Reserve Belcore leads Quakers past Brown

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Most nights, when Penn's basketball team takes the proverbial stage, Zack Rosen and Tyler Bernardini play the leading roles.

On Saturday night, one of the team's best supporting actors commanded the spotlight.

Fellow senior Rob Belcore tied a career high with 17 points, including 12 in the first half, pacing the Quakers in a 65-48 win over Brown at the Pizzitola Center.

"We just had to put yesterday behind us," Belcore said, referring to Friday's loss at Yale.

The Quakers (12-10, 4-1 Ivy) next play Friday at the Palestra against Harvard, ranked No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN poll. The Crimson (20-2, 6-0) are the heavy favorite to repeat as league champion.

Penn jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Belcore contributed three rebounds, two points, and one steal during that stretch.

For the game, Belcore recorded a team-high 10 rebounds and three steals. Over 64 minutes played this weekend, he totaled 28 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

"I thought [Belcore] was fantastic last night [against Yale], and tonight I knew he was going to be who he is - one of our seniors," Penn coach Jerome Allen said. "We can rely on his leadership."

After Penn's strong start, Brown (7-16, 1-5) worked its way back into the game. The Bears trailed by only 20-17 with 8 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first half.

But Penn outscored the home team by 16-4 during the rest of the half, and took a 36-21 lead into intermission.

Other Quakers in double figures in scoring included Henry Brooks with 10 points and Rosen with 11. That performance pushed Rosen past Ibrahim Jaaber into sixth place among Penn's all-time leading scorers with 1,524.

Brooks' performance was his best since a 13-point effort against Marist on Dec. 23. The freshman forward has quickly adjusted to the grinding nature of games on back-to-back nights in conference play.

"It's always a little hassle, but we put in the work during the week so that we come in prepared," he said. "I'm getting used to it."