PHILADELPHIA - The third game was the charm for the University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team on Wednesday, as the Quakers shot out to an early lead and never looked back in defeating Navy 66-45 for their first win of the season. The victory pushes Penn to 1-2 on the year, while the Midshipmen fall to 1-2. 

PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*For the third time in as many games, Ryan Betley led the way offensively for Penn with 13 points. It marked his 11th-straight game in double figures, dating back to last season.

*Senior Caleb Wood also notched a baker's dozen in the scoring column, shooting 5-of-8 from the field including three from long range. Woods has now hit a trio of treys in all three games so far this season, and his 13 points were a personal high since he scored 15 last season at Navy. 

*The 45 points scored by Navy matches the fewest scored by an opponent in the Steve Donahue era. The other time it happened was January 2, 2016 when Penn held Binghamton to 45 points in an 80-45 victory.

*Penn shot a season-high 46 percent from the field--including a 7-for-22 performance from three-point range--while holding Navy to 28 percent from the floor. The Quakers also won the battle of the boards, 39-35.

*Penn's assertiveness on defense may best be shown by its number of blocked shots with seven (led by three from sophomore AJ Brodeur). The number is one shy of a Penn best in the Donahue era.

*Another stat highlighting the Quaker defense? Navy totaled 16 made field goals on the night, and only four of those were assisted. That is an opponent low in the Donahue era. 

*The Quakers improved to 59-26 all-time against Navy and posted their first win over the Mids since Dec. 3, 2014. The victory is the largest over Navy since a 79-58 win on Dec. 7, 2006.

*The early-season turnover trend continued for Penn as the Quakers yet again won the turnover battle against Navy, 17-14. Penn has forced its opponents into 16 or more miscues in every game so far this year. 

*16 of the 19 players who dressed for the Red and Blue on Wednesday night hit the court against Navy, with 11 of them tallying at least two points.

*Freshman Eddie Scott scored his first collegiate points and added three rebounds and a steal in 11 minutes.

*Completely unrelated to the game: with another make on the SIG Half-Court Shot Challenge on Wednesday, contestants are now a perfect 2-for-2 this season in the second-half timeout promotion. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was all Penn from the opening tip, as the Quakers jumped out to a 17-2 lead less than eight minutes into the contest. Penn's offense asserted itself early, featuring scores from in the paint, beyond the arc, and from the free throw line. Defensively, the Quakers shut down the Navy attack on all fronts, boasting blocked shots, stolen balls and shot clock violations in the early minutes. Betley, Darnell Foreman, Wood and Max Rothschild all got involved in the scoring party for the Red and Blue as part of a 12-0 run to gain the 15-point advantage.
 
It only got better from there. Just when Navy cut the score to 11 and seemed to be gaining momentum, Penn distanced itself further on an off-the-glass layup from Rothschild and a turnaround hook shot from Brodeur to make it 23-8 with 9:13 remaining. Both teams then went cold, combining to go scoreless for 3:28 before Wood broke the drought with his second three-pointer of the night. That led to another long-range bomb from sophomore Jackson Donahue, his first points at The Palestra this season, and the advantage swelled to 29-8. The Midshipmen were able to break a nearly seven-minute scoring drought with a free throw by Evan Wieck, but it was too little too late for Navy as the visitors aimed to gain an offensive flow. Betley closed the half in dominant form, scoring six straight for the Red and Blue on three-point plays, both of the new and old fashioned varieties. The Quakers entered the half with a comfortable 43-16 lead, featuring seven players in the scoring column led by 11 from Betley and Wood. 

The lead continued to balloon to start the second half, as the Quakers were relentless at both ends. Less than seven minutes into the second period, a nifty behind-the-back pass from Devon Goodman to Brodeur pushed the margin out to 51-21 before Eddie Scott scored the first points of his collegiate career seconds later. The largest lead of the night came with 11:39 left in the game at 34 points, and shortly after that head coach Steve Donahue began clearing his bench. Jake Silpe, Kuba Mijakowski, Colin McManus and Zack Kaminsky all checked in for their first minutes of the season, while Matt MacDonald drained a three for his first points of the year. Navy was able to make a sizable dent in Penn's advantage, but it wasn't nearly enough.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Quakers end their three-game home swing on Saturday with an 11:30 a.m. matchup against Penn State-Brandywine before heading to the Sunshine State for Gulf Coast Showcase next week. Saturday's game is the first leg of a tripleheader that also includes the Penn football team playing Cornell at Franklin Field (at 1:30 p.m.) and the women's basketball team hosting Lafayette at The Palestra (at 5 p.m.). Fans can get one ticket for all three events through the Penn Athletics ticket office, and students have free admission to all three contests on Saturday. A pre-game Fan Fest on Shoemaker Green with food, games, music and more begins at 10:30 a.m.