Schiffner plagued by shooting woes

Jeff Schiffner picked the right afternoon for one of his worst games of the season.

Corralled primarily by La Salle's talented guard Jermaine Thomas, Penn's leading scorer couldn't buy a bucket yesterday at Tom Gola Arena. He finished 2-for-12 from the field and missed nine of his 10 shots from beyond the arc, many of them open looks.

The captain's dry spell proved inconsequential, however, as the Quakers emphatically claimed their first Big 5 victory of the season, 71-47.

Given Schiffner's woes, the lopsided result was more than encouraging for the Penn faithful. When Schiffner shot 4-for-15 against city series rival Villanova on Dec. 9, his teammates struggled with him and the Quakers bowed quietly, 73-63.

But yesterday, two other members of Penn's starting lineup -- senior Tim Begley and freshman Mark Zoller -- each established personal bests for scoring.

Begley poured in 20 points, including six three-pointers, another career high. He matched the effort on the defensive side with seven rebounds and a game-high three steals.

Zoller, making his sixth collegiate start, scored 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The Philadelphia-area native also added 10 rebounds, securing his first double-double for the Red and Blue.

"It's more from the coaching staff just giving him an opportunity," Dunphy said of the first-year forward. "As you can see, we have a lot of bodies and there's not a tremendous separation between number three and number 14."

Indeed, Dunphy's bench extends a long way. While the Explorers' demise was largely self-inflicted -- Billy Hahn's side shot an even 25 percent from the field, lowlighted by a dreadful 19.4 percent performance in the second half -- Penn's starters and reserves capitalized on the home team's inaccuracy with their patent, patient offense.

Freshman Ibby Jaaber converted a nifty lay-up that opened a 13-point advantage -- Penn's largest lead of the first half. Eric Osmundson contributed 16 strong minutes, adding seven points and helping to contain Steven Smith, the Explorers' super sophomore, who led the hosts with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Two other freshmen also made an impact.

Steve Danley and Ryan Pettinella each helped assert Penn's presence in the middle, grabbing rebounds and playing sound defense against the athletic La Salle frontcourt.

Following the rout, Hahn praised Dunphy's ability to incorporate new players into a perennially successful program -- one that has won 20 games in four of the last five seasons.

"Success breeds success," Hahn said. "They have a great blend of their seniors teaching their young guys how to continue a successful program. That's what happens when you become a good program -- it's like a feeder system, and the feeder system is in place at Penn."

If Schiffner's supporting cast continues to perform as well as it did Wednesday, the Quakers will prove difficult to dethrone in their quest for a third consecutive Ivy League championship.

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