Live Game Updates: Penn at NJIT

NEWARK, N.J.--David Benrstein here, wishing you a warm welcome to the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center on the beautiful campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The Quakers are matched up with the 0-17 Highlanders, the not-so-proud owners of a 50-game losing streak. Let's just see if the Red and Blue can't push it to 51.

As an aside, freshman Larry Loughery traveled with the team, but did not dress this afternoon.

Penn 59, NJIT 40, FINAL

Votel took a charge to end it, and that'll do it for us here in Newark. It's been a pleasure this afternoon, and we here at The Buzz will see you next time.

Penn 59, NJIT 40, :30 Second Half

The Highlanders are in full-fledged foul mode right out of their timeout with 1:38 left, but the Quakers (Eggleston and Gaines) have hit their free throws thus far. It's looking pretty unncessary right now, and quite irksome to the fans. Danny Monckton replaces Bernardini on the floor.

Penn 53, NJIT 38, 1:38 Second Half

Two Wilkerson free throws brings NJIT within 15. It looks like Penn won't be Lucky No. 51 for the Highlanders, and avoid being the answer to a trivia question on "Stump the Shwab" on ESPN. Miler is leaving in the starters for now, but I get the feeling the bench will be emptied on the next stoppage.

Penn 50, NJIT 34, 3:00 Second Half

More of the same here: Offensive futility by Penn, even more offensive futility by NJIT. This contest has been like a lethargic war of attrition, and the main source of entertainment has been random outbursts by individual fans in the dead quiet.

Oh, and Kanye West's "808s and Heartbreak" is blaring over the loudspeaker. I just want to come out and say right here that I am vehemently anti-Autotune.

Penn 45, NJIT 29, 8:34 Second Half

Gaines hit another three, this time from the right corner. Wilkerson responds with a bucket on the other end.

Penn 42, NJIT 27, 9:20 Second Half

Gaines is really trying to take over this offense at this point; Rosen has been on the bench for quite a while. Gaines is driving to the hoop every time. He missed his last lay-in attempt, but Lewis slammed home the put-back with authority.

Penn 39, NJIT 27, 11:04 Second Half

Gaines confidently drains a three immediately after bringing the ball up, giving Penn a little bit of momentum, prompting NJIT coach Jim Engles to call a timeout.

Penn 36, NJIT 27, 11:41 Second Half

Gary Garris hits a three to cut the lead to five, but Bernardini hits a jumper off the dribble on the next possession. Gaines hits Votel in transition for a finger roll. As far as the Penn offensive sets go, it looks like the Quakers are having trouble spreading the floor.

Buckets by Dan Stonkus and then Harrison Gaines bring the NJIT deficit to nine.

Cam Lewis makes a nice steal, but with no one in front of him and a dunk on his mind, his pocket his picked, but the Quakers maintained possession.

Wilson lays one in after Penn fails to score, and Votel fouls him in the process. Wilson misses the free throw though. Gaines hits a short J on the other end. And now it's time for a media timeout.

Penn 25, NJIT 18, 15:54 Second Half

Not only is the cozy-yet-eerily-open Fleisher Center reminiscent of the silo that is Princeton's Jadwin Gym, but the tone of this game is taking on that of a typical Princeton contest. It's low-scoring and it's tough to watch. A Bernardini bucket inside and a Belcore free throw have been the only points with more than four minutes off the clock in the half.

Penn 25, NJIT 18, Halftime

A jumper by Garris, contested by Eggleston, swishes in to end the half. I'll try to post some stats if they're available, but I'm not holding my breath.

Proved wrong by the NJIT Sports Information team: Brennan Votel leads all scorers with 12 (but has just one rebound), while Rosen has added seven points for the Quakers. Penn is winning the rebounding battle, 17-9, and has seven second-chance points.

Gary Garris is pacing the Highlanders with eight points, with Isaiah Wilkerson adding six.

Also a sidenote: I have been referring to Justin Garris this entire time, but it's Gary, his older brother who has been doing most of the scoring. Justin has just one bucket (when he scored it, I could not tell you).

Penn 25, NJIT 16, :30.4 First Half

Miller calls an inexplicable timeout as Gaines picked up a loose ball with Rosen streaking for what would have been an easy lay-in, presumably. Maybe Penn is going to run down the shot clock as far as it can.

Scratch that, Gaines travels on the next possession, so NJIT will have the final shot of the half.

Penn 25, NJIT 16, 1:04 First Half

A nice, spinning take by Garris gets the Highlanders a bucket, but Rosen answers with a pair of free throws earned in transition. Next time down, Votel connects on a nice up-and-under on a feed from Eggleston. The red-headed big man has been the lone bright spot for the Red and Blue thus far.

Penn 19, NJIT 14, 4:04 First Half

Votel hits a jumper on the baseline, but Isaiah Wilkerson answers with a three-point play after a Belcore foul. Rosen, with several family members and friends in the crowd, gets on the board with a trifecta on the next possession.

The Quakers are not doing well passing the ball today. Bernardini just turned it over on a sloppy pass into the post, and there have been several near-turnovers as well.

A nifty floater by Jheryl Wilson, perhaps NJIT's best player, is followed by a Rosen travel. Two possessions later, Justin Garris throws down a one-handed breakaway jam 'with authority' (according to the P.A. guy).

An Egee three pushes the Penn lead to five.

Penn 11, NJIT 7, 7:23 First Half

Miller sends in the lanky freshman Mike Howlett, who along with Rosen and Belcore are making an incredibly youthful five. Rosen hits a jumper from the top of the key to end the Penn drought. An NJIT turnover on a mishandled pass takes us to a media timeout and a rawkus T-shirt throw in the stands.

Penn 9, NJIT 7, 8:59 First Half

Both teams are looking pretty sloppy right now. NJIT was called for a pair of travels, while Eggleston was called for an unnecessary foul on a screen. Lewis was sent to the line after being blocked and knocked around on an attempt under the basket, but can't connect on a free throw.

On the other end, the Quakers are running a two-three zone, which has stymied the Highlanders.

Penn 9, NJIT 7, 12:00 First Half

After a Bernardini foul, I think it's time to talk about the "uniqueness" of the Fleisher Center. There are only seats on one side of the floor, and there is another basketball court running perpindicular to the main court (like an 'L'), giving the so-called arena a cavernous feel. The P.A. guy is giving short commentary after every basket, and the facility itself has all the pizzazz of my public high school gym in D.C.

Meanwhile, Miller has thrown in Cam Lewis, Harrison Gaines and Kevin Egee to get something going for Penn, who has looked flat thus far. Bernardini isn't hitting open looks, and the offensive play is just generally not crisp.

Bernardini, however, nails his first three after a miss and an ensuing steal by Egee under the Quakers' basket.

Penn 6, NJIT 7, 14:33 First Half

Coach Glen Miller has once again gone with freshman Rob Belcore in the starting lineup, alongside forwards Brennan Votel and Jack Eggleston, and guards Tyler Bernardini and Zack Rosen. Votel hit three buckets in the paint early, while NJIT has been buoyed by three by Isaiah Wilkerson (who sat last semester out and could be the unknown factor this afternoon) and a pair of layups by Justin Garris.