Penn beats Lafayette

The Penn Quakers know it's wise to be on high alert when Zack Rosen is running their offense because he finds his teammates when they're open, and sometimes when they're not. Otherwise, he frequently finds a way to score himself.

The junior point guard and preseason pick by some to be Ivy League player of the year brought his splendid all-around game against Lafayette Tuesday at the Palestra, and the Quakers benefited with a 74-65 win.

The win evened Penn's record at 2-2 while the Leopards dropped to 1-4.

Penn was a different team in the second half, one that played tighter defense and more efficient offense. The result was a 54-45 lead after a 14-2 run. Penn got contributions from everyone, and used their muscular frontcourt to control play under the basket.

The Quakers also showed more commitment to defense after Lafayette had made 15 of 23 shots in the first half. During one stretch in the second half, Lafayette went 7 minutes, 49 seconds between field goals.

Lafayette, which began the night winless in 21 games against Penn at the Palestra, got 10 first-half points from senior Jared Mintz for a 36-29 lead at the break.

The Quakers had to be concerned about the Leopards' Jim Mower, a sharpshooting junior guard from St. Joseph's Prep who scored 21 points against them in last season's 77-62 Lafayette win in Easton. In that game, Mower torched Penn with six three-point baskets. Last season, the 6-foot-3 Mower ranked third in the nation in three-point shooting at 46.5 percent.

For much of the half, Mower's teammates had a difficult time getting him the ball because he was closely guarded by 6-6 junior Rob Belcore. When Belcore got a breather, it was freshman Miles Cartwright's turn to guard Mower, who was able to squeeze off only three shots in the first 20 minutes. Two of them dropped through the net from three-point distance, including one that gave Lafayette a 26-24 lead and kick-started a 10-2 run.

Early in the game, Penn struggled to find open shots against Lafayette's 2-3 zone. But Rosen solved that problem with crisp passes that set up the Quakers' first four baskets.

The Leopards, who took a 45-point beating from Villanova in their previous game, made a remarkable 65.3 percent (15 for 23) of their shots and got assists on 12 of their 15 baskets. They made 5 of 7 three-point attempts.

Penn's defense forced nine turnovers and the Quakers converted them into 13 points, but Lafayette's bench was more productive, outscoring Penn, 10-6.

In recent days, it was like old home week for Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon. The Philly native was an assistant coach at Penn under Fran Dunphy from 1989 to '95, which covers the years Allen starred for the Quakers. On Saturday night, O'Hanlon was honored by Villanova, his alma mater. He was presented with a framed jersey with his No. 22.

Penn was coming off back-to-back losses to Manhattan and Drexel.