PHILADELPHIA - Penn's Darien Nelson-Henry had 31 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Quakers to a 80-64 victory over La Salle in the Big 5 opener at the Palestra on Wednesday night. Junior Cleon Roberts led the Explorers with 20 points, while classmate Jordan Price, who came into the game as the nation's top scorer, had 18.

Sophomore Johnnie Shuler was the only other La Salle player in double-figures with 10 points. He added a team-best and career-high tying eight rebounds.

The Explorers couldn't contain the 6-foot-11 Nelson-Henry, who did almost everything he wanted in a career-game for the center. He shot 14-for-19 from the field and added two blocks. Sam Jones added 18 points for the Quakers (4-1, 1-0 Big 5), who shot nearly 60% in the second half on their way to 51 points after intermission. 

"We need to guard the ball better," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "We should have doubled [Nelson-Henry]. But give credit to him, he was awesome." 

La Salle got off to a good start and led 30-20 with 3:21 to play before halftime. But playing the final few minutes without Price, who was saddled with two fouls, proved to be difficult as Penn went on a 9-2 run to cut it to 32-29 at the break.

"I felt good where we were in the first half until he committed his second foul," Giannini said. "That changed everything."

The Quaker run continued after intermission. A 12-3 spurt right out of the gates gave the hosts a lead they would not relinquish. The advantage would grow to as many as 19 points before Roberts hit his final three-pointer of the evening to account for the final score. 

La Salle shot 36.5% from the field and made all 10 free throws. Penn controlled the post, outscoring the Explorers, 48-28, in the paint and 22-3 on second chance opportunities. 

The Explorers (3-1, 0-1 Big 5) remain on the road to visit Rowan on Saturday at 3 PM. The game against the Division III Profs was scheduled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rowan's 1996 National Championship, which Giannini coached.