Men's Hoops looks to rebound at Delaware

The Penn men's basketball team will look to get back on track against Delaware by getting back to basics.

After shooting 31 three pointers and making only nine in a 71-62 loss to Drexel, the Quakers (1-1) will attempt to execute one of Coach Fran Dunphy's fundamental principles against Delaware (1-1) -- get the ball inside.

"One of the things we write on the board before the game is 'let's get inside first and make the defense collapse then kick it back out," Dunphy said. "Every single game since I've been coaching here we've tried to do that."

Particularly glaring in the loss to Drexel was that all-Ivy forward Koko Archibong only took three shots from the field, finishing with four points.

"That was a huge mistake on our part, getting him three shots," senior guard Andy Toole said. "He's one of our major scorers obviously and a guy we need to put points on the board and be aggressive. We're going to try and get him going tomorrow."

However, Toole and the other guards do not take full responsibility for the lack of inside game.

"Sometimes the defense doesn't let you do that," Dunphy said. "Some of that is that Koko [Archibong] has to work a bit harder and get himself posted up."

The Quakers have scored 62 points in each of their first two games -- their opener was a 62-37 win against Penn State. The team is quite happy with this point total, but its 37-percent field goal percentages in both games have been extremely disappointing.

"I thought against Penn State we moved the ball great and took good shots, we just didn't make them," Dunphy said. "Against Drexel we moved the ball OK and took some shots that were a little out of our range and a little hurried."

No one on the team believes that the Quakers have given their best offensive outing yet.

"At the end of the day we just have to come in and execute," senior forward Ugonna Onyekwe said. "And we haven't done a good job of executing so far."

Onyekwe shot very well from the field in the loss to Drexel, going 7-for-11 and scoring 21 points. However, his performance was matched by Drexel center Robert Battle, who scored 21 points and tallied 10 rebounds.

Fortunately for the Quakers, the Blue Hens do not appear to have an inside presence that is the equal of Battle.

However, Delaware does possess a pair of talented seniors. Guard Ryan Iversen recorded the second triple-double in Delaware history on Sunday in a 87-58 win over Long Island University, tallying 12 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists. Forward Maurice Sessoms added a game-high 19 points as well.

Delaware lost its first game of the season to LaSalle, 73-56.

More than anything, however, it is the Blue Hens' tenacious halfcourt defense that worries the Quakers.

"They're a very good defensive team," Toole said. "They're very stingy especially in the halfcourt, and they're difficult to get penetration on."

However, even if Delaware manages to deny easy access to the paint, don't expect the Quakers to immediately try to shoot over the zone and veer from their game plan.

"We just have to take what they give us," Toole said. "We're not going to force the issue. We'll work the ball around and get the easiest shot we can."

Despite Delaware's strengths, the Quakers have a clear edge in overall skill level. They are confident that if they show the same intensity that an earlier opponent demonstrated, a win will result.

"You'd have a tough time convincing me that anyone wanted that Drexel game more than Battle. And when we go down to Delaware, they're going to want that game," Dunphy said. "We have to be ready for that [intensity] every time out. There are no easy games on our schedule and Delaware certainly isn't easy."

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