Penn Rallies in 2nd Half to Beat USC

Junior guard Chris Elzey scored 20 points as Penn rallied in the second half and defeated USC, 63-54, Monday night in college basketball at the Palestra.

USC held a 46-40 lead with just over six minutes remaining, but Penn ran off 10 straight points, and a free throw by Perry Bromwell with 2:57 left gave the Quakers a 50-46 advantage.

The Trojans cut the lead to 52-50 on a layup by Ivan Verberckt with 2:08 remaining, but Elzey made two free throws, and a three-point play by Bruce Lefkowitz with 47 seconds to go sealed the victory.

Lefkowitz added 15 for Penn (2-0), while freshman Tom Lewis had 20 points and Derrick Dowell 12 for the Trojans (1-3).

Elzey, who was 47 for 50 from the free-throw line last season, went 6 for 6 Monday night.

USC Coach Stan Morrison said: “We kind of went dead in the water at the end. After Derrick Dowell fouled out, we stopped attacking on offense and we played on our heels. Despite the loss, I think we’re improving. Our defense in the first half is the best we’ve played this year. We just stopped being aggressive in the last 10 minutes.

The Trojans will play host to Texas Thursday night at the Sports Arena. Game time is 8 p.m.