Penn holds off late rally from Maryland Eastern Shore behind Ethan Roberts’ 23 points

Penn guard Sam Brown sank two free throws in the closing seconds to lift the Quakers in their home opener to an 85-84 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Thursday night, 85-84.

Penn (2-0) was caught in a tight game with Maryland Eastern Shore (0-2). With 11 seconds left, the Quakers were leading by four and on the ensuing inbound pass, the ball bounced off the fingertips of Penn junior guard Ethan Roberts and landed out of bounds. Hawks freshman guard Kyrell Shaw made his second consecutive three-pointer to cut the game to one. However, two successful trips to the charity stripe allowed Penn to eke out a win.

Here is what we saw from Penn’s home opener.

Penn was aggressive in the transfer portal this offseason, adding three players. Two games into the season, the aggressiveness seems to be paying off.

In their season opener on Monday, Triton College transfer Dylan Williams’ 17 points and Drake transfer Roberts’ 15 fueled the Quakers in a come-from-behind victory against NJIT. Both players started their first two games with the Quakers.

“The fit for those two [Williams and Roberts], as you can tell, I thought they’d be really good,” said coach Steve Donahue. “I saw Dylan lead a team to the [JUCO] national championship game and was never phased by anything … And [Roberts] is just a baller, he just plays every aspect of the game. And I don’t think he’s where he’s going to be.”

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Roberts, who started his collegiate career at Army, showed off his shooting Thursday night. The junior guard made 5-for-10 three-pointers, scoring a team-high 23 points. The former Patriot League rookie of the year also led Penn in total rebounds with 10.

“The guys and the coaches make it easy on me,” Roberts said. “Just made me feel like I’m appreciated here. It’s such a great environment … We’re just going to keep getting better, so I am just happy to be here.”

Williams struggled from the field on Thursday, shooting 2 of 10 from the field. He scored six points and dished out three assists.

Penn’s leading scorer in the first half was senior guard George Smith. He matched his season-high of last season at halftime with 10 points, shooting 3-for-3 from the field.

“I think the key to the game was George Smith, his contributions in the first half,” said Donahue. “We still don’t know each other yet enough, and then he comes in and plays really well in the second half. I thought we clicked [with Smith in the game].”

Smith started 19 games last season. With the acquisitions of Williams and Roberts through the transfer portal, Smith has been relegated to a sixth-man role in his senior season.

In the game’s final minutes, Smith stuck in the lineup after sophomore forward Augustus Gerhart fouled out of the game. He finished with 14 points in 21 minutes, leading the team in total minutes and points off the bench.

Last year’s returning stars Nick Spinoso and Sam Brown showed up on Thursday.

Coming into the season, Donahue looked to take Spinoso out of the playmaking role to run the offense through Williams. Spinoso, who led the Quakers in assists last season, has bought into this new role.

Working almost exclusively out of the paint, Spinoso repeatedly got to the free-throw line, knocking down 7 of 10 attempts. He ended his day with 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

“[Spinoso] is just a much more mature competitor at this point,” Donahue said. “I think the amount of time he’s touching it will probably vary game to game. I just think he’s an experienced player we can rely on at this point.”

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Brown exploded in the second half, scoring 17 points and shooting 3 of 4 from the three-point line. His final two free throws iced the game for Penn.

Brown was Penn’s second-leading scorer with 22 points in 35 minutes.

The Quakers are back on the road to face Lafayette on Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).