Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Penn defeats Delaware behind Rosen's 30 points

NEWARK, Del. - As one of the great guards in Penn history, Jerome Allen knows how to spot a hot shooter when he sees one.

NEWARK, Del. - As one of the great guards in Penn history, Jerome Allen knows how to spot a hot shooter when he sees one.

So as Zack Rosen scored a career-high 30 points in Penn's 78-68 win over Delaware, Allen was content to let the Quakers' present-day leader command the spotlight.

"It's not like I invented the wheel or anything," Allen said. "I'm just going to try to play through the guys that have got it rolling."

The win improved Penn's record to 5-4, and gave the Quakers an emotional lift after a week off for final exams. Delaware's record fell to the same mark.

Rosen's backcourt partner, Miles Cartwright, also had a big night. The freshman scored 20 points in his first start and repeatedly drew fouls from Delaware defenders as he slashed through the lane to the basket.

"Coach told me at halftime to be aggressive, and that's what I was trying to do," Cartwright said.

Penn led by a 26-23 margin at halftime, but former Saint Joseph's player Jawan Carter scored 12 of his team-high 21 points in the first eight minutes of the second half to give Delaware a 43-40 lead.

Penn clamped down on defense after that, though, and held Carter to just one made field goal and one free throw for the rest of the game.

"I asked the guys to take defense personally," Allen said. "I thought Rob Belcore exhausted himself trying to make [Carter] work for everything he got."

Blue Hens coach Monté Ross preferred to focus on Penn's offense instead of his own team's.

"I think [the game] had more to do with their offense and our lack of defense than it did anything with their defense," Ross said.

As a team, Penn made 29 of its 39 free-throw attempts, including 24 of 32 in the second half. Rosen praised his team for working the ball inside to score and draw fouls.

"I think we did a much better job of opening the floor and getting to the rim [in the second half]," Rosen said. "That's the way we want to play."