turnover just as the Quakers were building up momentum. That said, it was an average half for Penn, but I wouldn't be surprised if they took this game over after the break. I'll be back shortly with the halftime stats.

3:21 to go in the 1st, Penn 22, Monmouth 16

Well the highlight of this last stretch of play was the entrance of Tommy McMahon, for the first time in about a year-and-a-half. The senior fan favorite actually played very well, especially for someone that has never played in a game with anyone below the class of 2010. He found himself on the court with all freshmen and sophomores but handled himself well within the offense. He didn't force anything, and drew a foul inside and knocked home both of his free throws. He also had a nice defensive rebound to start a breakaway, ending with a Remy Cofield layup. Conor Turley has seen a lot of minutes and has been a strong presence on the boards for Penn. For Monmouth, Rutledge is the only significant offensive force. And an interesting stat so far: Penn is 8-8 from the line, with four different players contributing perfect trips.

7:55 to go in the 1st, Penn 16, Monmouth 11

Some poor shooting and a few turnovers by the Quakers have allowed a weaker Monmouth team to hang around. With Bernardini out of the game, the Hawks' R.J. Rutledge hit a three to help Monmouth get back in the game. Meanwhile, Gaines has been ice cold, missing several open shots. Brennan Votel has been helpful on the glass and scrapped for a loose ball to keep a possesion alive, but he's very hesitant in the paint, leading to a 3-second violation earlier. Rob Belcore is seeing some playing time right now for the Quakers, giving Tyler Bernardini a rest. He hit two free throws earlier.

11:25 to go in the 1st, Penn 12, Monmouth 4

Penn stretched its lead out a bit more thanks entirely to Tyler Bernardini, who has scored the last 7 points for the Quakers. Dave Calloway is yelling at his players during the media timeout, telling them that they're playing scared. Bernardini hit a 3 from the in front of Monmouth's bench to put the Quakers at 12 and had been fouled hard on the previous posession on a breakaway -- he swished both of his free throws. Monmouth looks pretty confused by Penn's matchup zone. On another note, Conor Turley saw a bit of action early, giving Eggleston a breather, while Harrison Gaines subbed in for Egee. Gaines made a poor decision earlier forcing up a shot that was blocked.

15:45 to go in the 1st, Penn 5, Monmouth 0

Penn is dominating Monmouth on both ends of the court but having a little bit of difficulty finishing their possessions. The Quakers started off with a Tyler Berarndini 3 off of a great feed from Rosen. Then, thanks to a steal in transition from Eggleston, Penn took it the other way with Rosen feeding Egee on a streaking layup. Penn's ball movement has been excellent, as has its defense. Bernardini forced his man into a 5-second violation, and Penn also forced Monmouth into a shot-clock violation. Dave Calloway is livid at his team.

Starting Lineups

Monmouth

F Mike Myers Keitt

F Dutch Gaitley

G Yaniv Simpson

G James Hett

G R.J. Rutledge

Penn

F Jack Eggleston

F Brennan Votel

G Zack Rosen

G Tyler Bernardini

G Kevin Egee