Penn pounds Lafayette by 30 at Palestra

Penn basketball's offensive output Tuesday night included Devon Goodman's creativity with the ball leading to easy points at the rim. The junior also hit a few shots from deep.

Antonio Woods, the senior guard who tweaked his knee in a win Friday over Rice, scored from inside and out.

Starting forwards AJ Brodeur and Max Rothschild were more than effective in the post. Early on in the second half, Rothschild even found his partner with a nifty behind-the-back pass in the paint for a lay-in.

And, most important, there was help from the young guys and the bench, too.

Add it all up and the Quakers had little problem improving to 3-0 in a runaway 91-61 win over Lafayette at the Palestra.

For coach Steve Donahue, the action Tuesday proved what he already knew: Even without sharpshooting leading scorer Ryan Betley, Penn has plenty of ways to beat you, and Goodman and Woods are more than capable of handling the scoring load in the backcourt.

"Penn is a unique place in a sense that we've had these guys in our program a long time and they've been willing to accept whatever role," Donahue said. "And what you don't see is the development from Dev Goodman. He's a junior. I think he's one of the better guards in the league. He's just getting an opportunity now."

Goodman poured in a game-high 16 points on an efficient 7 of 11 from the field. He was plus-37, too.

Regarding players getting opportunities, the same could be said, Donahue remarked, about sophomore Jarrod Simmons, who barely played last year. The 6-foot-8 wing scored 11 points in 14 minutes, including 2 of 3 shooting from deep Tuesday night. Freshman Bryce Washington, now a starter, flashed scoring ability from deep and off the dribble, finishing with eight points.

"We're going to miss Ryan," Donahue said. "This is part of the transition. But I'm also confident that we have other pieces that can make us even better in certain ways."

Woods scored 14 points on eight shots. Brodeur tallied 10 on 5-of-9 shooting and Rothschild added nine points and six rebounds. Twelve Quakers scored points and 10 players played at least 10 minutes.

Next up for Penn is a trip to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam tournament. The Quakers play Northern Iowa on Friday night. A win over the Panthers would likely have Penn seeing 12th-ranked Kansas State, a defensive juggernaut that would surely put that scoring depth to the test.

"If you want to be good down in March, this is where you really get tested to see if you're really worth it," Donahue said. "I hope I come back and have a really good understanding of where we're at."