Zack Rosen sinks clutch free throws to defeat Carleton

As time expired in the men’s basketball team’s season-opening scrimmage, with the game tied at 72, senior point guard Zack Rosen put up an attempt from beyond the arc that was blocked by a Carleton defender.

The players began to return to their benches — preparing for overtime — when the referees told them to stay put. They said Rosen had been fouled, and placed 0.3 seconds on the clock.

He only needed to make one of three free throws to give Penn the lead.

Rosen sank two of three, missing the third on purpose, to give Penn a 74-72 win over visiting Carleton — located in Ottawa, Ontario — in the Red and Blue’s final tune-up before the regular season starts Friday at the Maryland-Baltimore County.

Offensively, Rosen made a number of clutch shots down the stretch to keep the game close. He finished with 17 points and six assists, shooting 3-for-5 from three-point range on a night when the Quakers shot an incredible 70 percent from distance.

In regards to the foul that led to his game-winning free throws, Rosen was honest.

“I asked the guy who fouled me what he thought, and he said that he had thought he fouled me,” Rosen said. “He just didn’t think the ref would end the game like that.”

Rosen was never phased by the pressure of having to come through time and time again.

“That’s my role on the team,” he said. “I’m supposed to be a leader, and that’s what leaders do.”

Rosen’s classmate Tyler Bernardini also had himself quite a night, scoring 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

“I know Tyler can do that, shoot threes and knock them down,” Rosen said. “I expect him to do that.”

Coach Jerome Allen didn’t want the focus to be on the offense, however.

“Tyler can make those shots, but you have to play defense,” Allen said. “You have to be able to rebound, and you have to be able to close out on shooters.”

While the Quakers had an exciting performance offensively, their defense proved incredibly porous. Carleton outrebounded them, 44-20, grabbing 20 offensive boards.

Though Carleton did have a height advantage over the Red and Blue, at times it came down to being able to box out efficiently.

“Rebounding comes down to who wants it more, and our guys weren’t showing me enough,” Allen said.

The Quakers’ inability to close out on the perimeter after a drive into the key was what truly caused the team problems. Carleton made 15 threes, many of which allowed them to prevent any runs by Penn.

“We’re probably going to have an hour-long clinic at the next practice on baseline penetration,” Rosen predicted.

He sounded confident that the Red and Blue would be able to shore up their defense quickly.

Friday night at UMBC will bring the real test.

Notes: Sophomore Fran Dougherty had a nice game. On a few occasions, his low-post moves drew some reaction from the crowd. He scored 12 on 6-of-14 shooting.

Sophomore Miles Cartwright didn’t see action after sustaining a sprained ankle in practice last week. No word on his availability, but he seemed to be walking just fine.

In addition to Cartwright, eight other players didn’t see action, including senior Rob Belcore and freshmen Greg Louis and Henry Brooks.

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