Penn loses to Rider, defeats pair of Patriot League foes

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- With 1:01 remaining in Saturday night's game against Rider and the Quakers down by three, junior Tim Begley let loose a three that had the potential to help erase a night of mediocrity.

The ball circled the rim once and ultimately fell out.

When the Quakers needed a clutch shot they came up empty. When Rider approached its big opportunity, the Broncs responded. And if they didn't score on their first try, they grabbed a rebound and put the ball in the hoop -- Rider out-rebounded Penn, 42-27, on the game.

For much of the game, Rider appeared to be overmatched against Penn.

In the end, though, the Broncs capitalized on their opportunities, defeating the Quakers, 77-72, in overtime.

"That's what we'll remember -- that we didn't take advantage of our opportunities late in the game," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said.

The win marked the Broncs' fourth victory over Ivy League squads this season -- Rider had already defeated Brown, Harvard and Dartmouth.

Led by three 20-point scorers -- Jerry Johnson, Steve Castleberry and Edwin Muniz -- Rider battled back from separate seven and eight-point deficits in the second half.

Following Jeff Schiffner's layup with 2:06 remaining in the second half, the Broncs went on a 7-0 run that would ultimately take the game into overtime.

Throughout the contest the Quakers had no answer for Johnson, who notched 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting.

"You got to hand it to him," Schiffner said. "He got into the lane a couple times and made some tough shots. That's what good players do."

When it came time to score, Johnson responded. With 1:44 remaining in the second half, Johnson drove down the court, squared his body on the right side of the arc and nailed a three-pointer. The clutch shot narrowed Penn's lead to four and catapulted the Broncs for the rest of the game.

Johnson did it again in overtime. With 2:02 remaining, he buried the Quakers with another distance bomb, putting Rider up five.

The Broncs only had three players who had a significant impact on the game, but those three scored 67 of Rider's 77 total points.

"I always think that basketball, at least from an offensive point of view, usually is, if you have three guys that are scoring, that's usually enough," Rider coach Don Harnum said. "Two is not enough, one is not enough, three can be enough."

Castleberry particularly affected play on both ends of the court, with his 14 total rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.

Over the course of the game, Rider scored 19 points off offensive rebounds compared to just six from Penn.

For parts of the contest, Penn ran its offense as scripted: the ball went down low, followed by off-the-ball screens to get the guards open jumpers. Both Schiffner and junior Tim Begley got open shots from beyond the arc -- the two combined to shoot 6-for-12 over the course of the game.

Schiffner led Penn with 17 points, followed by 12 each from Begley and freshman Mark Zoller.

Had Penn defeated Rider, the Quakers would have had their first undefeated winter break since 1979 -- during that season the Quakers went to the Final Four.

The Quakers had little trouble dismantling former Penn assistant Fran O'Hanlon and his Lafayette squad, 88-68, at the Palestra on Wednesday night. Where Penn struggled in the post against Rider, the Quakers frontcourt led the way against the Leopards.

Senior center Adam Chubb highlighted play for the Quakers, as he scored 17 points and collected eight rebounds.

The Quakers began the break by tip-toeing past Bucknell, 58-49, in Lewisburg, Pa. Tim Begley drained five second-half three-pointers in the victory, leading the charge for Penn with 19 points.

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