Game 12: Marist — The Good, Bad & the Ugly

The Good:Tyler Bernardini outdid his UCLA performance. Against the Bruins, Bernardini had a then-career high of 29 points with 8 threes. Against Marist, Bernardini knocked another 8 trifectas and finished with 30 points on the night, a new career high, and a higher notch among Penn men’s basketball’s all-time scoring list at 18th. Another good: Penn’s defense – coach Allen’s pride and joy – foiled Marist’s game plans early. Marist tried to run-and-gun early in the contest. Marist wanted to outrun Penn with fast breaks and use guard isolations and high on-ball screens to break down defenders for inside buckets. The Quakers defense kept Marist at bay, forcing them to settle for 28 three-pointers which they only hit 11 of.

The Bad: Penn’s bench lacked production. Of the Red and Blue’s 84-point performance, bench players contributed only seven: five from Mike Howlett and two from Fran Dougherty. The main concern here is that the Quakers will begin a series of three consecutive away games, including Davidson and Duke, all within a few days of each other. Penn will need a reliable bench while facing fatigue from travel, more athleticism, top talent, and opposing atmospheres. In contrast, Marist’s bench accounted for 33 of the team’s 71 point total, almost half.

The Ugly: The three-person student-cheering section. While attendance was better than expected for winter break, the student section boasted a group of just three students cheering in unison just behind the baseline. Yes, it was ugly, but someone has got to be there to cheer for Penn when even the cheerleaders don’t show up, so we applaud them nevertheless.

-Lucas O'Connor