City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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Penn’s Sam Jones and Drexel’s Terrell Allen had opening weekends to remember, and they’re both being honored for it.

Jones, who scored a total 44 points during the Quakers’ 2-0 start, was named the Ivy League Player of the Week. Meanwhile, Allen got the start and had 18 points and four assists in his first college game, and he was tabbed as the CAA’s Freshman of the Week for his effort.

Penn beat Robert Morris on Friday and downed Central Connecticut State on Sunday with Jones being a big part of both wins. He was the leading scorer for Steve Donahue’s squad both times, and the sophomore hit five 3-pointers in both contests. He was also named the co-Big 5 Player of the Week.

Jones was efficient with his time on the floor, scoring the 44 points in 52 minutes, shooting 45.8 percent (11-for-24) from the field and 85.7 percent (12-for-14) from the foul line.

Allen, on the other hand, proved why Bruiser Flint made him the starting point guard as a freshman. With Major Canady out with an undisclosed injury, Allen played 36 minutes and often looked like the Dragons best player of the floor. He went 7-for-13 from the field and also made his presence felt on the defensive end with four steals.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Upper Marlboro, Md. won the point guard battle during camp, and if he can keep playing like he did Friday, he’ll be an integral part of the Dragons’ game plan for years to come.

Lindner named Patriot League POW

For the first time in his career, junior guard Nick Lindner was tabbed as the Patriot League's Player of the Week.

He scored 49 points in the Leopards' two weekend games, including 11 in a furious overtime comeback against St. Peter's on Sunday in Easton. After going scoreless in the second half, Lindner went on a run that propelled his team to victory and hit the game-deciding layup with 12 seconds left.

He had 22 total points in the overtime victory, and also kept Lafayette in the game in a season-opening loss to George Washington with 27 points.