Penn splits 1979 replay at MSU

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Twenty-five years ago, Penn ventured west to Salt Lake City to compete in its only Final Four in the program's history.

The same four squads laced up again this weekend.

To commemorate the silver anniversary of Michigan State winning the 1979 NCAA championship, the Spartans hosted Indiana State, DePaul and the Quakers in their 21st annual Coca-Cola Classic.

Penn fared better than it did 25 years ago against the Spartans, hanging with the No. 5 team in the nation for 30 minutes before finally falling by the lopsided score of 77-52.

But the Quakers didn't arrive to East Lansing, Mich., with the intention of simply looking good against an elite squad.

Despite hanging with the Spartans for much of the game on Saturday -- Michigan State held a nine-point advantage with 6:56 remaining before the Spartans went on a 21-5 run to close the game -- the Quakers were unhappy with their execution.

Any problems the Quakers saw on Saturday were quickly changed in the consolation game against Indiana State, which Penn won, 86-48.

"We didn't really get in any of our sets," Penn junior guard Tim Begley said of Saturday's game against the Spartans. "A lot of that's due to Michigan State and the way they play defense, but at the same time, we kind of gave up on some of our stuff."

"We tried to go one-on-one a little too much. Against a big-time school like Michigan State, we don't have the personnel to do stuff like that. Today we got in transition, ran our sets pretty much every time."

There was also the ominous notion that a loss would leave Penn entering Saturday's Big 5 tilt with No. 12 Saint Joseph's with a 1-3 record.

"Our backs were against the wall a little bit, because you don't want to leave here losing two games," Penn senior Charlie Copp said. "We came back and responded real well."

In many ways, the game against Indiana State resembled the 1979 Michigan State-Penn contest, in which the Spartans romped over the Quakers, 101-67, on the way to the National Championship game.

In 1979, Michigan State soared to a 50-17 lead by halftime -- two points shy of Penn's first-half total -- with Earvin "Magic" Johnson scoring 15 in the first half

In 1979, the Quakers had shot opportunities, but simply could not convert, finishing the game 24-for-82.

However, there was a bit of a role reversal during this year's game.

Penn burst out of the gates on Sunday ready to reverse its misfortunes from the previous day against Michigan State, dishing the ball down low, driving the lane and finishing possessions with three-pointers.

Copp drained six shots from behind the arc during the first 8:10 of the game, leading Penn to a 20-4 lead, one that would skyrocket from there.

Copp's previous career high came in his freshman year against North Carolina State, when he notched 11 points. By the 14:32 mark of the first half, Copp had already eclipsed that mark against Indiana State.

Where the Quakers didn't convert against the Spartans, they ran their plays to perfection against the Sycamores.

With the clock winding down in the first half, Begley drove the lane and drew two defenders, leaving a rolling junior Jan Fikiel wide open under the basket for the lay-in at the buzzer.

Indiana State's 33 percent shooting on the day certainly didn't help its cause, but the Quakers also ran several sloppy plays.

With 7:50 remaining in the first half, Tyson Schnitker dribbled through traffic, making it all the way to the hoop for an uncontested layup. But instead of converting on the attempt, he passed the ball out for a three-point try, which freshman David Moss missed.

While Penn converted on 61.1 percent of its shots, including 57.1 percent from behind the arc, and hustled to every loose ball, Indiana State was sloppy and did not convert on the attempts it did have.

Against Michigan State, the Quakers hung tough for 33 minutes of the game, but down the stretch it was all Spartans. With 6:16 left, senior Jeff Schiffner missed a three-pointer, which led to a Maurice Ager three-point bomb on the other end of the floor. The shot sparked a 21-5 Spartans run to close out the game.

"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."

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Notes: Every player who traveled to the tournament got into the game against Indiana State. The reserves scored 35 points against the Sycamores, compared to eight against Michigan State... After scoring five points in 14 minutes against the Spartans, freshman Ibrahim Jaaber stepped up again on Sunday, notching 11 points in 14 minutes.

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