Penn hangs tight in loss to Kansas

Penn's shooting kept them in yet another game, but it couldn't overcome national power Kansas. WASHINGTON -- It could have been worse, much worse, for the Penn men's basketball team. On Monday at the Franklin National Basketball Classic, the Quakers faced No. 3-ranked Kansas, a team that was coming off its first loss since last season's Sweet 16 defeat to Arizona. Penn, however, stuck with the national powerhouse at the new MCI Center, making the consolation event into a legitimate contest. Thanks to a solid Penn perimeter game, a respectable rebounding differential and a tired Kansas team that had played four games in six nights, the Quakers (3-4) hung in against the Jayhawks (9-1). Penn drew within five points in the second half before Kansas rallied in the closing minutes to pull away, 89-71. The Jayhawks (9-1) -- led by superstars Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce -- replaced the bitter taste from Sunday's loss to Maryland. "The good thing about basketball is that you can come back quickly and play again -- the next day sometimes -- and make yourself feel better," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "I'd hate to be a football coach and have to wait seven days before playing again." Although a driving layup by sophomore Michael Jordan put the Quakers ahead 2-0, Kansas wouldn't allow the Quakers to progress. 6'11'' center LaFrentz had his way inside against the smaller Penn frontcourt. Penn juniors Paul Romanczuk and George Mboya, each giving up at least four inches in height to their opponents, had their hands full. LaFrentz went 7-for-8 in the first half for 15 of his game-high 25 points. Pierce added 14, and T.J. Pugh had 13 as Kansas' frontcourt proved too big for the Quakers. "Their size overwhelmed us," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "LaFrentz, Pierce and [point guard Ryan] Robertson -- great team with an inside-outside combination." Despite trailing for the last 38:33 of the game, the Quakers managed to stay close thanks to the shooting of guards Kreitz and Matt Langel and a second-half resurgence by Jordan. Kreitz followed up his Sunday 6-for-7 three-point shooting by netting 5-of-10, including a pair of clutch three-pointers. One brought Penn within four points midway through the first half, and another moved them within three with under four minutes remaining in the half. Nevertheless, the Jayhawks went into the break leading 37-29. "We talked [at halftime] about tightening our offense a little bit," Dunphy said. "Making better cuts, better choices with our shot selections. I thought we were going to have to play much, much better in the second half." As the Quakers established an inside game after the break, the Jayhawks made the opposite transition, catching fire from beyond the arc. Kansas' lead hit double digits permanently when Jayhawks guard Billy Thomas, who hit just one three-pointer Sunday against Maryland, hit a clutch three-pointer early in the second half. Thomas was 5-of-8 from three-point range, including 4-for-4 in the second half, finishing with 15 points. "I think Thomas did a good job of making those threes in the second half," Dunphy said. "I was kind of hoping that he would do what he did [Sunday], but obviously he knocked down the threes that really hurt us." One positive in the Quakers' loss was Matt Langel's offensive contribution. The sophomore added 11 points and six dishes at small forward while facing the daunting task of defending both Thomas and Pierce. "To play in a tournament, in this kind of a setting, with these kind of teams involved, it's gotta help us," Dunphy said. "Today it is going to help us, and for the rest of the year, but more importantly, I hope that these guys are going to remember some of the things they did over the last couple of games," he added. Despite their fourth-place finish with an 0-2 record in the tournament, the Quakers were proud of their showing and held their heads high when they boarded the bus home Monday night. "We just wanted to play as well as we can, and represent the University," junior forward Paul Romanczuk said. "I think we did that. By no means did we play our best basketball, but I saw some good things out there."

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