STANDING ROOM ONLY: The first half's best moments

It was 9:30 p.m. on the brisk autumn night of November 16. and the Penn men's basketball team had just dropped its season-opener to Canisius, 81-78. Nonetheless, the march to March continued. Penn has now hit the halfway point. The Quakers have played 14 and have 13 to go. What better time to announce, straight from the home office on 33rd Street, the Top Ten moments to date of the Quakers campaign? 10. December 10, Philly -- Send It In, Cedric! Fairleigh Dickinson coach Tom Green had hoped Penn would show some holiday spirit and go easy on his hapless Knights. It didn't happen. The Quakers blew it open, and forward Cedric Laster threw it down to give Penn its first century mark against a Division I opponent since 1981. 9. January 6, Cambridge -- Oh Yeah, Watch This! In the first half, Harvard went on a 7-0 run. Briggs Cage was rocking, and some people actually believed the Crimson could win. Unfortunately, the Penn backcourt wasn't impressed -- a Matt Maloney-to-Jerome Allen alley-oop slam silenced all. A harbinger of things to come in the Ancient Eight. 8. November 28, Bethlehem -- Give It To Rome! After Canisius, Penn fans hoped the Quakers would thump Lehigh. No such luck. Penn trailed by two with :16 on the clock. Dunphy called timeout and the Quakers let Allen create a baseline jumper. All nylon. Penn won in OT. 7. December 27, New York -- Send It In, Cedric! (Part II) As the Quakers' Madison Square Garden thrashing of Colgate neared its end, Laster again soared high and again rattled the rim. Icing the scene at Cedric's second coming were Allen and Shawn Trice, pointing from the bench at the instant replay on the MSG scoreboard. 6. December 3, Philly -- Allen to Trice?It's a Touchdown! When Ohio State invaded, the Quakers made their 1994-95 TV debut with Digger and the Deuce (ESPN2, that is) in the house. As the clock ran out before halftime, Allen heaved the ball from halfcourt. Trice tipped it in and grinned all the way to the locker room. 5. December 29, New York -- Money to Burn. When Penn faced off against St. John's at the Garden for the ECAC title, the spotlight shone brightly. The world had come out to see Felipe Lopez hit the big time. But on this night, Maloney was unstoppable -- he torched the Red Storm for a game-high 24 points. 4. December 3, Philly -- Ira's Arrival. Against the Buckeyes, Providence transfer Ira Bowman made his point in the first half -- with authority. His first of many thunderous slams ignited the crowd and made him an instant hero. 3. January 7, Hanover -- Nice Spike, Timmy! At Dartmouth, forward Tim Krug supplied one of the most vicious rejections in history. The overhead swat from behind sent a Big Green layup careening off the backboard and back to the foul line. Soon it was in the hands of Bowman, who raced downcourt and finished with a high-flying slam. Wow. 2. January 28 -- Hey Rick, Remember Me? Princeton center Rick Hielscher had to live with the memory of a Krug block for two long years. Now he has a new memory. As Penn pounded the Tigers into submission, Krug executed an awe-inspiring slam on poor Hielscher's head. 1. December 13, Ann Arbor -- Give It To Rome! (Part II) Unquestionably the highlight of Quakers highlights. The play broke down, but Allen would not be denied. He twisted and turned and tossed the rock over three Wolverines. It fell, and Penn had a win for the ages. So there you have it. A sample of images from the first half of the season. In the games that remain, there will surely be plenty more moments -- some to remember and some to forget. Either way, it should be a blast. Lee Goldsmith is a College junior from Huntingdon Valley and a sports writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian. He is also Dick Vitale's "guy."

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