But with Maalik Wayns spending much of the first half in foul trouble and Villanova (5-2, 2-0) struggling from beyond the arc in the second half, Yarou knew he had to keep working and not worry about stats.
"I wasn't thinking about it," Yarou said. "I was trying to get every offensive rebound and play defense and help my team win. I'm not thinking about stats and stuff."
With injuries to two key frontcourt reserves, Maurice Sutton (dislocated thumb) and Markus Kennedy (shoulder contusion), Yarou had to be on the floor for 33 minutes.
"They're physical; they've got good, tough kids," Villanova coach Jay Wright said of the Quakers. "I thought [Yarou] did a great job playing through their physicality. He had no turnovers in the game. . . .
"That's the first game this year he finished the game defensively on the floor, played through getting tired. That's a big challenge for him, and he did a great job."
Wayns, Villanova's leading scorer with a 20-point average, sat out the final 11 minutes of the first half after picking up his second personal foul and didn't score his first points until 8 minutes, 26 seconds remained in the game. But he contributed in the second half with 11 points and three assists.
Wright liked the way Wayns set the defensive tempo on Penn sharpshooter Zack Rosen.
"I think that was important," Wright said. "When [the freshmen] see the captain and the leading scorer flying around defending, taking charges, diving on the floor, then they all play that way."
Rosen tied Yarou for game-high honors with 21 points, with 11 coming in the final 64 seconds, when the Quakers got as close as four points after trailing by 18 at the half.
Penn was down by 61-51 after a free throw by Yarou, but Rosen connected on a three-ball and hit another one on his team's next possession.
