Second Half Surge Lifts Penn Past Army

Saturday, December 4

East Rutherford, N.J.

12 PM

Army West Point

Penn

Second Half Surge Lifts Penn Past Army

December 04, 2010 | Men's Basketball

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Penn outscored Army 40-24 in the second half to break open a game that was tied at halftime and go on to a 68-52 victory at the IZOD Center on Saturday afternoon. The loss was the Black Knights’ third straight, evening their record at 4-4.

Army shot just 29.6 percent after halftime, while the Quakers (4-3) hit 66.7 percent of their attempts, including six of their eight three-point tries during the second stanza. Army was just 19 for 52 (.365) overall and 9 for 25 (.360) from three-point range for the game.

Senior F Jeremy Hence led the Black Knights with 15 points, his eighth straight game in double figures. Junior G Julian Simmons was the only other Army player in double figures with 10. Sophomore F Ella Ellis pulled down a team-high six rebounds, while senior G Mitch McDonald and sophomore G Jason Pancoe each handed out three assists.

Zack Rosen led Penn with 20 points. He was one of three Quakers in double figures followed by Tyler Bernadini’s 13 markers and 11 points from Conor Turley.

For the second straight game, Army produced a season-low point total. The Black Knights are 0-2 this season have now lost 36 of their last 49 when not scoring at least 60 points.

The teams exchanged leads three times with neither team holding more than a two-point advantage before the Black Knights took a 12-8 lead on a layup by rookie Chris Welker with 12:52 left in the opening stanza. Army stretched its lead to 20-15 on a Hence triple with 8:20 left, but the Quakers went on a 10-2 run to take a 25-22 edge at the 2:43 mark. Army was 1 for 6 during the Penn run and turned the ball over twice.

A three-pointer by Simmons and an old-fashioned three-point play by Herbeck put the Black Knights back on top by three, but Army went scoreless over the final 1:40 of the half which allowed Penn to score three straight and tie the game going into halftime.

The Black Knights were 11 for 25 (.440) in the first half, including a 5-for-13 showing from long range. The Quakers hit only 38.5 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes.

Ellis opened the second-half scoring with a three-pointer to put the Black Knights on top, but Army missed its next five shots and committed five turnovers over the next six minutes. Penn scored 10 straight to take a 38-31 edge with 14:41 left. Army got within five on layup by freshman Cartavious Kincade, but Penn was able to stretch its lead to double digits for the first time at 45-35 with 11:40 to go.

Army pulled within six points at 47-41 on a three-pointer by Herbeck, but the Quakers went on a 16-8 run over a six-minute stretch to take a 64-49 lead with 4:33 remaining. Penn led by as many as 17 points before claiming the 16-point victory.

The loss was Army’s second straight against the Ivy League this season after posting wins in their six previous matchups against the conference.

The Black Knights continue their seven-game stretch away from home on Thursday, Dec. 9 when they travel to New Hampshire.

Game Notes: Army broke out its gray uniforms for the first time since the 2008-09 season … the Quakers have now won four in a row in the all-time series … Army is now 1-4 all-time at the Meadowlands … the Black Knights are now 0-3 this season when tied or behind at the half … Hence averaged 18.5 points during Army’s two games this week … Army has made at least nine three-pointers in six of its eight games this season … the Black Knights are now 1-3 this season when on the short end of the rebound margin … Hence and Julian Simmons are the only players to have led the Black Knights in scoring this season.