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Jones comes alive in Penn's 59-42 rout of Marist

12/09/2014, 10:00pm EST

By Tom Reifsnyder

Penn freshman Sam Jones scored a career-high 19 points to help the Quakers grab a third consecutive victory on Tuesday. (Photo: Mark Jordan)

Tom Reifsnyder (@tom_reifsnyder)
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Winners of two in a row, the Penn Quakers came into Tuesday’s matchup with Marist looking to turn the corner in what’s been a forgettable season thus far.

The Red Foxes, who shot 4-of-24 from the field in the first half, didn’t do much to stand in Penn’s way.

Marist looked certifiably lost on offense without leading scorers Khallid Hart (24.5 ppg) and Chavaughn Lewis (17.9), who were both sidelined due to injuries.

And their defense wasn’t much better.

Penn freshman Sam Jones took full advantage of Marist’s dysfunctional effort in a 59-42 victory at The Palestra on Tuesday night.

After starting the season winless through five games, it was safe to say that the Quakers were in need of a spark.

Jones gave it to them.

A 6-foot-7 forward with an affinity for the long ball, Jones wasn’t bashful early on as he hoisted 14 three-point attempts in just his first two games.

But the shots weren’t falling.

However, after forgettable performances in losses to Temple, Lafayette and Wagner, Jones came alive. Since the Wagner game, Penn’s last loss, Jones is shooting 59% (10-17) from deep.

Tonight’s performance was a culmination of Jones’ hot shooting as he knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 19 points.

”The team really got me great shots,” Jones said. “I know they have confidence in me and they just got me some quick easy looks early in the game that got me locked in.”

Although the final score might suggest otherwise, the game was well within reach for Marist early on as Penn held a small 10-4 lead halfway through the first half. Neither team could find the bottom of the net with any consistency, but Jones changed that for Penn.

With just under 10 minutes remaining, Jones and senior guard Tony Hicks combined for back-to-back-to-back threes, two from Jones, to give Penn a 19-4 advantage.

The rout was on.

“It felt really good, I mean whatever I can do to help the team win,” he said. “We’re just working every day to get better and better and when my number gets called hopefully I’ll be able to help the team out and if not, I’m just here to get better every day.”

Jones led all scorers with 13 points as Penn led Marist, 35-14, at halftime.

Senior forward Greg Louis dominated the high post and chipped in 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half en route to 13 points and nine rebounds for the game. For a bit of perspective, Marist’s leading scorer at the half, freshman K.J. Lee, had just four points.

The second half was more of the same for Marist, which ended up shooting a woeful 11-of-52 from the field.

Penn led 55-29 with just under five minutes to go in regulation and essentially coasted to the finish line.

Hicks finished with four points, three rebounds, and three assists while Penn’s freshman backcourt duo of Darnell Foreman and Antonio Woods combined for just eight points and six rebounds. Sophomore Matt Howard added eight points, six boards and four assists for the Quakers.

Lee, the only Red Fox who finished with double digits, led Marist (1-8) in scoring with 15 points while freshman guard Nick Colletta added eight. To be honest, neither team was particularly impressive tonight. But Penn certainly took advantage of Marist’s unfortunate situation.

Penn head coach Jerome Allen wasn’t necessarily overjoyed with his team’s performance, but he certainly understands the gravity of the Quakers’ current win streak.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Allen said. “We put together three wins in a row.

“I said to them in the locker room, ‘I can’t remember the last time we won three games in a row.’ I don’t want to diminish that accomplishment, but we got a lot of work ahead of us. We have to get better.”

The Quakers (3-5) will look to extend their three-game winning streak when they hit the road to match up with Vanderbilt on Dec. 22.