Staying neck-and-neck with the winless Highlanders, another embarrassing defeat for the Quakers seemed a possibility tonight. But Penn proved to be the better squad with a solid second half.

Final: 79-68 Penn An Eggleston alley-oop slam from Bernardini puts the exclamation point on the win for Penn.

1:09: 76-66 Penn Penn builds its lead off the patented alley-oop jumper from Grandieri from the inbound pass. After two NJIT free throws, Gaines hits a short jumper. Wilson responds though with a nice dip-and-dive to the bucket. A Grandieri layup seemed to seal the game for Penn, but NJIT once again responds with a basket. Things are looking good for a Quakers’ victory though.

2:37: 70-60 Penn NJIT cut the lead to single digits twice more, but each time Penn responded with two free throws to maintain the double-digit lead.

3:56: 66-56 Penn A Peters layup cut the Penn lead to single digits, but two Turley free throws maintained the ten-point advantage for the Quakers. It looked as if Penn would run away with the game but the Highlanders are hanging tough.

5:02 64-54 Penn Another Lewis basket extends the Penn lead to 11. He is exuding confidence on both ends of the floor. The fouls are piling up for NJIT as both Garris and Milosevic have fouled out. Penn is really in control now after a Bernardini layup following another Highlanders turnover.
8:43: 59-50 Penn Action is starting to heat up as the teams trade and-one layups. First Peters got inside and hit a tough one after being fouled by Bernardini. Lewis came right back for Penn with a nice layup of his own. He missed the FT but Bernardini got the rebound and was fouled . The two FTs and another tough layup by Lewis give Penn its biggest lead.

11:26: 50-47 Penn Lyn converts on a layup after a nice drive to cut the Penn lead down to three. On the next NJIT possession some confusion occurs as the referee bails out the Highlanders with a timeout that was apparently never called.

13:09: 49-43 Penn After the teams traded baskets inside, Peters hit a short jumper for NJIT. Gaines came back down the other end and wowed the crowd with a sweet behind-the-back dribble and feed inside to Reilly for the layup. Garris hit a three for NJIT but Bernardini, who has been very quiet, answered with a three of his own two possessions later.

2nd Half: 15:30: 40-36 Penn Penn opens the second half with its original starting lineup and begins with a nice entry pass from Lewis to Grandieri, who was fouled. He missed the FTs but Eggleston got the board and layed it in. Epps responded with a three from the wing for the Highlanders, followed by an acrobatic up-and-under by Wilson to give NJIT its first lead since halfway through the first. Two Egee free-throws and a Grandieri three from the corner regains the lead for Penn.

First Half Statistics:

Points Leaders: Penn - Grandieri (11), NJIT - Milosevic (9)

Rebounds Leaders: Penn - Lewis (7), NJIT - Peters (4)

FGs: Penn - 11-23 (47.8%), NJIT - 10-29 (34.5%)

Rebounds: Penn - 17 (11 offensive), NJIT - 17 (9 offensive)

Turnovers: Penn - 12, NJIT - 13

FTs: Penn - 7-13, NJIT - 4-5

At the Half: 31-27 Penn Brian Grandieri is starting to find his game after two short jumpers on consecutive Penn possessions. The second came after some beautiful ball movement from the Quakers. Two possessions later, Grandieri hit another from short range. A Justin Garris short jumper and Brendon Lyn fast break layup kept the game tight. Gaines is apparently healthy after playing the final ten minutes of the frame.

3:41: 24-22 Penn Turley and Kyle Edwards traded baskets inside on consecutive possessions. Both offenses are looking better and the game is starting to become much less sloppy.

4:47: 22-20 Penn
NJIT cut into the lead with a ferocious fast break dunk by Milosevic. Penn answered with an and-one short jumper by Turley. The Highlanders immediately responded though with a 3 from the corner by Epps.

7:44: 19-15 Penn Lewis continues to show his athleticism, but also his youth. A few possessions after ripping down an offensice board and connecting on a smooth hook shot, he was called for an illegal screen. Later Gaines connected on a nice cross-court pass to Grandieri, who converted the layup.

9:34: 15-13 Penn Justin Garris converted a four-point play after getting fouled on a 3 to give NJIT its first lead. Cam Lewis continues his spirited play with another strong rebound and a nice entry pass to Eggleston, who nearly converted on a 3-point play. Harrison Gaines has entered the game for Penn.

11:43: 11-9 Penn After entering for Eggleston, Justin Reilly picked up two fouls in a matter of seconds and was immediately sent back to the bench in favor of Conor Turley. NJIT’s Tyler Epps hit a three to alleviate a struggling Highlanders’ offense. On the next possession Kraig Peters converted a fast break layup off a Penn turnover. Penn has been sloppy with the ball but NJIT has helped them out with 8 team fouls already, putting the Highlanders over the limit.

1st Half: 15:52: 8-2 Penn After the teams traded baskets, Bernardini and Grandieri hit 3’s on consecutive possessions to give Penn an early six point lead. Cameron Lewis has been active early, already getting a couple rebounds and a block.

As we get under way, an initial surprise that neither Aron Cohen nor Harrison Gaines are in the starting lineup. Kevin Egee is running the point instead. Both Harrison Gaines and Brennan Votel, who had been injured are dressed, but Mike Kach is in street clothes.

Starting Lineups

Penn:
F Jack Eggleston
F Cameron Lewis
F Tyler Bernardini
G Kevin Egee
G Brian Grandieri

NJIT:
G Kraig Peters
F Nesho Milosevic
C Dan Stonkus
G Tyler Epps
G Jheryl Wilson

Rob Gross live at the Palestra here to bring you updates of the Penn-NJIT game. Stay tuned for updates throughout the night.

Welcome to The Pavillion, as the Penn Quakers (2-5) gets set to do battle with the 21st-ranked Villanova Wildcats (4-1). The starting lineups can be found at the end of this post.

FINAL: Villanova 87, Penn 61

The Quakers played a better second half, but it really didn’t matter. Villanova let back on the press and coasted to a 26-point victory.

0:31 to go in the 2nd, Villanova 86, Penn 59 

Frank Tchuisi tries to dunk on Bernardini, but gets fouled. Then Fisher hits a three to widen the gap a little more.

Another guy from the depths of the bench, Jason Colenda, comes in and the Villanova crowd goes crazy. They chant “it’s all over.” It’s certainly been  over for quite some time now. Now a “hey, hey, hey, goodbye”

David Whitehurst was sitting in the first row behind the bench, and even he is gone now.

4:06 to go in the 2nd, Villanova 81, Penn 56

Bernardini hits a couple from the line, but Villanova isn’t going to be stopped on the other end. Gaines fouls Reynolds, and that’s his fourth.

5:27 to go in the 2nd, Villanova 74, Penn 54

Gaines hits a three, but Penn is still down by a whole lot. Reilly hits yet another three, though. Villanova took off the press, and Penn has really been able to slow it down on the offensive end.

Schreiber fouls an and-1, and he’s gone.

7:10 to go in the 2nd, Villanova 73, Penn 47

Reilly, probably the second-best three-point shooter on this team, hits from deep in the corner.

Former NBA coach Larry Brown is in attendance. Sitting in the front row, he catches an errant pass.

Bernardini, back in the game, finally misses a three. Cunningham is starting to get it going (he didn’t score in the first half) as he gets a couple baskets to go inside.

9:39 to go in the 2nd, Villanova 69, Penn 43

Kach has really woken up this half, as he not only started playing defense, but gets a transition and-1. Votel now gets a nice block, and Gaines finishes off a tough layup.

Egee gets pushed in the back, and Penn is nearly in the double-bonus. Egee hits two though, and Penn’s down only 22 now. Cunningham takes a nice feed for a dunk, though, and Egee forces up a blocked shot amongst the trees.

The theme tonight is, for some reason, Christmas. The Wildcat mascot has a Christmas hat on, and the “fan of the game” is wearing Christmas lights.

11:58 to go in the 2nd, Villanova 64, Penn 37

If only the Quakers could shoot free throws… Reilly is fouled, but misses the one-and-one. Yes, it’s seven minutes in and Villanova has as many fouls.

Egee hits Votel inder the basket, but gets rejected by Pena. Egee returns the favor, though, by rejecting Reynolds on the other end of the floor.

It is absurd how many contests the Pavillion has during each break. There was a half-court shot for a 2-year lease on a Range Rover, a few more shooting contests and even a golf contest. The winner of the golf event got a free Taylor Made driver and bag. Good stuff.

13:55 to go in the 2nd, Villanova 64, Penn 37

Reynolds makes a nasty move in the lane, but Reilly answers with a nice pass from Gaines. 

Kach gets blown past by Fisher, but Schreiber throws the weak shot into the second row. He’s been replaced int he starting lineup by Reilly, but is still a valuable piece on the inside for his defense.

Now, Bernardini hits a fourth three in a row, but Reynolds answers with one of his own.

15:54 to go in the 2nd, Villanova 55, Penn 31

Gaines twice drives and twice hits Bernardini for a wide open three, one in each corner. These two have hooked up a bunch in the second half of previous games this year.

The Quakers stayed in the locker room for a real long time, perhaps a nice little tongue-lashing.

Grandieri gets blocked real bad bu Cunningham, but Bernardini hits yet another three, he’s drained three now in the first three minutes of the half.

Cunningham finally ends the scoring drought for the Wildcats with a two over Reilly.

______

Halftime Stats

Penn is shooting 6-23 from the field, and 2-10 from beyond the arc. The Quakers have 20 turnovers, compared to Villanova’s 10. The leading scorer for Penn is Grandieri, with 6 points. Bernardini has 5, and Gaines has 4. Eggleston has played 18 minutes, more than anyone else on Penn. Gaines and Cohen have each played 10 minutes, Kach has played 8 minutes, Bernardini also played 10 minutes, Reilly played 12 minutes, and Grandieri played 14 minutes.

Villanova is doing everything right, shooting 18-30 from the field and 6-11 from beyond the arc. Scottie Reynolds put up 14 in the first half in only 10 minutes of action, while Corey Fisher had 13. Pena chipped in 9 points and had 5 boards.

Also, in a shocker, Harvard came away with the victory at Michigan, 62-51. Quite a homecoming for Amaker. And the brilliant security at Villanova has finally decided to close the gym doors, meaning we’re back to a normal temperature. This game was pretty much over from the minute it tipped off. Let’s see if Penn can close the margin a little bit here in the 2nd.

Halftime, Villanova 53, Penn 22

Just for fun, Jay Wright put Corey Fisher back in at the end of the first half, and he swished a 3 immediately. When he was in the game this half, he played outstandingly, as did Pena, Scottie Reynolds and Malcolm Grant. There are simply no weaknesses in this Villanova team, and it has demonstrated incredible depth. We’ll be back in just a bit with the halftime stats - they’re not going to be pretty to look at if you’re a Penn fan.
1:48 to go in the 1st, Villanova 48, Penn 22

At this point, it’s worth noting that Villanova is playing a lot of its reserves right now. Penn has Remy Cofield in the game to provide some much needed athleticism - Cofield just went up strong for a tough layup to cut Nova’s lead to 26. Still, Nova’s lead is 26 without Reynolds out on the floor, and it looks like the Wildcats bench could beat up on just about anyone in the Ivy League. Where are Mark Zoller and Ibby Jaaber when you need them?

3:47 to go in the 1st, Villanova 44, Penn 20

Brian Grandieri is starting to get the Quakers going a little bit. With Kevin Egee in the game, Penn finally managed to set up the offense successfully, and Egee found Grandieri wide open in the left corner for a 3. At the other end, Grandieri stole a pass and took it the other way, drawing the foul. Penn is still having a very tough time rebounding the basketball, but it’s starting to play a bit better. The Quakers’ interior defense hasn’t been terrible in the past few minutes either.

In other news, Harvard is giving Michigan a good game in Tommy Amaker’s return to Michigan, and Drexel got destroyed by Creighton.

7:19 to go in the 1st, Villanova 44, Penn 15

Even when Penn plays well on defense, Villanova still manages to get to the basket and score. After Bernardini blocked Fisher, Villanova got it right back off the inbound, set up a play, and got to the line for a pair of free throws. Harrison Gaines can’t get much going for Penn right now - again, no one on Penn is showing any signs of life. Malcolm Grant is starting to heat up for Nova. He just had an absolutely ridiculous crossover dribble move and drove the lane for a reverse layup. There’s a reason Villanova’s ranked 21st in the country. They are playing outstanding basketball right now. We might have cheesesteaks before the end of the 1st half at this rate.

On a separate note, Penn’s band is here, but they’re isolated in the rafters of a packed Pavillion. You can barely hear them. It’s also absolutely freezing in this gym, as they’ve left the doors open on what is a very chilly night in Philadelphia. Penn certainly isn’t making it any warmer in here.

10:00 to go in the 1st, Villanova 35, Penn 10

Penn is playing terribly, and Villanova is playing unbelievably. Corey Fisher has been lighting it up from downtown, hitting two consecutive threes to extend Villanova’s lead. Penn just can’t get set on the offensive end, and defensively, it is no match for the more athletic and talented Wildcats. Penn has now gone to a press of its own and managed to force a turnover and score off of it to get into double digits. Nobody is stepping up for Penn, and the Quakers are turning the ball over left and right, from bad passes to a carrying violation on Aron Cohen.

13:01 to go in the 1st, Villanova 21, Penn 4

Cam Lewis had a nice block inside, but then he couldn’t handle the ball in trying to break Villanova’s press, turning the ball over. Now Antonio Pena is taking over for the Wildcats. He just threw down an emphatic dunk in Cam Lewis’ face to give the Cats a 20-4 lead. This is getting ugly. On the previous possession, Pena knocked down a 3 - he can play inside and outside. After the dunk, Miller called a timeout to talk things over. Penn is really struggling with Nova’s press. Now Scottie Reynolds is back in the game, and Andreas Schreiber is in for Cam Lewis.

15:59 to go in the 1st, Villanova 13, Penn 3

Scottie Reynolds has been nothing short of dominant in the early going, scoring Villanova’s first seven points. Penn is having a tough time putting up with Villanova’s constant pressure, and the Quakers are turning the ball over frequently. The only bright spot thus far for Penn was a nice dribble move by Harrison Gaines, who freed himself up to hit a midrange jumper . Mike Kach just got stuffed by Dante Cunningham. Aron Cohen is now running the point, and Cameron Lewis is in as well.

Penn

G Tyler Bernadini
G Harrison Gaines
G Brian Grandieri
F Jack Eggleston
F Justin Reilly

Villanova

G Scottie Reynolds
G Corey Fisher
G Reggie Redding
F Dante Cunningham
C Casiem Drummond

A great first win for the Quakers, who looked fantastic on offense, but against a Citadel squad that has 13 freshmen on the roster, we shouldn’t crown them yet. Penn’s defense was better, but not yet at the level it should be.

The starting line-up of Gaines, Grandieri, Bernardini, Eggleston and Schreiber worked wonders. I’d like to calculate their +/-’s Brandon Moyse style and get those up on the buzz later. Kach played well also, knocking down some big shots. Gaines’ poise and Bernardini’s shooting and defense were very impressive tonight.

FINAL: Penn 93, Citadel 77

Bernardini brings the ball back around despite having a clear dunk up 19, a classy move. But then in a less-than-chivalrous move, the Bulldogs foul him.

A couple garbage threes and a foul with 5 seconds to go down 17 (???) and this game is done.

Penn 87, Citadel 71, 1:52 2nd Half

Penn breaks the press despite maybe a hold on the screen, and Kach heads to the line for 1-and-1. Not sure that was a purposeful reach-in though. He’s solid, hitting both.

The Hey Song goes one verse too long here, as some fans try to drag it along.

Grandieri hits his FTs, and The Citadel are kept beyond arms length.

Penn 83, Citadel 68, 2:37 2nd Half

I get word now that Gaines has 11 assists, but he’s out of the game for Cohen, so Begley’s record should stand another day.

It’s borderline premature up 15 with 2:40 to go, but the Red and Blue Crew gets off it’s first Hey Song of the year. It’s such a tiny crowd, but when Penn students have been waiting eight months they can make this thing loud.

Penn 82, Citadel 66, 2:53 2nd Half

After Penn attacked the zone with penetration and shot well

Gaines might have a double-double by now in points and assists he makes another hard layup in traffic. He has just gotten better as the game has gone on. The Penn record is 13 by Tim Begley for assists in a game, and Gaines must be close to this mark.

Bernardini hits another three and Eggleston is silky-smooth from a step inside the line. Gaines realizes he’s a point guard though, airballing a three.

Just as it looked like a game again, Eggleston puts in an absurd bank in traffic that he brought up from his chest.

Penn 73, Citadel 58, 7:07 2nd Half

Good ball movement by The Citadel gets an open three in the corner. Then lone senior Demetrius Nelson picks up an and-1 on another useless reach-in under the basket from Grandieri, his third foul.

Matt Clark nails a three, as Miller gets a timeout, barking at Justin Reilly as he didn’t get out nearly fast enough on defense.

Now, Nelson gets in for yet another and-1, and the lead is sliced down to 11.

Now the core line-up is back in the game. Kind of surprisingly consisting of Grandieri, Eggleston, Gaines, Andreas Schreiber and Mike Kach, who came off the bench for Bernardini, who’s been good as well.

These guys are electric compared to other units. Kach hits a giant three to go up 14, and then some solid defensive possessions anchored by Schreiber on defense see the Red and Blue up 16.

Grandieri commits a foul, though, his fourth. That’s big.

Penn 66, Citadel 46, 11:56 2nd Half

Penn players been diving on the floor and hustling a little extra.

Gaines is oblivious for a few seconds, but eventually finds a wide-open Jack Eggleston for the layup.

Wow, Gaines now feeds Tyler Bernardini, who is closing in on Brian Grandieri as the leading screr today. Bernardini hadn’t been shooting very well thus far this year, but he’s been en fuego tonight. He misses a jumper and then gets a charge for his fourth foul, though.

But referee Joe DeMayo throws it back the other way as Aron Cohen draws a charge. He’s going to have to step it up or else Gaines will take this starting PG job for good.

Penn 61, Citadel 41, 14:41 2nd Half

Gaines drives yet again for a tough layup, and the Quakers’ lead is up to 20. I’m not going to jinx them an say it’s over, though, the Bulldogs can hit threes if needed.

Penn 59, Citadel 41, 15:20 2nd Half

Alright, the Buzz is back, as the internet access is apparently as old as this building. But it’s back on, and I’ll get the updates movin again.

The Quakers start the second half off in a storm, as Harrison Gaines drove for a layup and then dished for two assists. He’s been playing a very good game. He’s shooting too many jumpers for Miller’s liking, but other than that he’s been pretty solid.

Halftime: Penn 45, The Citadel 35

Penn played a very strong first half offensively and has shown tremendous improvement breaking the press. Grandieri leads Penn with 14 points. Michael Kach chipped in nine of his own, and freshman Tyler Bernardini has eight. Bernardini has also looked very sharp on the defensive end, with two steals.

The Citadel is led by Austin Dahn, who is 3-4 from downtown and leads all scorers with 15 points. One of Dahn’s threes was a 27-footer from way beyond the arc. Penn’s only real weakness has been on defense, where it has given up too many easy buckets inside to the Citadel. Sorry for the lack of internet connection, but we’ll try to keep you updated throughout the night if the wireless comes back.