Young guns build resumes

For freshmen like Fran Dougherty, the second half of the Ivy League season will not only be a chance to “turn a new page” but also to gain valuable in-game experience.

“When you come in, you don’t want to be nervous or feel like you’re going to mess up every time,” Dougherty said. “So the more chances that you get, the more comfortable you feel with it.”

Following a disastrous five-games-in-eight-days stretch — which included four losses, three in overtime — the Q uakers (9-12, 3-4 Ivy) hit the road again this weekend as they head to Brown and Yale.

With Penn dropping to fifth place after the four-game losing streak, Penn coach Jerome Allen could see the road trip as a chance to get the young guys some playing time.

“You try not to put too much pressure on those guys because this is their first rodeo,” said Allen, who added that time and situation will dictate how deeply he can go off the bench. “The fact of the matter is, we’re not a deep team but that doesn’t stop you from preparing yourself so that if your number’s called, you’re ready.”

In their most recent loss — a 75-62 defeat to Columbia — 12 Quakers saw action, including a career-high 24 minutes for freshman forward Cameron Gunter.

Gunter, who was previously scoreless in his career, broke out with 10 points in the first half and 12 overall.

Since Dougherty and Gunter both represent quality frontcourt compliments to forward Jack Eggleston, Allen said the Quakers “need those guys in order to win.” A strong interior presence will be especially key against Yale (12-10, 5-3), which is led by 6-foot-10 forward Greg Mangano.

“We expected him to be a big post presence, but he showed he could shoot the ball real well, too,” Dougherty said of Mangano, who scored 20 points and made two three-pointers against Penn last month and is tied for the Ivy League lead at 16 points per game.

Although Penn swept Brown and Yale at home, the Bears (9-13, 2-6) gave the Quakers all they could handle. Even without senior captain Peter Sullivan, Brown opened a 47-40 halftime lead and never trailed in the second half, before ultimately falling, 80-78, in overtime.

Since then, sluggish starts by Penn have become more the norm than the exception, exacerbated by a lack of depth late in close games.

Even after the grueling bus trips to Cornell and Columbia last weekend, the team isn’t worried about heading right back out on the road for a second straight weekend.

“I’m not a man of excuses. I don’t think anyone is looking for any excuses here,” said senior Zack Gordon, who has broken into Allen’s rotation over the last few weeks. “Everyone has to do it in the league, and everyone gets it done.”

Despite falling out of realistic contention for the Ivy title, Allen said he has been happy with the Quakers’ mood in practice this week as they attempt to remain resolute.

“We’ve demonstrated that we can beat anyone in this league if we play a certain way, if we play our style of basketball on both ends,” Allen said. “We can play up to the competition, we can play down to the competition, but when we play the way we’re capable of playing, we can beat anyone in this league.”

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.