Augustus Gerhart

Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s Cathedral Classic loss to Hofstra

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Playing its third game in a three-day span, Penn men’s basketball simply ran out of gas against one of the better teams it will face this season.

Penn shot a grisly 32% from the field in a 77-60 home loss to Hofstra that rounded out the fourth edition of the Cathedral Classic.

Penn (5-3) managed to hold a two-point halftime lead against the Pride (5-3) that disappeared within the first minute of the second frame. Hofstra drained some shots and generated a modicum of offensive flow, while the Red and Blue struggled to play with pace and generate open looks.

Any chance the Quakers had at a comeback died shortly after the under-eight media timeout. Sophomore forward Lucas Lueth missed a free throw that would have pulled Penn within nine of Hofstra. Though senior wing Ethan Roberts corralled the offensive rebound, the Quakers couldn’t get a shot off and committed a shot clock violation.

At the other end of the floor, Penn got an initial stop, but Hofstra’s German Plotnikov drained a killer three after an offensive rebound. What could have been a four-point possession wound up as a three-point swing in the opposite direction.

The Quakers will surely be watching Monday night’s contest between Temple and Villanova to find out their opponent in the Big 5 title game next Saturday. Until then, they’ll be thinking about how …

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Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s Cathedral Classic win over Merrimack

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Penn started its three-day homestand for the Cathedral Classic off right Friday with a convincing 77-65 win over Merrimack — even if it didn’t play out the way Quakers fans might have expected.

The Quakers’ (4-2) offense looked stagnant and disjointed for long stretches, clearly disrupted by the Warriors’ (2-5) aggressive 2-3 zone. Instead of folding, though, the Quakers found another way to win.

Instead of relying on finesse and outside shooting, Penn won by exploiting a size mismatch and physically overpowering Merrimack. The Warriors are one of the shortest teams in Division I, with no rotation player standing taller than 6-foot-8.

The Quakers responded by scoring 50 points in the paint and a plud-14 rebound margin. They took control of the game with a 10-0 run late in the first which flipped a 30-25 deficit into a 35-30 edge; an inside finish from forward TJ Power off a slick feed from fellow big Augustus Gerhart gave Penn the lead for good.

What could Quakers fans take away from a successful afternoon?

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Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s 33rd Street thrashing of Drexel

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PHILADELPHIA — Penn’s first Big 5 game was thrilling. Its second was a killing.

The Quakers physically dominated Drexel from the opening tip on Friday night and never trailed en route to an 84-68 win over the Dragons at nearby Daskalakis Athletic Center. The victory ensures that Penn (3-2, 2-0 Big 5) will face either Villanova or Temple for the Big 5 title on Dec. 6.

Penn’s stat sheet was littered with green flags. Unfazed by efforts from Drexel (2-4, 0-2) efforts to slow the game down, the Quakers shot 59.4% inside the arc, held the Dragons to 1.01 points per possession, had 15 assists on 27 made baskets and finished with a plus-7 rebounding margin (40-33).

Three-pointers by senior guard Cam Thrower on consecutive possessions — the last of which came while Thrower was shooting on one good leg after rolling his ankle — extended the Quakers’ lead to 17 points midway through the second half and effectively ended the game.

Penn has now strung together back-to-back impressive (and winning) performances as both KenPom and Vegas underdogs. It’s fair to wonder how far ahead of schedule Penn is in its first year under new coach Fran McCaffery after …

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Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s big Big 5 win over Saint Joseph’s

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PHILADELPHIA — With 15:51 to play last night, Penn held a 48-46 lead at the Palestra on Saint Joseph’s and former coach Steve Donahue. The Quakers entered Monday as a six-point underdog, but the small lead clearly wasn’t enough for Penn coach Fran McCaffery — or anyone on the bench, for that manner.

One benefit of my seats behind the scorer’s table is that I can pick up bits and pieces of what’s said on the Penn bench or in the huddle. You can see players get coached up as they come off the floor, or hear an assistant demanding someone on the court cut or help.

I didn’t pick up a ton of what McCaffery was saying during that timeout, but one sentence aimed at the Hawks came through perfectly clear.

“They ****ing can’t defend!”

A few minutes later, Penn proved its new coach right. A 5-0 Penn run — capped by a wing three from Ethan Roberts in transition — would force Saint Joseph’s into a timeout and help lift the Quakers to a thrilling 83-74 win.

Penn (2-2, 1-0 Big 5) was physically overwhelmed by Saint Joseph’s (2-2, 1-1) on the same floor last year, the first big red flag in a season that got Donahue fired. Not so on Monday. The Quakers put up 1.11 points per possession and played at times brilliant offense against an ostensibly superior opponent.

Where do they go from here?

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Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s loss at Providence

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For about 30 minutes or so Tuesday night, Penn men’s basketball put forth a competitive showing at heavily favored Providence, hanging in there against its Big East opponent using a combination of excellent outside shooting and opportunistic turnovers.

But it was obvious that the Quakers’ defensive dam would eventually break, and break it did. The Friars wound up crossing the century mark in a 106-81 win at the arena now affectionately known as “The AMP” (Amica Mutual Pavilion).

The biggest individual swing came when junior forward TJ Power missed three free throws midway through the second half when he had a chance to cut the Penn (1-2) deficit to just 10 points. Providence (2-1) responded with a corner three after the string of misses, a six-point swing.

Penn’s offensive charge was led by senior wing Michael Zanoni, who dropped in a career-high 30 points. His performance was Penn’s biggest highlight in an evening that had moments of brilliance, frustration and everything in between.

The matchup with Providence — one of the better teams Penn will face all year — exposed the Quakers’ biggest weaknesses and showcased their strengths.

So where exactly does Penn stand after playing three games in five days?

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Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s 74-72 win versus Lafayette

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Penn avoided a second consecutive disastrous loss thanks to some heroics from its upperclassmen Friday.

The Quakers opened the Cathedral of College Basketball Classic with a narrow 74-72 win over Lafayette after junior guard George Smith buried a go-ahead three-pointer from the right wing with 33 seconds to go on a broken play.

Smith and the rest of the Quakers (4-2) definitely owe senior guard Clark Slajchert a big thank you. Slajchert set Smith up for the game-winning shot after he recovered a deflection in the backcourt and found the open shooter following a mad scramble for the ball.

Slajchert finished with a team-high 18 points and tied a career high with five assists. The senior played 37 minutes, so load management for Slajchert will be something to monitor as the Red and Blue play three games in as many days this weekend.

It’s (mostly) happy Quakeaways for the day, led by how …

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