Many have tried to figure out
why the Penn-Princeton rivalry is so heated, so emotional and so
intense. Like its better-known counterparts, Duke-North Carolina
in basketball and Army-Navy in football, Penn-Princeton has all
the components of a good sports rivalry – passion, respect for the
opponent, distinct styles of play, close geographical proximity
and two schools with very different identities. What distinguishes
this rivalry from the others, however, is its winner-take-all
element. Because the Ivy League is the only Division I conference
not to have a post-season tournament, the regular-season winner
earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. For Penn and Princeton, the loser, at best, can
hope to get into the NIT. That’s what happens when you play in a
league that merits one NCAA bid. Only on rare occasions does the name of the
winner not begin with the letter “P.” No other league has seen two
teams dominate the way Penn and Princeton have. Only six times
since the Ivy League’s inception in 1956 has the conference
champion been a team other than the Quakers or the Tigers, which
means that nearly every time these teams meet it is for the chance
to play in the NCAA tournament. But the fact that these two
schools have won 35 of the last 37 Ivy League men’s basketball
championships just scratches the surface of the war, for it
doesn’t just exist on the hardwood. The Penn and Princeton
football teams played 31 times over 19 seasons beginning in 1876, but the 1894
game was so brutal that it led to a 41-year break before their next meeting in 1935.
The rivalry wasn’t always as
intense as it is today. Still, the Penn-Princeton rivalry began to
take hold during the Ivy League’s first decade. Princeton
dominated its series with Penn then, winning 15 of 20 games and
five league titles while the Quakers never finished better than
second in the standings. Despite the lopsided matchup, the passion
already was growing. Former Princeton Coach Butch van Breda Kolff,
who guided the Tigers from 1962 to 1967, was quoted on a plaque in
the Palestra as saying, “I just never liked Penn – don’t know why,
just never did. And I don’t think they ever liked us much either.”
The rivalry intensified when Pete Carril was at Princeton. More
than anything, Carril wanted to win. He especially wanted to win
Ivy League titles. And because Penn usually was the team
preventing that, Carril grew to dislike the Quakers. When things
looked good, Carril would gesture animatedly. When they looked
bad, he would slump on the bench. Carril became a character to the
Penn fans, who couldn’t have asked for somebody to be a better
target. The “Sit down, Pete” chant started here. Penn-Princeton
basketball is as good as it gets. It’s the best rivalry in
sports. And in the world of college basketball, it’s the only
one where the game really matters. Click
to watch ESPNU’s
segment on the Penn-Princeton rivalry or click
to see and hear how some of the participants view the rivalry.
Princeton 81, Penn 71
(March 3, 1965)
Princeton senior Bill
Bradley scored just 19 points in his final collegiate home game,
tying his lowest tally of the season. But with four other Tigers
in double figures, Princeton was never in trouble after the first
13 minutes, despite Penn's rugged play and determined effort at a
comeback, and the Tigers came away with an 81-71 victory, at
Dillon Gymnasium. Princeton went into the half riding
a 12-point lead, 39-27, and held onto it for the rest of the game.
Stan Pawlak led a strong Penn counterattack in the second half,
scoring 16 to give him 26 for the game, but Princeton matched him
and his teammates almost point for point. Penn jumped out to a 7-1
lead at the beginning of the contest, and held on for a 13-minute
period during which the lead changed hands seven times and the
score was tied once. The score was 25-24 in Princeton's favor
before the Tigers closed out the first half on a 14-3 run, and the
Quakers never recovered. Click
to watch footage of Bill Bradley.
Penn 70, Princeton 62
(January 4, 1971)
Penn opened
defense of its Ivy title in Jadwin Gymnasium by beating Princeton,
70-62, before a near-capacity crowd of 6,200. The Quakers took
advantage of the Tigers’ poor 10-for-30 shooting in the first half
and led, 33-24, at the break. The Quakers seldom took a bad shot
and seldom made any errant passes -- phases of the game in which
Princeton was weak. However, the Tigers rallied in the second half
when Penn suddenly lost its poise and scoring punch. The Quakers
went almost four minutes without a point, and the Tigers cut an
11-point deficit to four. But Penn righted itself on the floor
leadership of senior guards Dave Wohl and Steve Bilsky and moved
to a 10-point edge with four minutes remaining. The Tigers, in
foul trouble by then, were nearly helpless as Wohl, Bilsky and
Corky Calhoun scored 13 points in one-and-one situations. Wohl
finished with 20 points, Bilsky got 19 and Calhoun had 18. Sophomore guard Brian Taylor
tallied 28 points for the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough. Click
to watch some of the highlights.
Penn 66,
Princeton 62 (OT) (January 28, 1971)
Corky Calhoun
gave Penn an 11th-hour reprieve against Princeton when he sank a
22-foot jump shot with one second left in regulation, tying the
score, 60-60. Princeton was on the verge of victory when the
Tigers led, 56-49, with only 2:19 remaining. Dave Wohl converted
two free throws to cut the lead to 56-51. Wohl promptly stole the
Tigers’ inbounds pass and sank a layup.
Penn regained possession and Wohl was again fouled. He converted
both ends of the one-and-one with 32 seconds to go, closing the
gap to one, 59-58. The Quakers were then forced to foul and, with
13 seconds remaining, Wohl committed his fifth personal, sending
Ted Manakas to the line for a one-and-one. He sank the first but
missed the second, giving the Quakers life. After a timeout,
Calhoun, with one second to go, hit a 22-foot jump shot from the
top of the key to send the game into overtime. In the extra
session, Penn still had trouble breaking the Tigers’ zone. With
1:13 remaining, Bob Morse hit from 22 feet and Steve Bilsky
converted a one-and-one. Meanwhile, the Quakers’ defense held
Princeton to two points and the Quakers went on to beat the Tigers, 66-62, to remain
undefeated following their closest call of the campaign. Click
to watch Corky Calhoun’s
game-tying buzzer-beater or click
to listen to the dramatic final 32 seconds of
regulation.
BOB BIGELOW’S
BUZZER-BEATER: Penn 67, Princeton 65 (January 29, 1974)
Penn
entered the contest in first place in the Ivy League with a 3-0
record. The Tigers came in one game behind at 2-1, their lone loss
coming at the hands of the Quakers.at Jadwin Gym just a
three-and-a-half weeks earlier. The game was close throughout and
came down to the final seconds. Penn held for the final shot, with
Bob Bigelow nailing a 20-foot buzzer-beater to give the Quakers
the victory in a nail-biter over their archrivals. Click
to watch Bob Bigelow’s buzzer-beater.
Princeton 50, Penn 49 (January 4, 1975)
The
game was televised regionally on NBC. Going in, Princeton wasn’t
given much of a chance. The Tigers had lost eight of their last 10
games against Penn. The Quakers had won five consecutive Ivy
League titles and were ranked No. 12 nationally. On this night,
however, the Quakers couldn’t make a basket. They missed shot
after shot, which allowed Princeton to take a 30-22 halftime lead.
After Princeton led by 16 with 16 minutes to play, Penn closed to
within one with a minute remaining. John Engles had a shot to win
the game for the Quakers, but the ball caromed off the rim and the
Tigers prevailed, 50-49. Click
to watch some of the early second
half action.
Penn 75, Princeton 57
(January 28, 1975)
To
the Penn players, there was no place like home as they gained
sweet revenge by beating Princeton, 75 57, before 6,297
basketball fans at The Palestra. The win enabled Penn to go on
and win its sixth straight Ivy League title. Unlike their earlier meeting at
Jadwin, the Quakers never allowed Princeton to control the tempo
of the game. The Red
and Blue jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the first five minutes and
the Tigers never caught up. Penn led 32-18 at the break, and by
as much as 23 points, 50-27, early in the second half, before
coasting to the easy victory. All was not lost for Princeton,
though. The Tigers closed the regular season by winning 13
straight games and won the NIT championship in New York. Click
to watch a
red-hot Mark Lonetto, as well as an awesome blocked shot by
Henry Johnson in which he actually caught the ball.
Penn 43, Princeton 39
(January 11, 1977)
Penn took the
lead in the Ivy League basketball race with a painfully patient
43-39 victory over Princeton at The Palestra. Keven McDonald led
the Quakers with 17 points and sophomore Bobby Willis added 11.
Princeton’s slow and deliberate offense built a 10-point lead
early in the game, but the Quakers resorted to a pressure
defense to close the gap to 24-22, by halftime. Willis sank two
free throws with 14:21 left in the game to give the Quakers the
lead and, after another basket increased the margin to 34-30,
Penn went into a four-corner stall against Princeton’s zone
defense. Penn increased its lead to five points, 39-34, on
McDonald’s three-point play with 2:33 remaining, but the Tigers
cut the margin to one, 40-39, with 39 seconds left. Quaker guard
Mark Lonetto made the first of two free throws with 15 seconds
left, but missed the second and Princeton had a chance to tie.
But Lonetto stole the ball at midcourt and clinched the victory
with a dunk. Frank Sowinski was high scorer for Princeton with
18 points. Click
to watch the
final 15 seconds, including Mark Lonetto’s steal and game-clinching dunk.
Princeton 69, Penn 56 (January 29, 1977)
Although a New Jersey
fuel emergency mandated 55 degrees inside Jadwin Gymnasium, the
Tigers were hot as they ran away from Penn and whipped the
Quakers, 69-56, in the big rematch between the teams expected to
fight to the wire for the Ivy League championship. Princeton
held a 23-point lead with just over 10 minutes remaining as the
task was much easier than the Tigers had expected following a
slow, stalling affair in the first meeting. Princeton sophomore
Bob Roma was high man with 19 points while playing all 40
minutes. Billy Omeltchenko, the junior guard for the Tigers who
was in the hospital two weeks earlier and missed the first
meeting, played all 40 minutes and contributed 14 points and six
rebounds. Bob Slaughter also put in full time for Princeton and
scored 15 points. And then there was Frank Sowinski, the
nation’s leader in field-goal accuracy with 66.7 percent, who
hit on 5-of-7 shots to better that pace and scored 11 points for
Princeton. Click
to watch some
of the second half action.
Penn 78, Princeton 63
(January 3, 1978)
Penn and Princeton
opened their Ivy seasons against each other in Jadwin Gymnasium,
and the Quakers prevailed, 78-63, in a mistake-filled game. It
was the first time a Princeton team had given up more than 75
points since January 1975 when the Tigers lost to Duke, 90-73.
Penn shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half,
hitting on 20 of 30 shots. Penn senior Keven McDonald led all
scorers with 23 points. There were 43 turnovers in the game,
including 26 by Princeton. Penn led at halftime, 27-26, then
outscored Princeton by 12-2 early in the second half to take a
47-36 lead with 12 minutes left in the game. Click
to watch the
start of Penn’s 12-2 run, early in the second
half.
“PETE CARRIL’S HYSTERICAL OUTBURST”: Penn 49,
Princeton 44 (January 28, 1978)
It was just one helluva
contest. It was the traditional Penn-Princeton rivalry -- Old
Nassau against West Philly, the scrappy champions against the
talented challengers, and a young coach against a legend. It was
tough, physical basketball, a close contest from the opening
tipoff to the final buzzer, the type of game Princeton’s Pete
Carril loves and almost always wins. But this time Carril did not
pull off another of his fabled upsets, and it was a shame the
excitement and beauty of the 49-44 Penn win -- the first time the
Red and Blue have defeated the Orange and Black twice in one
season since 1974 -- was tempered by bitterness, insults and
disdain. Princeton had the ball and was running a slow, patterned
offense. Tiger forward Frank Sowinski received a pass from behind
center Bob Roma’s screen and seemingly hit a jump shot. But Tony
Price, following Sowinski, got entangled in Roma’s pick and in
trying to free himself, threw an elbow. That was when everything
started. Carril quickly rushed off the Princeton bench and began
berating first referee Steve Honzo for not calling a flagrant foul
on Price and then Tony, which in turn incensed Penn coach Bob
Weinhauer. Carril had continued sniping at both referees, and at
one point yelled during halftime, “He belongs in jail, not on a
court,” obviously referring to Price.
Penn 59, Princeton 58
(OT) (January 13, 1979)
Bobby Willis sank four free throws in the final 41 seconds to
send Penn to a 59-58 overtime victory over Princeton, at Jadwin
Gymnasium. James Salters hit a layup and three free throws in the
overtime period, which was marked by perfect foul shooting by both
Princeton, 4-for-4, and Penn, 7-for-7. A layup with 26 seconds
remaining in regulation by Penn’s Tony Price
had tied the game at 50, forcing the extra session. Click
to watch the final 46 seconds of
regulation.
Penn 42, Princeton 41
(OT) (February 20,
1979)
Freshman Angelo
Reynolds scored his only field goal of the game with 3:11 left in
overtime to give Penn a 42-41 victory over Princeton, at The
Palestra. The triumph assured the Quakers of at least a tie for
the Ivy League championship. After being tied, 22-22, at the
intermission, the Quakers managed to build a 31-23 lead after 8:15
of the second half. But the Tigers ran off a 10-2 spurt to even
the score, 35-35. Dave Blatt gave Princeton a 39-37 lead on a
driving layup with 1:08 to play in regulation. But 34 seconds
later, Matt White connected with a layup that sent the game into
overtime. In the extra period, Princeton scored on a layup by
Blatt after 59 seconds. With 3:41 to go, Tony Price narrowed the
deficit to a point with a free throw. Thirty seconds later,
Reynolds produced the clincher. It was made on a well-executed,
20-foot baseline shot that struck home without touching the rim.
Click
to watch the overtime period.
“IVY PLAYOFF”: Penn 50,
Princeton 49 (March 4, 1980)
The Quakers pulled off a last-minute victory in the Ivy
playoff game when senior captain James “Booney” Salters
swished an 18-foot jump shot from the right baseline with 11
seconds left in the game -- giving the Quakers a thrilling
50-49 victory. Flustered by Princeton’s zone defense, Penn needed
more than five minutes to make its first field goal. The Quakers,
who later went through a six-minute stretch without a basket in
the first half, managed to go up 27-25 at halftime. The
Quakers
and Tigers traded baskets down to the last minute. Gary Knapp, a freshman who led the
Tigers with 14 points, scored on an eight-foot jump shot with 39
seconds remaining to put Princeton ahead, 49-48. But the Tigers’ lead
did not last long as Salters threw up the game-winning shot
less than 30 seconds later. It was Knapp who tried again to
put up Princeton’s game-winning shot. But his foul-line jumper
bounced off the rim as time expired, sending the Quakers back
to the NCAA tournament. Click
to watch Booney’s game-winner.
“IVY PLAYOFF” (Part II):
Princeton 54, Penn 40 (March 10, 1981)
The Tigers exacted revenge with a 54-40 victory to win the Ivy
League title, ending Penn’s streak of three-straight NCAA
appearances. Ten minutes into the game, the Quakers were already
down 18-4, and Princeton never looked back. While the Tigers
advanced to the NCAAs, the Quakers earned an invitation to the NIT
tournament, where they lost to West Virginia in the first round.
“When Princeton gets a 10-12 point lead, it feels like a 15-20
point lead,” Weinhauer said. “I never felt like we were in that
game.” Ken Hall
scored 11 points and no one else had more than eight for the
Quakers. George Noon and Michael Brown, Penn’s tall men down low,
were shut off by the Tigers’ zone. Click
to
watch a brief recap or click
to
watch the conclusion.
“THE DAVID LARDNER GAME”:
Penn 43, Princeton 40 (January 30, 1982)
It wasn’t supposed to be
the way Penn’s coach Bob Weinhauer was supposed to kick off his
final Ivy League season. After winning the Ancient Eight with a
13-1 record the previous year, the Quakers started the 1981-82
campaign with losses at Brown and Yale, falling 76-75, and 49-48,
respectively. But for at least one night, all memories of the ugly
Penn start were erased with a 43-40 victory over Princeton in
front of a sold out Palestra crowd. Despite trailing by as many as
nine, the Quakers came back, thanks to the shooting of forward
David Lardner, who shot 7-for-10 in the second half. Down 26-18 at
the half, Lardner scored 10 of Penn’s next 15 points to tie the
game at 33 with 7:18 remaining. The momentum from the win over
rival Princeton carried Penn for the rest of the season, as the
Quakers would not lose another game -- winning the remainder of
the Ivy matchups as well as a tilt against Temple. Click
to watch or click
to listen to highlights of the David Lardner show.
Penn 46, Princeton 43
(February 23, 1982)
Penn led 24-21 at the break. The
Quakers’ lead was 37-33 before Princeton scored five consecutive
points, the last on a Gordon Enderle free throw, to take a 38-37
lead. The Red and Blue would not score another field goal the rest
of the way, however, a pair of free throws by Avery Rawlings put
the Quakers ahead for good. On the other end, Paul Little seemed
to come out of nowhere to reject a Craig Robinson layup, leading
to two more free throws from David Lardner which gave Penn a 41-38
lead with 2:34 to go. The Tigers would eventually cut the lead to
one, 44-43, on a shot by Enderle with 0:14 left, but two clutch
Karl Racine free throws with 0:05 remaining iced the victory,
46-43. Click
to watch a brief recap or click
to listen to Paul Little reject Craig Robinson.
Penn 41, Princeton 39 (February 1, 1983)
It was only the third game of
the Ivy League season, but it could have determined another Ivy
basketball title. It usually does. Karl Racine converted two free
throws with two seconds showing on the clock to give Penn a 41-39
win over Princeton at Jadwin Gym, a 3-0 Ivy record and the lead in
the race for the League championship and NCAA Tournament bid. The
Quakers held the ball
the final two minutes until Princeton forward Craig Robinson
fouled Racine. Penn would go on to
improve its Ivy record to 7-0 and its League lead to two games
over Princeton (5-2), before dropping three conference games
within a nine-day span and finishing in second place, behind the
Tigers. Click
to
watch the final seconds.
HASSAN DUNCOMBE AT THE
BUZZER: Penn 51, Princeton 50 (February 6, 1990)
The Quakers took a 12-point lead in the first
half, but the Tigers stormed back within two at the half, 26-24.
The second half saw neither team go up by more than three. With
one second remaining, and Princeton leading by a point, Paul
Chambers was fouled and stepped to the line for a one-and-one. It
seemed like the game was over for Penn when Chambers’ free throw
fell off the side of the rim. But fate smiled on the Quakers, and
the 4,580 in attendance saw one of the most exciting finishes in
the history of the Palestra. Penn center Hassan Duncombe
positioned himself in front of two Tigers --Matt Lapin and Kit
Mueller -- and tipped in the rebound to give the Quakers a 51-50
upset victory. “That is one of the more unacceptable ways to lose
a basketball game”, Princeton coach
Pete Carril said after the game. Duncombe
finished with seven points for the Quakers, while Tyrone Gilliams
and Chambers each had 10 for Penn. The Tigers’ Matt Eastwick led
all scorers with 15 points. Click
to watch Hassan Duncombe muscle past Kit Mueller
to tip home the game-winner.
Princeton 42, Penn 40
(February 4, 1992)
The Ivy League
standings found Penn near the bottom at 1-2, looking up at the 3-0
Tigers. As was the case with many Penn-Princeton matchups, the
game came down to the final seconds. A rowdy Palestra crowd held
its breath as Princeton’s Sean Jackson, an 89 percent foul
shooter, looked up from the charity stripe to see five seconds
left on the game clock, the Tigers leading Penn by just a deuce.
The front end of the one-and-one was long, giving new life to the
Quakers. The clock, on the other hand, would be less than kind to
the Red and Blue. Penn’s Jerome Allen hustled the ball up the
floor, feeding Barry Pierce. The buzzer sounded as Pierce’s
desperation shot nicked the rim and fell away, taking with it
Penn’s Ivy title hopes. Click
to
watch the exciting finish.
“THE EXORCISM GAME”:
Penn 64, Princeton 46 (January 30, 1993)
Has the Palestra ever been louder
than after Tim Krug’s incredible block of Rick Hielscher’s
attempted layup? A sellout crowd watched the Quakers smash
Princeton by 18 points, their largest win since 1986. Matt
Maloney led Penn with 18 points while Krug scored 12 points
in the second half. Click
to watch Tim Krug reject Rick Hielscher.
“IT'S 14-0 AND
ONTO THE SHOW”: Penn 52, Princeton 51 (March 9, 1993)
Four days
earlier, the Quakers clinched the Ivy championship with a
resounding 71-49 victory over Yale. Therefore, the game only four
days later against the dreaded Tigers was purely for bragging
rights. The archrivals did not fail to deliver, granting the crowd
another typical nailbiter in true Penn-Princeton fashion. After
falling behind by 13 in the first half, the Tigers worked their
way back into the game and refused to let the Quakers run away
with the win, sticking close throughout much of the second half.
With 3.7 seconds left in the game, Princeton inbounded the ball to
center Rick Hielscher, who faked his defender -- Penn forward Andy
Baratta -- and managed to put up a valiant shot at the rim from 18
feet out. The Quakers held their breaths as the ball unsteadily
hit the rim, dropped in and then popped out. Hielscher tipped the
ball in, but after the buzzer, and Penn held on for a 52-51 win at
Jadwin Gym. Matt
Maloney had 17 for the Red and Blue, who completed its undefeated Ivy season
and headed to the NCAA Tournament. The next morning’s Daily Pennsylvanian read “It’s
14-0 and Onto the Show”.
Click
to
watch to exciting finish.
“BARRY PIERCE’S
SIGNATURE SLAM”: Penn 66, Princeton 55 (January 29, 1994)
Barry Pierce’s
signature two-handed slam was the exclamation point to a one-sided
contest that became dangerously close in the end. It was a symbol
to the Quaker faithful that the team would not let this game slip
away in the waning seconds. It was the signal for Princeton fans
to head for the doors. Pierce’s dunk made a statement -- “We will
not lose” -- as the Quakers drubbed the Tigers, 66-55.
Click
to watch Barry Pierce’s two-handed
slam.
“IVY CHAMPS”:
Penn 53, Princeton 43 (March 2, 1994)
Matt Maloney scored 24 points,
including nine of the Quakers’ first 16 points, and dished out
four assists, as No. 25 Penn captured its second consecutive Ivy
title and NCAA berth. With
the score tied at 39, Maloney drove past Princeton freshman guard
Sydney Johnson for a layup. Then he penetrated into the lane and
drew the defense, only to kick it back out to Eric Moore for a
wide open three and Penn led 44-40. Chris Mooney’s 3-pointer cut
it to 44-43. From that point on, Maloney was the only player to
score. After missing a pair of three-point shots that would have
signaled the death knell for Princeton, Maloney tried again. The
shot hit net. The crowd went berserk. Maloney closed the game by
burying four free throws. His defense also frustrated the Tigers
as Johnson was unable to get the ball from the point to the wings
without Maloney contesting the passes. One pass he took
three-quarters of the court and spun past Mooney for a layup. It
was the only fast-break basket for the Quakers all night. Click
to watch Matt Maloney take over
down the stretch.
“HEY RICK, REMEMBER
ME?”: Penn 69, Princeton 50 (January 28, 1995)
Princeton center Rick Hielscher
had to live with the memory of a Tim Krug block for two long
years. Now he had a new memory. As Penn pounded the Tigers into
submission, Krug executed an awe-inspiring slam on poor
Hielscher’s head. Sixteen Penn players saw minutes in the contest
as the Red & Blue built a 19-point halftime advantage against
their archrivals and went on to win by the same differential.
Penn’s defense was the key, as Princeton had more turnovers than
baskets on the night. Senior guards Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney
held the Tigers backcourt of Sydney Johnson and Chris Long
scoreless in the first half. Princeton suffered from long distance
as the Tigers first connected on a three pointer with 10:43 left
in the second half. Allen, the Quakers’ lone captain, led all
scorers with 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field.
Click
to watch Tim Krug’s awesome slam.
“KRUG REJECTS HIELSCHER,
AGAIN!”: Penn 69, Princeton 57 (March 8, 1995)
When Penn defeated Princeton,
69-57, at Jadwin Gym, the Quakers concluded a third consecutive
undefeated Ivy season. Forward Shawn Trice led the way for Penn,
scoring a career-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting. After a
first half plagued by turnovers on both sides, nothing had been
decided and the score was tied at 28. The Quakers began the second
half strong and gradually opened a lead. With just over 13 minutes
to play, senior Scott Kegler drained a 3-pointer to put Penn ahead
47-34. But Princeton center Rick Hielscher answered with a
trifecta of his own, sparking a 12-2 Tigers run which closed the
gap to three, 49-46, with seven minutes left. Penn forward Tim
Krug, who had a habit of making big plays against Princeton,
blocked a shot by Hielscher and then buried a 3-pointer at the
other end. That put the Quakers ahead 54-46, and Princeton would
never again get closer than six points as Penn put a final
exclamation point on its Ivy League feats. Click
to watch Tim Krug’s block,
followed by his 3-pointer.
Penn 57, Princeton 55
(January 6, 1996)
It had all the elements of an
important college basketball game -- a long rivalry, a legendary
coach, an unexpected hero, and a bizarre ending. The Quakers
overcame both their own poor foul shooting and the Tigers to earn
a 57-55 victory. The narrow margin of victory gives no indication
of the superiority Penn demonstrated through the first 39 minutes
of play. In fact, with 50 seconds left, the score stood at 55-44.
Tim Krug went to the free throw line to shoot the double bonus and
missed both. Nat Graham grabbed the rebound, but stepped out of
bounds. He argued the call and was assessed a technical foul.
Brian Earl then made one of two to close the gap to 10. Donald
Moxley was quickly fouled. He also missed both free throws. The
Tigers raced down the floor and closed to within seven on a trey
from Mitch Henderson. Ira Bowman was fouled and made one of two,
but seconds later the home team was within five on a trey from
Earl. It was now Graham’s turn at the foul line. He failed on both
attempts. Once again, Princeton charged downcourt, this time
getting a Henderson layup with 8.1 seconds to play and the score
stood at 56-53. Garett Kreitz was then fouled and converted one of
two. As the final buzzer sounded Chris Doyal layed the ball in to
create the final score. As Penn celebrated a tight victory, the
officials conferred and determined that Princeton had called a
timeout with less than one-tenth of a second remaining. The
players returned to the court, and with 0.0 seconds showing on the
game clock, Penn inbounded the ball to end the game. It had been a
remarkable final minute and Penn won its first game against the
Tigers in the post-Jerome era. Click
to watch Donald Moxley’s 3-pointer
and fast-break layup give Penn a 55-44 lead with under one minute
remaining.
“LET’S PLAY THREE”: Penn 63, Princeton 49 (March
5, 1996)
Ernie Banks would love this Ivy League men’s basketball
season. Penn’s 63-49 victory over Princeton -- the Quakers’
second decisive win over the Tigers this year -- ensured that
the Ancient Eight regular season would end with the two
schools tied atop the standings. There were three ties and
three lead changes early in the first half, and neither team
was ahead by more than three points. With Penn clinging to an
18-17 lead, the Quakers outscored the Tigers 15-5 to take a
33-22 lead. Penn held a 10-point lead at halftime, 33-23, and
more or less preserved it the rest of the game. The Tigers
never got closer than eight points in the second half. Click
to watch Ira Bowman’s breakaway
slam give Penn a 49-35 lead.
“IVY PLAYOFF” (Part III): Princeton 63, Penn 56
(OT) (March 9, 1996)
The Quakers discovered
against Princeton that the road to the NCAA tournament is not
paved with bricks. The Quakers miserable shooting performance
eventually sent them home as Penn fell to archrival Princeton,
63-56, in overtime. Penn’s solid foul shooting, combined with
the Tigers inability to put the game away, left the Quakers down
only three points, 49-46, with 26 seconds remaining in the
second half. Although Penn never led in regulation, Ira Bowman
swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game at
49 with 15 seconds left, extending the game to another time
period. In just under a minute into overtime, Quakers reserve
forward Cedric Laster gave Penn its first lead of the game with
a layup. And when center Steve Goodrich was called for his fifth
foul trying to defend the shot, Laster hit the free throw,
giving the Quakers a 52-51 lead with 4:02 left in overtime. But
that would be the high point of the game for Penn as things
quickly went downhill. Princeton guard Sydney Johnson broke a
54-54 deadlock with a 3-pointer and two successful free throws
on consecutive possessions. Johnson proceeded to steal the ball
from Bowman to seal the win for the Tigers. Click
to watch Ira Bowman’s 3-pointer send the
game into overtime.
Princeton 74, Penn 69
(February 11, 1997)
When both
teams headed to their locker rooms after the first 20 minutes of
action, the Tigers were clinging to a shaky one-point lead over
the Quakers, 31-30. But Princeton’s offense, which had been
stifled for most of the first half, suddenly caught lightning in
a bottle and used a 16-3 run to end any realistic hopes of Penn
winning a fifth consecutive Ivy League title. The Tigers scored
on their first eight possessions of the second half, which
included five driving layups and two big three pointers. The
Tigers’ floor leader Sydney Johnson, who sat for most of the
first half with three fouls, hit two of the Tigers’ first three
shots after intermission. Using his quickness, Johnson initially
blew by junior Garett Kreitz for an inside score and then stole
an errant pass from Michael Jordan and raced down court to add
another easy deuce. The second half onslaught by Princeton came
at such a furious pace that by the time Penn had a chance to
catch its breath, the Tigers’ measly lead of one had ballooned
to 12 points and later 20. Click
to watch a George Mboya steal and length of the court drive for
a slam.
Princeton
86, Penn 73 (March 4, 1997)
Helped out by a trio of early
3-pointers, the Tigers jumped out to a 15-6 lead six minutes
into the game. Penn answered with a 10-4 run, sparked by a
four-point play from Jed Ryan and two driving layups from Garett
Kreitz. But Princeton responded with another run, this one 14-2
over four and a half minutes. It put the Tigers up 33-18 with
five minutes left in the half, on the way to a 40-30 halftime
lead. Princeton gradually continued to build its lead as the
second half opened, eventually holding a 56-39 advantage with
12:35 left in the game. Nine straight points by Ryan and Paul
Romanczuk helped trim the Quakers’ deficit to 10 points. And
with 6:16 left, a Kreitz free throw moved Penn to within 63-54.
But the Red and Blue could move no closer, and two straight
Princeton threes gave the Tigers a comfortable lead the rest of
the way. Click
to watch
Geoff Owens’ first half dunk off a nice feed from Michael
Jordan.
“ONE BUCKET SHY OF EUPHORIA”:
Princeton 78, Penn 72 (OT) (March 3, 1998)
After a 13-point second-half
comeback, the Penn men’s basketball team finished a
buzzer-beater shy of shocking No. 8-ranked Princeton. It took a
78-72 overtime win in order for the Tigers (26-1 overall, 14-0
Ivy League) to hold onto their pristine Ivy record. Penn had the
opportunity to bring a much hyped Princeton team back down to
earth in the final seconds of regulation. After the Tigers’
James Mastaglio missed the second of two foul shots with 12.1
seconds remaining, Penn’s Matt Langel ripped down the rebound
and dribbled across the half court line before passing the ball
to Michael Jordan. With approximately eight seconds remaining,
Jordan shook loose from Tigers guard Gabe Lewullis, leaving him
wide open for a three, which caught nothing but air. The game
went into overtime, where the Red and Blue ran out of gas. Click
to watch
Michael Jordan’s three-point play give Penn its first lead of
the game with 1:47 left in regulation.
“BLACK TUESDAY”: Princeton 50, Penn 49 (February 9, 1999)
In one of the most incredible games in the
history of college basketball, Penn used a 29-0 run to take a
33-9 halftime lead against dreaded Princeton at home, as the
Quakers put on one of their most dominant performances in school
history. Cheers of “You’ve got three points” echoed around the
Palestra for the first 15 minutes of this version of the fabled
Penn-Princeton rivalry. The Quakers extended their lead to 27
points, 40-13, early in the second half, but the Tigers scored
37 of the last 46 points. The Tigers’ Mason Rocca was the
unlikely hero on the night, going 5-for-9 from the field,
scoring 13 points. With 2:14 remaining, the Tigers went on top
on a Chris Young hook, 50-49, for the first time since the
initial moments of the game. Neither team would score again.
Matt Langel’s final attempt rimmed out in the closing seconds,
leaving Penn fans in unprecedented agony. As painful as this
game was for Penn fans, the Quakers still won the Ivy title.
Click
to watch Paul Romanczuk’s three-point play, which gave Penn a
29-3 lead.
“KINGS OF THE COURT”:
Penn 73, Princeton 48 (March 2, 1999)
By defeating Princeton 73-48
at Jadwin Gymnasium, Penn won the Ivy League championship
outright for the first time in four years. The Tigers managed to
stay even with the Quakers until Penn guard Michael Jordan
drained a three-point shot at the end of the first half to put
Penn up 29-26 -- a lead the Quakers never relinquished. The
Quakers started the second half with a 15-2 run and jumped out
to a 44-28 lead with 12:20 to go in the game. Slicing through
the Princeton press, the Quakers took advantage of a series of
easy buckets and increased their lead to 19 points with just six
minutes to go. When Princeton coach Bill Carmody called a
timeout with 5:46 remaining, even the Princeton faithful knew
that their three-year stranglehold on the Ivy League title had
disappeared. As waves of Tigers fans made their way to the
exits, Penn held on to its lead -- eventually increasing it to
25 by making 8-of-9 foul shots in the final 3:15 of the game.
Princeton center Chris Young, who led all scorers with 17
points, fouled out with 2:40 remaining as the vocal minority of
Quakers fans in Jadwin Gymnasium began chanting “Ivy Champs.” As
time ran down, the Penn fans gathered behind the west basket and
spilled out onto the Jadwin floor at the final buzzer. Before a
dejected crowd of orange-and-black-clad Princeton supporters,
members of the Penn team took turns cutting down the net in
celebration. Click
to watch the
Quakers break the 26-26 tie with 12 straight points.
“UGONNA’s 360”: Penn 55,
Princeton 46 (February 15, 2000)
Penn forward Ugonna
Onyekwe spun full-circle in mid-air and slammed home a thunderous
dunk to cap off a 55-46 Quakers victory and the Penn faithful
stormed the floor of Jadwin Gymnasium. The win was Penn’s ninth straight
and it gave the Quakers a two-game lead over
Princeton with with seven games to go in the relatively weak
conference. Penn used a 14-0 first-half spurt, over a span of
9:21, to turn a 12-6 deficit into a 20-12 lead with 4:43 left
in the half. Down 25-18 at halftime, Princeton got its offense
going early in the second half and closed within 38-36 on two
consecutive shots in the paint by Mason Rocca. After the teams
traded baskets, Penn put the game away with seven straight points,
the last five on a layup and 3-pointer by Frank Brown, the bomb
seemingly exploding Princeton’s hopes for an Ivy League title with
4:38 to go. Click
to watch Ugonna Onyekwe’s 360-degree dunk that made the Sports Center
highlights.
Penn 73, Princeton 52 (March 7, 2000)
Michael Jordan, in his 100th career start, played one of his
finest games as a Quaker in his final contest in the Palestra to
lead Penn over Princeton by 21 points, 73-52. Jordan scored 25
points on 10-of-14 shooting and also had three steals, three
assists and six rebounds. It seemed whenever the Tigers would
cut too much into Penn’s lead, Jordan would knock down a big
shot. The win gave Penn its sixth perfect Ivy season in Quaker
history, with four coming in the last eight years. Former Penn
coach Dick Harter is the only other coach in Penn history to
pull off the feat and he did it on two occasions. Penn finished
the year with a 16-game winning streak and a 21-game Ivy winning
streak. These two teams have met eight times in the final game
of the year when one or the other has already clinched. The
clinching team is 8-0 in the game. Click
to watch Geoff
Owens’ slam dunk or click
to watch
Michael Jordan’s driving layup near the end of the first half.
“STAYIN’ ALIVE”: Penn 62, Princeton 38 (February 12,
2002)
The Quakers
ventured to Jadwin Gym having lost two of their first five Ivy
games of the season. Penn needed a win against Princeton. Any
other result would effectively eliminate the Quakers from the Ivy
title race. Nothing like adversity to spur on a champion and the
Quakers responded. Penn jumped out to a 24-3 lead with 8:37 left
in the first half with help from all five starters and cruised to
a 62-38 victory over Princeton. Penn played incredible defense in
the first 12 minutes of the game, forcing Princeton into several
off-balance shots and a lot of fouls. The Tigers hit their first
bucket at 16:51, but did not connect again until 8:22. Penn then
held Princeton to under double-digits until the 5:43 mark (24-11).
The Tigers scored their final points of the half with one minute
to go to cut the lead to 16 (31-15), but 3-pointers by Koko
Archibong and Andrew Toole gave Penn a 37-15 lead at halftime.
Princeton began the second half with a quick bucket and Mike
Bechtold hit a three and four straight free throws to pull
Princeton within 16 at 11:11, but the Quakers were never really
challenged and when Penn took a 25-point lead with 5:22 left in
the game, many Princeton fans were already out the door.
Click
to watch Andy Toole’s alley-oop pass to Ugonna
Onyekwe.
“IVY LEAGUE TRIPLE PLAY”: Penn 64, Princeton 48 (March
5, 2002)
Ugonna Onyekwe’s slam with 1:47
remaining in regulation was the one that broke the Tigers back, as
the Red and Blue came away with a 16-point decision in this
must-win contest, 64-48, over visiting-Princeton at The Palestra.
The fat lady officially began to sing as Dan Solomito followed up
Onyekwe’s dunk with a slam of his own to give the Red and Blue’s
it’s largest lead of the contest at 18 points, 64-46, with 27
seconds remaining. The Palestra sellout crowd of 8,722 went into a
frenzy with that score. The fans kept up almost the same frenetic
pace that the teams did throughout the contest. The victory forced
a three-way tie for the Ancient Eight title, and a two-playoff
game showdown for the right to represent the Ivy League in the
NCAA Tournament. Leading by six points, 42-36, with 7:20 remaining
in the second half, Koko Archibong’s blast from downtown at the
top of the key ignited a 22-10 Penn run as the Red and Blue
literally ran away with the contest in the final portion of the
second half. Click
to watch Ugonna
Onyekwe’s slam or
to watch Dan Solomito’s dunk.
Penn 65, Princeton 55
(February 11, 2003)
The Quakers opened the scoring
with a dunk by Ugonna Onyekwe, who finished the game with 22
points and 12 rebounds, just 40 seconds into the contest. When
Onyekwe nabbed a steal and drove the lane for two with 1:12
remaining, Penn’s lead was a first half-high 10 at 27-17, but
Konrad Wysocki countered with a bucket and the Quakers took a
27-19 lead into halftime. Penn pushed the lead back to 10 twice
during the opening minutes of the second half, but a 13-1
Princeton run, capped off by a Kyle Wente 3-pointer, gave the
Tigers a 36-34 lead with 11:44 to go. Penn was quick to counter
with two free throws by senior David Klatsky. Princeton went back
up one on a Wysocki free throw, 37-36, at 10:10 before Andy Toole
found Onyekwe underneath and the Quakers took back the lead,
38-37. Toole hit a jumper, but Princeton connected on a 3-pointer
with 8:02 remaining to once again tie the contest at 40 with 8:02
remaining. The Quakers then turned up the heat on defense, and
found their stroke from the free throw line. For the last eight
minutes, the Quakers made 16 free throws en route to the win.
Princeton never got closer than seven, 57-50, with 1:43 remaining.
Click
to watch Ugonna’s slam or click
to
watch his “block of the night”.
“DAVID KLATSKY FROM
HALF-COURT”: Penn 74, Princeton 67 (March 11, 2003)
In the second half, Penn could
not miss. The Quakers even made a shot by accident. With 10:15
remaining, Penn guard David Klatsky threw an outlet pass from
half-court to a streaking Adam Chubb. Chubb never touched the
ball, however -- it went straight through the net. Princeton guard
Will Venable gave Klatsky a friendly punch and could only shake
his head and chuckle. It was just one of those nights for the
Quakers. Penn shot 73.7-percent from the field, including 6-for-6
from behind-the-arc, in the second half of its 74-67 victory at
Princeton’s Jadwin Gym. The win gave the Quakers a perfect record
in the Ivy League, after having locked up the undisputed Ancient
Eight crown three nights earlier at the Palestra. Click
to watch David Klatsky swish a half-court pass.
Penn 67, Princeton 52 (February 10, 2004)
Jeff Schiffner scored 16 of his
game-high 22 points in the first half, Mark Zoller chipped in 16
points and five rebounds and Penn shot 63% in the first 20
minutes, and 9-for-15 from three-point range for the game, on the
way to a 67-52 victory over Princeton before 6,104 at Jadwin Gym.
Schiffner scored five of his 16 first-half points in an 11-2 Penn
run midway through the first half that turned a 14-12 Quaker lead
into a 25-14 advantage after Eric Osmundson’s 3-pointer with 6:49
to go in the half. Zoller then scored Penn’s first four points of
the second half, and Adam Chubb’s dunk just 2:29 into the half
gave the Quakers a 44-24 lead. Princeton got within 55-41 on Will
Venable’s three-point shot with 9:06 left in the second half, but
the Quakers then scored eight consecutive points to take its
biggest lead of the game, 63-41, on Schiffner’s final 3-pointer
with 5:38 left. Click
to watch Adam
Chubb’s slam dunk.
BEGLEY’S
BUZZER-BEATER IN REGULATION: Princeton 76, Penn 70 (OT) (March
9, 2004)
Princeton’s Judson Wallace
scored 24 points and Andre Logan hit two key free throws in
overtime as Princeton defeated Penn, 76-70. Penn had a 54-47 lead
with 7:17 left in regulation, but then went cold as Princeton went
on a 14-3 run and moved ahead 61-57 on two free throws by Wallace.
Tim Begley made two free throws to bring Penn within two with 52
seconds left in regulation, and then found the basket on an
incredible tip-in with half a second left in regulation to tie the
score at 61 and send the game into overtime. The Tigers built a
72-67 edge before Penn’s Jeff Schiffner hit a 3-pointer with 26
seconds left. Logan made two free throws five seconds later, then
added two more with 1.7 seconds left for the final score. Click
to
watch the wild finish at the end of regulation.
“A MIRACLE WIN FOR PENN”: Penn
70, Princeton 62 (OT) (February 8, 2005)
The Palestra, which has stood
on its foundation for nearly 80 years and will continue for many
more, may never see a better game. Princeton stunned the Palestra
crowd, shutting down the Quakers and going early and often to
centers Judson Wallace and Mike Stephens to take a 53-35 lead with
7:35 to play. But an 18-point lead soon became 17, then it was 15.
When Andre Logan took an ill-advised leap to block Eric
Osmundson’s 3-pointer, the resulting four-point play gave Penn
fans a drop of hope. And what started as a drop would soon become
a flood. The lead kept shrinking: nine, six, five, three,
one... After a Logan free throw brought Princeton’s lead back to
two, Osmundson knocked down the two biggest free throws of his
career, tying the game with 31 seconds to go. What the Quakers
started in regulation, they emphatically finished in overtime.
Princeton had been defeated, the pain of “Black Tuesday” had been
softened, and Penn fans were left wondering whether they will ever
see another one like it. Click
to
watch highlights of Penn’s miracle comeback.
Penn 64, Princeton 56
(March 8, 2005)
Tim Begley put Penn up, 32-28,
with a three before Will Venable hit one of two shots from the
charity stripe and the Quakers took a 32-29 lead into the locker
room. In the second half, the Quakers took an eight-point lead on
an open three by Ibby Jaaber at the 8:42 mark, but Judson Wallace
answered for the Tigers converting a three-point play. Venable
chopped the lead to three, 50-47 with a lay up. After a six minute
drought from the floor, Steve Danley put in two points and drew
the foul for a three-point play and a 56-51 Penn lead. After
Wallace hit one of two attempts from the charity stripe, David
Whitehurst hit a foul shot, Begley rebounded his second shot and
tipped it out to Danley at the other end of the court which sent
Jaaber to the foul line where he made both shots. Princeton
then turned over the ball on their end of the court and
Danley, standing under the basket, nailed a two-handed dunk, drew
the foul and hit his free throw to give the Quakers the
victory. Head Coach Fran Dunphy recorded his eighth 20-win season.
Princeton finished the season with a 6-8 Ancient Eight record,
which was their first losing record in the League in program
history. Click
to watch highlights, including Steve
Danley’s exclamation point -- a two-handed jam..
Penn 60, Princeton 41
(February 14, 2006)
Steve Danley
scored 18 points and Ibrahim Jaaber added 17 as Penn overcame
Princeton’s definitive style to defeat the Tigers, 60-41. Mark
Zoller scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds for the
Quakers. Luke Owings had 18 points and Scott Greenman added
14 for the Tigers. The game was tied 8-8 with 9:37 left in the
first half when Zoller scored eight points in a 15-5 run that gave
the Quakers a 23-13 halftime advantage. Penn led 32-20 with 13:24
left, and the Tigers got no closer than 40-30, on a three-point
play by Owings, with 10:30 remaining. Jaaber made a layup, and
Danley had two free throws as Penn pulled away. Click
to watch Oz deliver the dagger following
a Steve Danley rejection.
Princeton 60, Penn 59 (OT) (March 7, 2006)
Justin
Conway scored 21 points, including the game-winning layup with 2.5
seconds remaining in overtime, as Princeton defeated Penn 60-59. Scott Greenman had dribbled down
the right side and found Conway under the basket. Penn’s David
Whitehurst threw up a long 3-pointer that fell short at the
buzzer. Ibrahim
Jaaber, who led all scorers with 26 points, had given Penn a 59-58
lead on a foul shot with nine seconds remaining. Penn rallied
from an 18-point second-half deficit to tie the game on two foul
shots by Jaaber with 24 seconds left. Jaaber, held scoreless until
the closing seconds of the first half, gave Penn its first lead of
the game when he made one of two foul shots to begin overtime.
Penn later led 58-54, but Princeton tied the game on two free
throws by Conway and a drive by Noah Savage. Princeton dominated
in the first half and led by 18 points early in the second half
before Penn shaved 16 points off the lead. The Tigers still led
49-42, on two free throws by Conway with 1:19 to go, before the
Quakers finally tied the game at 50 on Jaaber’s two free throws. Click
to watch highlights of Penn’s comeback attempt.
“IBBY’S EXCLAMATION-POINT SLAM”: Penn 48, Princeton 35 (February 13, 2007)
Mark Zoller
scored 17 points and Penn overcame Princeton’s ball-control
offense and defeated the Tigers, 48-35. Steve Danley and Ibrahim
Jaaber each had eight points for the Quakers, while Jaaber, the
career steals leader among all active Division I players, added
six to raise his total to 285. Lincoln Gunn scored eight points
for the Tigers, who made only 14-of-45 shots in losing for the
seventh time in eight games. Princeton, which started three
freshmen and never led in the game, worked the shot clock on just
about every possession. The Tigers, who trailed by as many as 11
points in the first half, went on a 10-2 run at the start of the
second half to tie the score at 29-29. But Penn scored 12 straight
points, capped by a steal by Jaaber, whose slam dunk gave the
Quakers a 41-29 lead with 5:10 to play. Princeton closed within
41-33 at the 3:09 mark, but seven straight points by the Quakers
sealed the victory. Click
to watch Ibby Jaaber’s steal and
exclamation-point slam dunk.
Penn 60, Princeton 47 (March 11,
2008)
Jack Eggleston
scored 15 points to lead Penn over Princeton, 60-47, in their
annual Ivy League finale. Nothing was at stake but pride this year
as Princeton and Penn finished out unimpressive seasons.
Zach Finley collected 13 points for Princeton as his team
committed 20 turnovers. Tyler Bernardini scored 11 points for Penn
-- all in the second half -- as the Quakers, who led by four at
the half, gradually pulled away. Brian Grandieri contributed 10
points, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals in his final
Penn outing. This was the first season in 20 years that neither
team walked away from their last matchup with the Ivy League
title. Cornell won the league and represented the Ivies at the
NCAA tournament. Click
to watch Jack Eggleston’s and-one
dunk give Penn an early 14-10 lead.
ZACK ROSEN’S
HUGE 3-POINTER: Penn 62, Princeton 55 (OT) (February 17, 2009)
Tyler Bernardini
scored 18 points, including 9-of-11 free throws, as Penn defeated
Princeton 62-55 in overtime, at Jadwin Gym. Zack Rosen added 14
points for the Quakers. Trailing 51-46 with 1:56 to go in
regulation, Princeton closed with a 5-0 run to send the game into
overtime. A 3-pointer by Douglas Davis and a pair of free throws
by Zach Finley with 23 seconds left got the Tigers even. In the
overtime, a huge 3-pointer by Rosen gave Penn a 57-53 lead with
1:57 to play. The Quakers converted five of six free throws down
the stretch to clinch the win. Finley led Princeton with 12 points
and a game-high 15 rebounds. Patrick Saunders added 11 points for
the Tigers. Click
to watch Zack Rosen’s huge 3-pointer in overtime.
Princeton 59, Penn 56 (March 10, 2009)
Dan Mavraides
hit four free throws in the last 28 seconds in leading Princeton
to a 59-56 victory over Penn, at The Palestra. Mavraides had 17
points and Pawel Buczak 15 for Princeton, which snapped a
five-game losing streak to the Quakers. Zack Rosen had 13 points
and Harrison Gaines 12 for Penn. In a second half that saw neither
team lead by more than three points, the Tigers took a 55-52
edge on a jumper by Patrick Saunders with 2:34 to play. Rosen then
hit two free throws and Jack Eggleston a dunk to give the Quakers
a 56-55 advantage with 0:57 remaining, but Mavraides hit two foul
shots with 28 seconds left, then clinched the win with two more
free throws at the 4.4 second mark. It was the 220th meeting
between the teams, with Penn holding a 122-98 edge in the all-time
series. Click
to watch Jack Eggleston’s dunk, which gave Penn a 56-55 lead in the final
minute.
Princeton 58, Penn 51 (February 16,
2010)
Dan Mavraides
tallied 24 points, including 10-of-11 from the free-throw line,
and Princeton came away with a 58-51 win over Penn, at The
Palestra. The game was tied, 4-4, four minutes into the contest,
but the Tigers scored the game’s next nine points and never
trailed again, taking a 29-22 lead to the locker room. Amazingly,
Princeton’s lead never went higher than that nine-point edge, but
at the same time Penn was never able to climb the mountain and get
itself even or ahead of the Tigers. Penn’s best chance to draw
even came midway through the second half. Down, 43-34, the Quakers
used the foul line to draw within three as Zack Rosen hit four
freebies and Rob Belcore added two. Rosen’s second set made the
score 43-40 with six minutes to go, and the Palestra crowd of
4,059 sensed another classic chapter in this rivalry. But
Princeton answered with a 7-1 run and suddenly the score was 50-41
with just over a minute to play. Rosen led the way for Penn with
15 points and four assists without a turnover, while Jack
Eggleston added 14 points and three steals. The Tigers connected
on 50.0 percent of their field-goal tries, meanwhile, the Quakers
shot a dismal 32.0 percent from the floor. Click
to watch some of the highlights.
“MILES’ THUNDEROUS DUNK IN TRAFFIC”:
Princeton 70, Penn 58 (March 8, 2011)
Princeton
forced a share of the Ivy League title and a one-game playoff
against Harvard with a 70-58 victory over the Quakers, at The
Palestra. The score was tied at 36 with 11 minutes, 40 seconds
left. A basket from beyond the arc by Princeton’s Patrick Saunders
gave the Tigers a 47-42 edge with 7:18 showing on the clock. Penn
needed a quick rally that never came. Penn, which led by 23-19 at
halftime, was led in scoring by swingman Tyler Bernardini with 18 points, while freshman Miles
Cartwright had 12 points, highlighted by a thunderous dunk in
traffic late in the game. Philadelphia native Douglas Davis hit a jumper from beyond
the arc that gave the Tigers a 52-42 advantage with just over six
minutes left. He finished with nine points while teammate Kareem
Maddox had a game-high 23 points. With Davis knocking down a pair
of threes, Princeton had a 15-4 advantage as Penn took nearly 10
minutes to put two baskets in the scorebook. Not until Cartwright
entered the contest did the Quakers get moving. The 6-foot-3
Cartwright scored on a pair of determined drives to the hoop, and
converted a pair of free throws after being fouled during another
foray into the paint. That brought Penn to within 15-12. Penn
gained its first lead when Zack Rosen hit a three-point jumper
from the right corner to put the Quakers ahead by 21-19 with just
over four minutes to go. Neither team scored again before
Cartwright beat his man and found Jack Eggleston sneaking along
the baseline for a dunk with 33 seconds remaining, and the Quakers
were up four points at the break. Click
to watch Miles Cartwright’s dunk that
made the Sports Center highlights.