Game 8: Penn State — The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

On the road in State College, Pa., the Quakers fell to the Nittany Lions of Penn State, 58-47. The Red and Blue entered halftime with a nine-point deficit, largely due to an abysmal offensive effort in the first half that yielded just 22 points. Though Penn rallied late in the second half behind an energetic performance from freshman Tony Hicks, pulling to within four points at one time, the Lions put together a few runs of their own, putting the game out of reach for good.

THE GOOD: Tony Hicks dunks on a Penn State big man. Posterizing someone while losing is always less glamorous, but that said, Hicks' throwdown gave the Quakers a much-needed spark in the second half. Here's the breakdown of the play: Camryn Crocker caught the ball on the left wing and faked a pass, which created room for him to drive. As he penetrates he slings a one-handed pass to Hicks in the right corner. Hicks takes the ball baseline, virtually uncontested, until he takes off one foot and finishes with a two-handed dunk over a Penn State big man.

THE BETTER: He's only a freshman. And it's going to be fun to watch him the next three years.

THE BAD: Take your pick. It's difficult to decide where to start after this game. Of course, 16 turnovers is an eyesore, but then again, so is 22 first-half points. What's worse, the Red and Blue shot even more poorly from three-point range in the second half, when they converted just 2-of-13 from distance. Or what about team leaders Fran Dougherty and Miles Cartwright combining for 11 points on 5-of-19 shooting? Take your pick for the "bad" of this game.

THE UGLY: Foul play. The Quakers racked up 26 personal fouls in the game, and many of them were concentrated among a few players who didn't even play significant minutes. For instance, Steven Rennard and Darien Nelson-Henry (somehow) combined for nine fouls in just 17 minutes of play. Similarly, Greg Louis picked up three fouls in seven minutes, and Henry Brooks fouled out in 20 minutes. Overall, the Quakers rank 10th out of 347 teams in the nation in terms of personal fouls per contest. The fouls not only put Penn in the bonus early and often, but they also make the game a painful experience for the few spectators that showed up to the Bryce Jordan Center.