Spartans' athleticism too much for Quakers

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Penn looked a lot better than the last time it met Michigan State, but in the end it was still the Spartans, who beat the Quakers 77-52. With 5:18 remaining in the contest, Michigan State guard Shannon Brown darted into the Quakers passing lane and drove the length of the floor. With no Penn player within 15 feet of him, the freshman reserve, who scored 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting, hammered home a right handed tomahawk jam. Two minutes later, Michigan State junior Chris Hill found Brown again alone on the right side of the court. The freshman knew what to do with it, hammering home a two-handed dunk that sent the 14,759 fans among them Magic Johnson into hysterics. Penn played a sound basketball game for most of the 40 minute-rematch of the 1979 Final Four, but when it came down to containing the Spartans in the second half, the No. 3 team in the land was simply too flashy and athletic for the Quakers. "I think they made some tough shots," Penn senior swingman Jeff Schiffner said. "I think they're a very tough team. They took over in that one stretch [in the second half] and kind of distanced themselves from us." During the beginning of the game, center Adam Chubb conjured images from last year, where the Penn big men proved to be forces in the middle. The Harrisburg, Pa., native scored six of the Quakers' first eight points, including a spin move for a dunk around Michigan State center Paul Davis. But after Chubb collected his second foul with 13:29 remaining in the first half, the Spartans frontcourt began to take over. Michigan State dominated the inside on the day the Spartans outscored the Quakers 44-14 in the paint and collected 26 defensive rebounds compared to Penn's seven offensive rebounds. "He's a good athlete," said Penn coach Fran Dunphy of Chubb. Dunphy also noted that he did not go to the line against the Spartans. Against Drexel, Chubb was 9-for-10 from the charity stripe. "Adam is somebody who's really growing into his role. I like how he's coming along." As with Penn's two previous games this season, Dunphy went to the bench early and often. With Chubb out with early fouls, and fellow big man Jan Fikiel also in foul trouble, freshman Steve Danley and transfer Eric Heil saw 12 and 10 minutes of playing time, respectively. But Dunphy didn't only go to the bench when his players were in foul trouble. Freshman Ibby Jaaber played the game of his young career, scoring five points in 14 minutes of play. During the Quakers' final attempt to get back into the game, the Elizabethtown, N.J., native engineered the Penn offense just the way Dunphy has scripted it in the past drive and kick out. Jaaber drew fouls on consecutive possessions with eight minutes remaining in the game. "Every day out there, I get a little more comfortable," Jaaber said. "It's just getting what I'm able to do and getting it into the offense a bit more. And today, I think I did that." Jaaber again dribbled along the baseline two minutes later. He drew two defenders and passed to the outside to an open Tim Begley at the three-point line, who drained the attempt. Begley finished the game with a Penn-high 17 points, including four three-pointers. With 6:56 remaining, Penn had cut the lead to 56-47. But after that it was all Michigan State. On the subsequent possession, Schiffner who finished with 12 points, going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc missed a three pointer and Michigan State's Maurice Ager responded with an open three-ball for the Spartans. The long distance bomb sparked a 21-5 Spartans run. "That was a big point because it could have been a six-point game and instead it's a 12-point game," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "Michigan State made shots when they had to and that is the difference in the game." The Quakers will next face Indiana State in the consolation game, after DePaul defeated the Sycamores 78-66 in Game 2 of the doubleheader.

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