Penn men’s basketball took a circuitous — and fortuitous — path to victory in its first game without Ethan Roberts.
The Quakers (6-4) started hot against Lafayette, building an early 16-point lead. But then the offense stagnated, the Leopards began to hit shots and Penn needed a favorable whistle (or lack thereof) and one last stop to escape with a 74-72 win at the Palestra Monday evening.
The Leopards (3-8) were deprived of a chance to get the game’s final shot while trailing only by one point after the referees incorrectly ruled that a mid-range jumper from forward TJ Power hit the rim. Instead of being hit with a shot clock violation, the Quakers were able to corral the offensive rebound thanks to a winning play from forward Lucas Lueth.
Cam Thrower was fouled with 4.7 seconds on the clock and split a pair of free throws; Lafayette’s Mark Butler was able to get off a desperation attempt at a game-tying layup just before the buzzer sounded, but a good contest from forward Augustus Gerhart helped force the shot offline.
The Quakers may have gotten a little lucky, but you never apologize for winning. Penn fans will have plenty to contemplate about the state of the team heading into its finals break, starting with how …
Penn’s offense desperately misses Roberts’ skills as a slasher.
The most encouraging moment of Monday’s game came when Penn’s broadcast team described Roberts as “none the worse for wear” after his scary injury in Saturday’s Big 5 title game against Villanova. The senior wing was not on the bench, and the team has not disclosed the specific nature of his injury.
Roberts’ long-term health comes first and foremost, but you can’t blame Penn fans for wanting him back sooner rather than later. He’s the team’s most reliable source of dribble penetration and the only non-forward currently capable of finishing at the rim. Guards Cam Thrower, Dylan Williams and AJ Levine (who was good overall) combined to shoot 2-for-12 from two-point distance.
The Quakers had a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (18 helpers compared to just nine giveaways) but finished scoring just 1.03 points per possession, according to KenPom. That’s because far too many possessions ended with contested midrange shots.
The 12-day break between Monday and Penn’s next game against Big Ten opponent Rutgers gives Roberts a chance to heal up. It couldn’t have come at a better time.
Penn’s bigs imposed their will.
Forwards Gerhart and Dalton Scantlebury were Penn’s biggest offensive plus factors on Monday night. Gerhart finished with a career-high 15 points and earned KenPom game MVP honors with an offensive rating of 156 points per 100 possessions.
Scantlebury nearly matched Gerhart, putting up 14 points on nine shots. The duo combined 12-for-16 from the field.
It was nice to see both Gerhart and Scantlebury use their size to their advantage against a less athletic opponent. Both were able to finish with confidence through contact.
Scantlebury in particular looks like an intriguing offensive prospect. I am not going so far as to compare the freshman to AJ Brodeur, but Scantlebury showed off a Brodeuresque dropstep to free himself up for an easy layup at one point in the second half.
If the Quakers get to the point where they can reliably chuck the ball to Gerhart and Scantlebury in the low post and expect points, the offense will reach another level.
Lucas Lueth will be a major x-factor.
Lueth’s playing time trended upwards throughout the course of the season; the sophomore juco transfer logged a season-high 26 minutes off the bench on Monday.
There are areas of the forward’s game which are a clear work in progress. Lueth is struggling with his outside shot and is just 2-for-13 from distance on the season. You don’t want to discourage Lueth from taking a shot he thinks he can make, but it’s not working consistently right now.
There are moments, though, where Lueth is able to display some next-level athleticism. He had a vicious two-handed dunk in the post and added another easy finish at the rim after he skied to collect a high alley-oop pass.
On the defensive end of the floor, Lueth had steals on two consecutive possessions in the first half. He made a slick pass while lying on the floor after the first takeaway to set Scantlebury up for an easy dunk.
Lueth also added his eighth block of the season; his block rate ranks inside the top-200 nationally, per KenPom.
The bottom line is that Lueth has an NBA-level body and motor. Give him multiple years in coach Fran McCaffery’s system and he can become a force.