Sunday, November 21, 2004

Body-Slammed Again

No. 21 Wisconsin 77, Penn 44.

Ouch. The Badgers played a balanced game, outscoring the Quakers by 16 in the first half and 17 in the second half en route to a rout. The villains in pro wrestling usually are accorded better treatment than visitors to Big 10 arenas, but that was not the case last night.

Penn's guards combined to shoot 2-20 from the field, and the Quakers, who were outrebounded, shot only 5-20 from behind the arc. Penn's best player, Tim Begley, had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. The Quakers are still looking for solid options behind Begley and 2G Ibby Jaaber, who perhaps had the absolute worst game of his young career last night. Check out the box score, and you'll see that Penn mentor Fran Dunphy is looking for the right combinations for the Quakers.

Next up for the Quakers is neighborhood rival Drexel on Thanksgiving eve at the Palestra, where the Quakers will get a much-needed dose of home cooking.

Again, it's hard to measure any Ivy against other Ivies from blowouts at the hands of Top 40 teams. The Drexel game should be a better indication of the Quakers' chemistry and ability.

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