Game 10 - Marist: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Sorry for the lack of live blog last night, it was a technological nightmare. First, I discovered my computer's motherboard is fried, two days after the expiration of the warranty. Then when my colleague Tim brought his computer (check his recap here), we had all sorts of trouble getting wireless internet, and then were finally told after the game that the servers were shut down due to winter break. So, without further ado...

The Good: Not much, but I guess Tyler Bernardini's performance qualifies. He finished 8-for-17 with 18 points, and the shooting percentage would have been higher without a couple of forced attempts in the final minute.

The Bad: The frontcourt and the free throw shooting. My article expanding on this is here. Outside of Jack Eggleston, the rest of the frontcourt consisting of Conor Turley, Fran Dougherty and Mike Howlett totaled 10 points and 9 rebounds in a combined 41 minutes. By failing to get the ball inside, the Quakers also failed to draw fouls, and they once again failed to convert on their limited opportunities. Penn was just 6-for-13 from the free throw line, while Marist was 24-for-27.

The Ugly: More injuries. During warmups, Miles Cartwright was wearing a facemask similar to Tyler Bernardini's, but he took it off during the game. I was told the mask was a precautionary measure due to an injury sustained in practice Monday. I'm not sure whether the injury affected Cartwright, but he struggled, finishing 2-for-11 from the field with just 6 points.

Rob Belcore was not dressed for action and was on the bench wearing sunglasses. Coach Allen didn't comment, but Belcore has reportedly been battling migraines for the past week. Freshman Steve Rennard has apparently jumped Darren Smith on the depth chart and got his first significant minutes in Belcore's place. In 11 minutes, he committed four fouls and shot 0-for-2 from the line.

Andreas Schreiber was once again absent altogether. Penn Director of Athletic COmmunications Mike Mahoney said he didn't travel with the team due to an "injury," and Allen again wouldn't comment. I'll just say if you are buying the injury explanation, I have a plot of oceanside property in Iowa to sell you. Belcore, for example, was obviously not available to play but was still on the bench.