Slow and sure, Penn holds off Carr, LaSalle

Morris is 'ashamed' after the Quakers sink 21 of 23 free throws for their sixth straight win over the Explorers. With more poise than panache, the Penn men's basketball team methodically disposed of an excitable La Salle squad, 67-60, last night at the CoreStates Spectrum. Sophomore forward Paul Romanczuk scored four of his team-high 16 points in the final two minutes, and junior Garett Kreitz added 12 as the Quakers (6-7) earned their first victory in five tries this season against a city opponent. The victory was also Penn's sixth in a row over the Explorers (7-7), a fact that was not lost on La Salle coach Speedy Morris. "[The Quakers] were better prepared, they were better coached and I'm ashamed for every La Salle alum," Morris said. "For Penn to beat us six years in a row, and especially this year, is embarrassing. "They have a great school, a great coach and a great program. But we're an Atlantic 10 team and we should beat an Ivy League team." Last night, the Explorers were fortunate to hang around as long as they did, after Penn spent much of the first half dissecting La Salle's porous zone with some deft interior passing, and built a modest 34-28 lead at intermission. But it was from the foul line that the Quakers really drained La Salle, sinking better than 90 percent of their free throws, including 15 of 17 in the second half. "Making foul shots was certainly important for us," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "It was key for our game. If we can get to the line that many times -- and we're not a prolific foul-shooting team -- and shoot than kind of percentage, it's certainly going to help our chances to win." If Dunphy continues to get quality minutes out of his freshmen, it won't hurt Penn's chances either. Against La Salle, freshmen guards Michael Jordan and Matt Langel chipped in 10 points each while Jordan pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Meanwhile, the Explorers, who shot only 33 percent for the game, didn't offer much offensively outside of standout freshman Donnie Carr's extensive repertoire. Carr, who is one of the top scorers in the nation at 26.4 points per game, dropped in a game-high 22, but at 6-for-25 from the floor, he probably helped the Quakers more than he hurt them. "[Carr] is the only guy on the team who can break people down," Morris said. "He forced a couple shots, but when you're not getting into your offense and the big guys aren't screening, then you've got to go to another avenue and that's it. "They're great kids but they're not good enough. I don't want to look forward to next year but the recruits we've got are better than the guys we have right now. Two of them would start for us right now." As the Quakers' grueling early season schedule winds down, their concern is for the more immediate future. Last night's win ended a three-game slide and likely restored some of Penn's confidence after being beaten up by No. 7 Maryland and suffering a disappointing six-point loss to Drexel. "I'd like to think that the schedule that we played will help us throughout the rest of the year," Dunphy said. "One of the things you try to avoid is if you do get beat up a little bit that you don't get down on yourself and you understand the level of competition was outstanding, and I think these guys are bright enough to understand that." Romanczuk seemed to think they were. "We've got 13 more games and I think we can win 13 straight, I really do," he said. At least one other person at the CoreStates Spectrum last night agreed. "I think Penn can run the table," Morris said of the Quakers' Ivy League chances. "They're going to end up with 18 or 19 wins."

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