FINAL: Albany 73, PENN 63

Albany pressing now, trying to put this away. Penn breaks it but is just a tumbling mess on offense. Somehow, the ball gets back to Bernardini behind the line, who draws three foul shots off a Harris foul. He ices all three. On the Danes’ next inbounds, Penn fouls Raffa, who goes 2-for-2. Gaines hopsteps for a layup but Raffa heads to the line again as Penn is forced to foul. Tack two more on for Albany. Hastings tosses an alley-oop to Ambrose to put an emphatic end on this one.

1:03 2nd Half: Albany 67, PENN 56

Rosen finds a wide-open Eggleston who is short on his three attempt. The press forces yet another Albany turnover and Bernardini just misses a leaner but goes to the line on a blocking call. He bricks the first and gets the roll on the second. On the inbounds, Albany finally breaks the press and it pays dividends, as Raffa gets the And-1 (and makes it) off a Cofield foul. This is not looking good for Penn. After a Rosen miss, Egee commits his fifth foul and is gone.

1:51 2nd Half: Albany 62, PENN 54

Rosen intercepts a second Hail Mary attempt and gets Bernardini to the line. He has not been very good from the line tonight but makes these two. Great hustle from Rosen off an Albany inbounds forces a jump-ball, but possession favors the Danes.

2:10 2nd Half: Albany 62, PENN 52

The Great Danes’ try an audacious Hail Mary to beat the press but Gaines forces Ambrose to lose control of it. On the ensuing possession, Gaines dribbles in place and then tries to pop a three with a defender in his face — he misses. After a Danes basket, Rosen cuts down the lane and hangs in the air for a double-clutch lefty layup. But Penn can’t keep trading baskets.

3:02 2nd Half: Albany 60, PENN 50

Jerel Hastings throws down a nasty dunk as the Danes beat the press — this one was certainly more impressive than Harris’, because Hastings’ throwdown had some anger and assertiveness to it. 8.

4:05 2nd Half: Albany 56, PENN 48

Rosen knocks down a three thanks to an aggressive Eggleston screen and the Danes can’t get the ball inbounded, and are forced to call a timeout.

4:30 2nd Half: Albany 56, PENN 45

Another open three missed by the Quakers. Ambrose slices and dices and bowls over Votel for two. 

5:19 2nd Half: Albany 52, PENN 45

After a Votel layup, Albany dribbles and screen its way out of the press. Rosen misses a jumper from just inside the key and then makes a smart foul on Raffa as the Danes’ go in transition. Raffa, who is 3-for-4 from three tonight, misses both foul shots. The Fox radio announcer next to me keeps calling Penn “UPenn.” Guess he didn’t read the press packet, which politely asks media to call the University “Penn.” Rosen find Egee under the net for two and then the press forces an Albany turnover.

7:50 2nd Half: Albany 52, PENN 41

Cofield and Turley in now. Turley gets rejected on a not-so-strong attempt to dunk or lay it in. And just as Penn is in transition, Albany gets a steal. Tommy McMahon checks in for Penn again. This is going nowhere right now, and with a 13-point deficit, Penn can’t let that happen. Rosen doesn’t let it happen, pump-faking Raffa beyond the arc, dribbling and hitting a shot from the elbow. Bernardini then hits a three, and Raffa comes right back with one over a reaching Rosen. Bernardini pump-fakes and draws a shooting foul. He nails both. Penn starts pressing now, but the Danes easily break it. Ambrose gets an up-and-under to go and Miller is irate. 

11:40 2nd Half: Albany 47, PENN 34

Rosen finds Gaines inside, who gets fouled just before the shot clock expires. Gaines fronts the first — almost an airball — but gets nothing but net on No. 2. Raffa is left open from three after a double-team and swishes one again from the corner. All the momentum and all the bounces are going the Danes’ way right now. Media timeout, and the cheerleaders come out, wobbling their way through the routine. Some more practice might be in order.

13:22 2nd Half: Albany 42, PENN 33

Harris is getting vocal on court, trying to rile up Albany after it committed a shot-clock violation. Eggleston gets a good look from downtown but is just short. Raffa cans a tough one from long-distance. Rosen breaks some ankles and fires a pass out but Penn can’t do anything but miss another shot.

15:57 2nd Half: Albany 35, PENN 33

Lots of dribbling and passing going on in Penn’s offense (as we should see in a motion offense). Another bad inbounds from Rosen results in an easy run-’n'-dunk for Will Harris. Nice extension but a weak finish — I give it a 7. Egee isn’t fazed and slips under the net from the baseline for two. Bernardini gets a steal but the ref gets in the way, knocking the ball (accidentally?) to Albany. Rosen makes a great play, jumping and blocking a Danes pass that would’ve resulted in an easy transition basket. Eggleston makes a 6-foot jumper after getting open along the baseline. 

HALFTIME: Albany 31, PENN 28

Rosen drives and makes a nice dish behind his head to Eggleston, but the guard’s momentum gets him called for a charge. Bernardini then misses badly on bad shot in transition. Eggleston misses his first shot, a baby hook off a feed from Turley. Ambrose hits a three from the corner. On the last possession, Rosen draws two defenders and slips it inside to Turley, who puts it in for what looks to be two, and an And-1. But the refs call a charge.

Halftime stats:

FG: Albany 13-32 (40.6%), Penn 11-27 (40.7%)

3-Pointers: Albany 1-8 (12.5%), Penn 4-10 (40.0%)

Rebounds: Albany 18, Penn 18

Assists: Albany 3, Penn 9

High scorers: Eggleston 10, Ambrose 9, Harris 8, Bernardini 6, Connelly 6, Raffa 6

2:54 1st Half: PENN 28, Albany 26

I’m seriously considering sampling the arena food.

Rosen picks Johnson’s pocket and goes coast-to-coast for a layup. The man-to-man is stifling Albany’s shooters now and the Quakers are getting boards. Rosen pulls up for a three as Penn takes its first lead of the game. Bernardini then gets open in the corner and drills the trey. Meanwhile, Rosen has six assists already and only one turnover (his first in three games).

4:49 1st Half: Albany 24, PENN 20

Cofield hits only the first of his one-and-one. Harris takes a drive right into Eggleston and the crowd loves it. The refs don’t though and Harris gets called for a charge. But the zebras quickly even it up with an off-the-ball foul call on Votel on the Quakers’ offensive possession. Raffa capitalizes with a falling-away three from the corner. Turley and Rosen relieve Gaines and Votel. Eggleston posts and spins for another easy two, using his finesse against Albany’s strength. After a tough defensive board, Penn goes downcourt and Bernardini makes a reverse layup in transition.

7:15 1st Half: Albany 22, PENN 15

Gaines finally hits a shot after he gets open at the top of the three-point line. Raffa does likewise, this time, just inside the line, and Cofield tries to return the favor and is fouled on his pull-up. 

8:06 1st Half: Albany 20, PENN, 12

Again, the Quakers don’t get the roll as Bernardini just misses a tough layup. Raffa makes a nice midrange fadeaway in isolation to add two more to Albany’s lead. Then, the Danes get a steal of a lazy inbounds from Rosen under their basket. Tim Ambrose then controls his body beautifully on a drive down the lane to avoid a charge on Eggleston, and nets two more for Albany. Eggleston hits right back with a 15-foot fadeaway from the baseline. In the post, Eggleston spins and gets the kiss off the glass. He’s 4-for-4 so far, but that’s getting neutralized by another drive and missed layup by Gaines. Ambrose shows the Penn soph how it’s done with a spinning drive of his own that splits the Penn D for an easy two. Will Harris comes off a pick, gets a pass inside and takes it right to Votel for a lefty layup. Timeout Penn.

11:42 1st Half: Albany 12, PENN 8

Not much else going on. Bernardini commits a reach-in on one end and then draws one from the Danes on the other. So hungry. I have a craving for Wendy’s which would have been satisfied had I actually seen a Wendy’s on the drive down from Montreal. 

12:34 1st Half: Albany 12, PENN 8

Gaines is in for Egee and Turley trades his spot on the bench for Votel’s on the floor. The man defense is working but once again, the Quakers cannot get the box out and Turley fouls Harris as he goes up for the putback. Harris makes both. Cam Lewis is in for Turley and Tommy McMahon comes in for Eggleston. The Great Danes’ Scotty McRae airballs a trey, drawing weak “Airball, Airball” heckles from the Penn contigent. Gaines looks sloppy early on, bricking a shot from the top of the key and later dribbling his way into a double-team and turnover. Bernardini gets a good look from three but misses it, and Rosen creates his own open jumper and also misses. After a run in transition, Bernardini draws a blocking foul but only makes one of two.

15:53 1st Half: Albany 8, PENN 7

Rosen lobs a full-court pass to a streaking Eggleston for an easy transition deuce. The freshman already has two assists. Unfortunately for Penn, Egee picks up his second foul trying to stop a second-chance attempt from Albany.

17:20 1st Half: Albany 6, PENN 5

Penn comes out in a man-to-man but surrenders a drive to Ambrose. Eggleston hits right back with a nice jumper from the elbow off a halfcourt set. On the other end, Connelly, a big man, gets a mismatch against Egee in the post and the Penn guard is forced to foul. Connelly makes both free throws. On the next possession, Rosen makes an aggressive drive to the basket but can’t get the roll on a tough layup. The Quakers’ offense looks good early on, as Rosen finds Votel in the corner for a three.

Brandon Moyse reporting live from Albany, as the Quakers get set to square off against the Great Danes. Albany is coming off a 17-point trouncing of Columbia, while Penn is coming off a 4-hour bus ride from Philly. If you have any ideas where I should eat or what I should do after the game, please leave a comment.

Starters:

PENN:

G Zack Rosen

G Tyler Bernardini

G Kevin Egee

F Jack Eggleston

F Brennan Votel

ALBANY:

G Anthony Raffa

G Tim Ambrose

F Will Harris

F Brian Connelly

C Brett Gifford

FINAL: Drexel 66, Penn 64

Rodgers misses a free throw, keeping it at one possession. Rosen tries to do too much and is forced into a corner where he jacks up a three that falls well short…but he’s fouled. The frosh will go to the line needing to sink all three to tie it up. Rosen misses the first. Makes the second. Lewis comes in to board. Rosen clanks the last, Lewis gets the board, gets it to Votel who has to awkwardly force up a hook that falls short. Game over.

00:14.7 2nd Half — Drexel 65, Penn 63

Neisler misses both and Votel boards it. Rosen runs downcourt and spins, dishing to Egee in the corner who hits nothing but net with a hand in his face. The Red and Blue Crew tells the ref: “You have 15 seconds, try not to fuck this up.” His reponse? “I’ll do my best.”

00:25.1 2nd Half — Drexel 65, Penn 60

Harris makes the second. Belcore flies downcourt and Rosen sets up the offense. Bernardini gets partially blocked on a drive but the ball falls back to him. He’s out of control and under pressure under the basket and Drexel collects the board and a trip to the line.

00:45.9 2nd Half — Drexel 64, Penn 60

After a scramble for the ball, the refs give Drexel possession — and a full shot-clock. Miller is irate as are most of the Penn fans in the crowd. The refs look at the replay and set it to 4, forcing a bad shot from Drexel after the inbounds. But once again, the Dragons clean up the miss and Penn is forced to foul Jamie Harris. Harris misses the first and Miller calls timeout.

1:17 2nd Half — Drexel 64, Penn 60

My browser couldn’t have picked a better time to crash. Oh well. This one’s being played from the foul lines right now, and it’s not impressing ESPN. One of two seems to be the norm.

1:40 2nd Half — Drexel 64, Penn 59

3:07 2nd Half — Drexel 62, Penn 57

Miller wants a walk but instead, Loughery gets called for a foul. The Red and Blue Crew taunts Tribbett at the line, making “Ribbitt” frog-calls. He misses both. Hmmmm…

Votel gets called for his fourth and Tribbett returns to the stripe, and knocks both down. Maybe the “Ribbitt” taunts and him missing were just a coincidence. You decide.

Votel misses two from the line; this has been a pitiful shooting performance from Penn. That said, he skies for an easy lay-in off a miss and Drexel keeps missing shots, keeping it close.

5:23 2nd Half — Drexel 60, Penn 55

Bernardini goes for a sweet up-and-under in the lane after two free throws from Drexel. Hawthorne one-ups him with a drive that culminates in a soft floater off the glass.

7:04 2nd Half — Drexel 56, Penn 50

Hawthorne slows it down and the Dragons start passing up on open three to drive, which is drawing fouls from Penn. Eggleston picks up his fifth and is gone.

7:29 2nd Half — Drexel 56, Penn 50

In a bit of a switch, Bernardini drives and dishes to Eggleston for a three. Meanwhile, Drexel is having a tough time finding the basket, but an Egee airball gives them two points on the other end.

9:51 2nd Half — Drexel 51, Penn 45

Rosen gets his first points as an NCAA athlete, swishing both tries from the line and picks up a board off a Hawthorne miss. Votel steps around his defender on the perimeter and beats him the basket for two. We’re going back and forth for the lead and both the Drexel student and Red and Blue Crew are jumping. But Lewis turns it over and Hawthorne goes the length of the court — and behind his back — to beat Gaines for the hoop and the harm. Votel gets aggressive, posting up and fading away, drawing another foul. But he only makes one and Drexel makes two — not a good equation for Penn.

11:41 2nd Half — Drexel 44, Penn 40

The game is slowing down now. Both teams are missing but neither is getting its transition game going. Gaines’ cold-shooting continues, but Rodgers gets called for his second foul (although Tommy McMahon yells: “Four! That’s four!”). The Dragons are racking up bad fouls now; Penn just needs to get to the line. Drexel slows it down as Penn continues to eat into the its lead. Rosen heads to the line for two.

14:57 2nd Half — Drexel 42, Penn 38

Egee gets another tough two and then a board on the other end. Bernardini slips between Drexel’s bigs and tips in a Rosen miss.

15:38 2nd Half — Drexel 42, Penn 34

Pair of quick fouls on the Dragons and Bernardini comes off a screen at the elbow for his second three of the game. All the calls are going Penn’s way now, as Drexel gets called for a foul on the offensive boards and then another one on defense. Bernardini plays a little give-and-go with Votel, who scores on an easy layup. But Jamie Harris gets open against Penn’s zone and knocks down a three.

17:05 2nd Half — Drexel 39, Penn 29

The Red and Blue Crew’s shot-clock shenanigans may not work, but Penn’s zone finally does, forcing a 35-second violation. But wait, Eggleston is called for a foul as the clock hits 0 and Drexel gets it back, but can’t do anything other than give Penn a transition bucket. The Dragons’ Evan Neisler comes right back with a three-point play. Turley is in now and quickly gets called for a foul. Votel clanks a pair of putbacks and Lewis comes in for Turley.

HALFTIME — Apparently ESPN’s Andy Katz picked Yale to win the Ivy League during the halftime show. Curious where that one’s coming from.

HALFTIME — Drexel 34, Penn 27

A Drexel fan triumphantly waves a trophy with a “33rd Street” sign slapped on it at the Red and Blue crew, who are seated right behind us. Rosen misses the first of a one-and-one. Off a Drexel miss, Egee goes coast to coast and absorbs contact for a tough layup. He follows that up with a three from the corner on the next possession, and the Red and Blue is pumped up. Votel relieves Eggleston while Jamie Harris goes to the line. He makes the first. Gaines continues to be just off with his shots. Tommy McMahon slaps Brennan Votel on the butt as he inbounds, but the good-luck charm doesn’t work — the Quakers are called for a questionable offensive foul, giving the Dragons another trip — now the double-bonus — to the charity stripe. Givens makes one of two. Loughery, who has seen lots of minutes, heads to the line but can’t capitalize on the first of the bonus. With 7.9 left on the clock, Rosen drives down and Eggleston misses a three.

Halftime stats:

Leading scorers

Penn — Kevin Egee, 11

Penn — Brennan Votel, 6

Drexel — Gerald Colds, 8

Drexel — Tramayne Hawthorne, 8

FG pct.: Penn 36.7 (11-30), Drexel 38.2 (13-34)

3-pt pct.: Penn 22.2 (2-9), Drexel 30.8 (4-13)

FT pct.: Penn 37.5 (3-8), Drexel 40.0 (4-10)

Rebounds: Penn 18 (3 offensive), Drexel 25 (8 offensive)

2nd chance points: Penn 2, Drexel 13

3:46 1st Half — Drexel 32, Penn 20

Rodgers slices through Penn’s D, NBA Live-style, for a nice layup. Drexel gets called for its sixth foul, a shooting one, and Votel goes to the line for two. He misses both, and though Bernardini finally gets his first points of the contest, Hawthorne answers with a three and Cofield gets called for a charge going back down the court. This is starting to remind me of last year’s season opener. Eggleston ices both of his free throws, nothing but net on the one-and-one.

7:51 1st Half — Drexel 25, Penn 15

Cam Lewis checks in, presumably to give the Red and Blue more presence on the defensive blocks. He makes an immediate impact, picking up an offensive board and dishing to a driving Gaines for a bucket. Then, Gaines maneuvers through a double-team and goes baseline for another basket. Loose ball foul on the Dragons and Penn is showing signs of life…as I say that, Gaines gets greedy and gets called for a push-off, which gives Drexel a bucket, and then a steal of the subsequent inbounds. Lewis is forced to foul Jamie Harris, who makes both at the line. Rosen comes back in to calm things down and finds Lewis in the post, but his shot is blocked giving the Dragons another transition bucket. Hawthorne gets shaken up and limps off the court, but under his own power. We’ll see if he returns. Cofield comes in for Egee now.

Halftime stats:

10:45 1st Half — Drexel 19, Penn 11

Rob Belcore comes in for Penn. The Quakers’ zone gives Rodgers an open look from downtown, and though he misses, he cleans it up himself for two. Belcore hits a three — against the side of the backboard. Ugly.

11:54 1st Half — Drexel 15, Penn 11

Despite the timeout, Penn’s trapping zone looks like its working…until Hawthorne is found in the corner for a knockdown three. Gaines is back in, now for Rosen; Loughery checks in for his first appearance as well and promptly forces one up from deep in the post.

13:08 1st Half — Drexel 12, Penn 11

Egee comes in for Gaines, who has missed three shots thus far. The Dragons’ man defense is frustrating Bernardini, who hasn’t gotten a look yet. Egge drives baseline for two and then grabs a board on the other end. Bernardini comes off a screen at the top of the key but misses, and Colds makes an open trey in transition. After a nice steal in the post, Penn moves it well and Votel picks up an easy lay-in under the bucket. Penn is ratcheting up the defensive intensity now, as another steal yields an Egee basket. Drexel timeout.

15:33 1st Half — Drexel 9, Penn 5

Penn wins the tip and immediately goes into their high motion offense, giving Eggleston a clear path to the basket. He gets fouled by Tribbett but only makes one. Gerald Colds responds by taking advantage of Penn’s zone for a triple. Rosen forces a shot from the top of the arc and Drexel brings it down the court for two. Bernardini gets called for an offensive foul. Penn looks rushed right now; luckily for it, Drexel is missing shots. Eggleston drives again and makes a nice spin move for an easy layup. Lots of back-and-forth action now but both teams are missing their open shots. Votel misses a block-out and Yannick Formbor puts back an offensive board and draws the and-1.

Brandon Moyse here on a beautiful Tuesday morning for basketball — not that it matters in the quaint confines of the DAC, Penn’s first-ever visit to the Dragons’ home court. We just sat through one of the strangest renditions of the National Anthem this side of Rosanne, and the starting lineups are about to be announced.

PENN:

F Brennan Votel

F Jack Eggleston

G Harrison Gaines

G Zack Rosen

G Tyler Bernardini

Drexel:

G Scott Rodgers

G Gerald Colds

G Jamie Harris

F Kenny Tribbett

F Evan Neisler

Former Penn goalkeeper Danny Cepero was an Ivy standout (0.43 GAA) in his senior season back in Fall ‘06 and got himself drafted by the MLS’ New York Red Bulls’ for his efforts.

What’s he been doing since? Up until last night, not much — Cepero hadn’t seen a minute of action since he was drafted. But over the past week, he and his teammates have made some history, most notably last night.

On Thursday, Red Bulls starting keeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke became the first MLS players to be suspended for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Both were banned for 10 games, thrusting Cepero into the box at Giants’ Stadium for the first time ever last night.

Pundits thought the suspensions would derail New York’s playoff hopes. Instead, Cepero turned in one of the best debuts in soccer history — not only did he look sharp in leading his team to a 3-1 victory over Columbus, but he also became the first goalie in the league’s 13-year history to score a goal. On a free kick in the 83rd minute, Cepero booted the ball well downfield. The high-arcing shot bounced once in front of the Columbus keeper, over his head and into the net. The Baldwin, N.Y., native said afterwards that he was just trying to “put it in the general area with no intention of scoring.”

In the process, he may have Wally Pipped Jon Conway.

(Video of the goal can be found here.)

Anybody who’s ever had to fly out of Terminal F at Philadelphia International knows there’s nothing exciting about it; it’s the worst terminal at one of the worst major airports in North America.

But I finally got just a little bit of excitement there today.

I was just checking in to head on Spring Break (i.e. back home to snowy Montreal) when I turned around and saw Pat Calathes. And Ahmad Nivins. And Tasheed Carr. And yes, Phil Martelli (who I’ve never seen up close in person — he looked a lot younger than in photos or footage).

They were off to Dayton, and there we were, me and the Hawks standing in line at the security checkpoint. I thought it was pretty cool but went on my way.

So I stopped to buy a newspaper and Pat Calathes gets in line behind me. I couldn’t see what he was getting, but he was eyeing a People magazine with a bikini-clad Drew Barrymore on the cover.

I turned around, put my head back to look up (he’s about 6′10″, I’m a little over 5′6″), and congratulated him on the win over Xavier last night. He said thanks.

Then I told him that he really killed Penn when he played us.

He gave a half-smile and chuckle and said: “Yeah…well it’s kind of a rebuilding year over there.”

I’m going to withhold comment in this post and just get to the numbers — the UNC game is already a week-and-a-half old and I didn’t see the Monmouth one. I’m sorry for taking so long to get these up, but it’s been a very busy 10 days for me.

In any case, the first pair of numbers and parentheses is +/- and minutes played from UNC, the second is from Monmouth, and the last number is +/- season total:

Eggleston: -24 (29), +8 (23), -43

Reilly: -21 (18), -2 (26), -48

Bernardini: -31 (31), +3 (28), -38

Grandieri: -31 (25), +12 (32), -56
Gaines: -21 (16), +1 (13), -9
Cohen: -11 (11), +4 (29), -51

Schreiber: -12 (19), +3 (14), -9

Kach: -4 (11), +5 (18), -50

Egee: -9 (17), DNP, -36

Gill: +4 (3), DNP, +4

Monckton: +4 (3), DNP, 0

Cofield: -6 (3), DNP, -21

Lewis: -6 (3), DNP, -16

Votel: +1 (8), DNP, +2

Turley: -8 (3), +12 (17), +2

Not much good to say about this game, other than Bernardini’s shooting clinic and some improved decision-making on Gaines’ part in the second half. Reilly put up a solid 12 points, but grabbed only three boards in 26 minutes; a pathetic number for a forward.

Schreiber’s rebounding was excellent (five boards and three blocks in 14 minutes), but he has serious issues being able to stay in games. It always seems like the games where he puts up good numbers are also the games where he can’t play big minutes because of foul trouble.

Grandieri was just horrendous, and seemed to be forcing the issue on offense too much. Kach came off a great game at Lafayette by going 1-3 with three turnovers (no assists) in 13 minutes.

Yes, ‘Nova is a significantly better team than the Quakers. But Saturday night’s performance was very underwhelming. Penn’s free throw shooting and 2-PT shooting stunk, and the team still cannot deal with pressure from athletic teams.

Here are the +/- numbers. Minutes played are in parentheses and the season total in on the right:

Grandieri: -15 (27) -37

Kach: -20 (13) -51

Votel: +5 (4) +1

Eggleston: -17 (25) -27

Reilly: -18 (26) -25

Gaines: -11 (23) +11

Cohen: -13 (11) -44

Schreiber: -6 (14) 0

Bernardini: -16 (26) -10

Lewis: -13 (6) -10

Turley: -3 (5) -2

Cofield: -5 (4) -15

Egee: +1 (13) -27

Monckton: -4 (3) -4

A couple thoughts after last night’s game at Lafayette:

I am really starting to think that Harrison Gaines is the most important player on the Quakers. Grandieri might know the offense inside and out, but Gaines is the spark that gets everything going. Moreover, he practically cannot be subbed out — at least not until Kevin Egee and Aron Cohen prove they can play defense and control the offense without turning it over. It seems that Gaines’ play — more than that of any other player — is very closely correlated with the Quakers’ success.

Last night, Lafayette tough perimeter defense and good interior help gave Gaines a lot of trouble. He wasn’t able to pass the ball inside with ease and he wasn’t able to use his quickness to get inside. He had an awful game — got beat on defense a few times and made some very poor decisions on offense — but experience is a good teacher.

Just look at Mike Kach. The senior had to face the same perimeter defense that Gaines did and is probably just a little more athletic. But he made the right decisions and was crafty enough to have a great game. He had to create his own shot all game, and when he wasn’t able to, he found the open man and crashed the boards. A great all-around game from him.

Here are the +/- numbers from last night. Minutes played are in parentheses, and the season total is the last number:

Grandieri: -13 (35) -22

Kach: -3 (25) -31

Votel: 0 (3) -4

Eggleston: -8 (31) -10

Reilly: -4 (13) -7

Gaines: -6 (28) +22

Cohen: -3 (15) -31

Schreiber: -2 (6) +6

Bernardini: -4 (25) +6

Lewis: -4 (5) +3

Cofield: -6 (6) -10

Egee: -5 (8) -28

FINAL: Penn 69 Lafayette 81

The inability to take care of the ball and to make meaningful defensive stops again sinks the Quakers. Kach had a nice game for the Quakers with 17, and Grandieri played well too, but the rest of the guard play and perimeter defense was terrible.

0:31.7 2nd Half, Penn 69 Lafayette 81

Eggleston converts inside on a stop-and-go move. Gruner drives inside and gets fouled, continuing the theme of Penn being unable to make any stops or score when they do. The lead is stuck at 12, and this one is just about done. Lafayette is killing the clock and Penn is not fouling.

2:19 2nd Half, Penn 65 Lafayette 80

Cohen hits a trey behind the Grandieri screen, but the Leopards again respond with one of their own. Penn has been unable to stop the three in the second half. What Lafayette missed in the first, it’s making in the second.

3:18 2nd Half, Penn 62 Lafayette 76

Kach hits a nice pull-up in the lane and Penn is somehow still in it, though it’s slipping away with every stop the Quakers fail to make. Gruner hits a two as time on the clock expires.

5:34 2nd Half, Penn 57 Lafayette 73

Yet another easy inside bucket for Lafayette extends this seemingly-endless (because of all of Miller timeouts) run to 18-2. Gaines scores off a third chance, but Brown shoots over him with a Dirk-like semi-spin at the top of the key for two. Grandieri hits a three, but again, Brown answers back.

8:02 2nd Half, Penn 52 Lafayette 65

Bernardini stops the bleeding with a lay-up and-1 on the fastbreak. A missed assignment and Cummins gets open from 23-feet on the wing for a three. Two missed threes by the Leopards, but they get both offensive boards.

9:50 2nd Half, Penn 50 Lafayette 62

Detmer throws down a vicious dunk on the fastbreak after Lafayette picks off a Penn entry pass. Miller is forced to call another TO. 13-0 run now for Lafayette.

10:44 2nd Half, Penn 50 Lafayette 58

Gaines back in for Cohen, and he beats his man in the set all the way from halfcourt for a tricky layup. Eggleston hits only the second three for Penn. Things are starting to go a little more the Quakers’ way, but their good play goes to their heads and they start to rush things and commit a few bad fouls. Brown hits Lafayette’s first three in a while and Cummins follows it right up. Brown triples up again with a pull-up over Egee to cap a 9-0 run in a little over a minute.

15:34 2nd Half, Penn 37 Lafayette 40

Gaines hits a little pull-up from the baseline to start off the half. More penetration and easy dishes for the Leopards, though. A pair of little floaters by Bernardini and Grandieri at the baseline gives Penn its first lead since it was 5-4. Cohen checks in for Gaines, and the Quakers turn it over on offense.

HALFTIME: Penn 29 Lafayette 34

In my opinion, the Quakers are lucky to head into the locker room only down five. Their offense has been completely impotent, and players are having to try really hard to get shots. Nothing easy is coming around the perimeter — everything is coming off the surprisingly good free throw shooting (10-12) and putbacks. Meanwhile, Lafayette is creating turnovers and getting high-percentage shots.

0:23.4 1st Half, Penn 29 Lafayette 34

Nearly one half has elapsed and Penn still cannot disrupt Lafayette’s offense, and the press is giving the Quakers problems as well. Luckily, a foul sends Reilly to the line, and he makes both. Reilly picks up his second foul bumping his man in the lane. Kach gets another two from the line, but fouls his man on the other end.

3:37 1st Half, Penn 17 Lafayette 30

A nice putback by Grandieri off the Lewis foul line miss. Yet another open three for Lafayette, as Penn cannot fight around the picks and movement. Eggleston misses from downtown but crashes the glass to put in his own miss. Grandieri rolls off his man in post for the easy lay-up. Lafayette goes to a full-court press after an inbounds.

7:43 1st Half, Penn 11 Lafayette 21

Without any good motion going, the Quakers are having to generate their own shots. Kach’s athleticism gets him to the line for two. Gaines, Grandieri and Bernardini check back in. More defensive trouble, as the Quakers are again a step too slow.

8:54 1st Half, Penn 9 Lafayette 19

Lewis and Cofield check in for Penn, but Cofield scrambles to try and stop the open three for Gruner — he’s too late. The Quakers continue to struggle on offense, and are unable to get any open shots or cuts, and they turn it over again, the fifth turnover in as many possessions.

11: 09 1st Half, Penn 9 Lafayette 16

Grandieri gets a tough baby hook in the low post. Brown hits a contested trey at the wing for Lafayette. Penn is getting sloppy on offense, turning it over three times on three straight possessions.

12: 44 1st Half, Penn 7 Lafayette 9

Lafayette is using a lot of picks and movement around the perimeter. Penn can’t get anything going on offense, as the Leopards are shutting down the passing lanes and double-teaming effectively on the inside. Mike Kach and Aron Cohen check in. Kach immediately pays off as he goes baseline for a nice pull up and kiss off the glass.

16: 07 1st Half, Penn 5 Lafayette 9

Schmidt takes it inside and gets his own board to open the scoring. Penn moves the ball well in its own set but Bernardini forces up a three that hits the backboard and nothing else. Another offensive board for Lafayette and Cummins tips it in for two. Bernardini gets open for three in the corner and hits it, and then Reilly hits Grandieri on a cut for an easy lay-in. The Quakers are in man defense on the other end, but some miscommunication and Gaines can’t get over to his man in time to stop the three.

Out in Easton, Pa., the Quakers get set to take on the Lafayette Leopards.

Starting lineups:

Penn:

G Brian Grandieri

G Harrison Gaines

F Tyler Bernardini

F Jack Eggleston

F Justin Reilly

Lafayette:

G Michael Gruner

G Paul Cummins

G Andrew Brown

F Everest Schmidt

C Matt Betley

Was I the only person left wondering why Remy Cofield only saw three minutes of action against the Midshipmen after putting up 20 points in 19 minutes against Virginia? I wasn’t expecting him to start — after all, you can’t really replace Gaines, Grandieri, or Bernardini at this point — but I did think he would get 12-17 minutes again.

I’m also a little baffled by Andreas Schreiber’s brief appearance. The starter has been yanked early in the past due to foul trouble, but he wasn’t in any on Saturday. However, he only saw four minutes, and had zero shot attempts, zero turnovers, two boards and a block. And while Reilly was playing well and deserved to stay in, Miller seemed to be avoiding Schreiber, subbing in combinations of the ineffective Votel, Lewis, and Turley.

At this point, though, I’m just going to have to trust Miller on these two. But it was nice to see an unheralded and relatively unpolished recruit (Cofield) show so much early promise.

On to the +/- numbers. As usual, parentheses indicate minutes played and the final figure is the season +/-.

Grandieri: +5 (38) -9

Kach: -9 (15) -28

Votel: -10 (11) -4

Eggleston: +10 (21) -2

Reilly: +11 (31) -3

Gaines: +21 (29) +28

Cohen: -12 (7) -28

Schreiber: +1 (4) +8

Bernardini: +6 (32) +10

Lewis: +1 (3) +7

Turley: +1 (2) +1

Cofield: -5 (3) -4

Egee: -5 (4) -23

Penn turned what looked like a potentially catastrophic blowout into a very respectable 15-point loss — but most of that comeback came during garbage time. From 2:30 left in the second half, the Quakers chomped 9 points out of Virginia’s 24-point lead.

It’s worth noting that Votel played his only two minutes during that stretch, and  that Lewis was in for the whole run.

That said, here are the numbers. Minutes played are in parentheses, and the season +/- is the last number:

Grandieri: -22 (26) -14

Kach: -4 (12) -19

Votel: +9 (2) +6

Eggleston: -19 (32) -12

Reilly: -8 (15) -14

Gaines: -6 (31)  +7

Cohen: -9 (10) -16

Schreiber: -8 (18) +8

Bernardini: -7 (20) +4

Cofield: +5 (19) +1

Egee: -2 (3) -18

Lewis: +6 (12) +6