For a while in the first half, Penn stood toe-to-toe with Texas A&M and might actually have been the better team on the floor.
The Aggies committed three turnovers in the first 5:14, all of which came as a result of passes that were too strong or simply off the mark. Penn held A&M without a field goal for a stretch of nearly six minutes over the middle of the period, and when Dallas native Justin Reilly's long two-point jumper made the score 11-9 with 8:44 left in the half, Penn fans might have been forgiven for being a little bit optimistic.
But every time Penn's offense made a move, Aggies coach Billy Gillespie's defense countered and made sure the Quakers never came close to the lead. During the opening stretch in which Penn missed its first seven field goal attempts, Gillespie made his players focus on the guards and Mark Zoller while allowing Steve Danley and/or Brennan Votel to move almost at well on the perimeter. Danley had two moments in which he had the ball at the top of the arc without anyone near him, but Gillespie bet Danley wouldn't shoot and was proven right.
Then, with 14:40 left on the clock, Votel decided to have a crack at the basket and nailed a three. Gillespie responded by pushing his players farther out and making it even harder for Penn to do anything but pass the ball around high screens. Ibrahim Jaaber, Kevin Egee and Justin Reilly made some difficult baskets inside, but Acie Law IV responded to Reilly's first points with the first three of his seven straight for A&M.
Gillespie's defense became even tighter after that. Penn only made two field goals in the final five minutes from eight attempts and a shot clock violation in the final five minutes of the half. A&M started to assert itself on the boards as well as the half went on, including one possessions with 2:26 left where they pulled down three straight offensive rebounds leading to a Josh Carter three that made it 29-16.
Penn had its chances, and was helped by Antanas Kavaliauskas picking up two early fouls, but once A&M asserted itself there was never any question as to who the better team was.
As the second half begins, I don't see that changing.
