Big run keys big win over Bulldogs

Down one at halftime, Penn coach Glen Miller talked about the need to come out strong in the second half.

But three quick Yale layups after the break had Penn reeling, and it looked like the Quakers could fall below .500 in the Ivy League for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

But they then ripped off a 32-5 run over 11 minutes and cruised to a 78-65 win over the Bulldogs at the Palestra on Saturday.

Yale (10-12, 4-4 Ivy) was very much in control of the game up until that run, during which the Quakers' stifling defense and a suddenly explosive offense turned a seven-point deficit into a twenty-point lead.

For one stretch, Penn (9-15, 4-3) held the Bulldogs without a field goal for nearly nine minutes, until a Ross Morin layup broke the drought at the 8:52 mark. By then, the Quakers had put the game out of reach.

"I thought our biggest problem was that we stopped executing on offense," Yale coach James Jones said. "We let them out-tough us and we allowed them to dictate to us on both ends of the floor."

Yale turned the ball over five times in those 11 minutes and that, along with the fact that Yale began to press in order to get back in the game, allowed the Quakers to get out on the fast break.

"It felt good to get out and run a lot and get some easy buckets," said Tyler Bernardini, who had a game-high 19 points - all in the second half.

Harrison Gaines showed his knack for running the break throughout the game, lasering sharp passes inside. The main recipient of Gaines' five assists was Justin Reilly, who finished with a career-high 15 points - 13 after the break.

Penn's transition ability also led to 23 second-half free throw attempts, compared with only three in the first half.

The Quakers successfully converted 20 of those 23.

"When you can get [ahead] in that category, I think you're going to win a lot of basketball games," Miller said.

The pileup of Yale fouls also led to some visible signs of frustration on the Yale bench. Both Matt Kyle and Caleb Holmes fouled out with significant time left on the clock.

"I thought that some guys were probably too into the way the game was being called as opposed to just going out and playing," Jones said.

Thanks to their ability to convert from the line, and 52 percent shooting from the field, the Quakers totaled 49 points in the second half - by far their best output for a half during the Ivy season.

The 78 points was also Penn's highest total since a 79-68 win over NJIT on Jan. 5, and its fourth-highest of the season.

When asked where his team's explosiveness came from, Miller responded, "I wish I knew."

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