A FRONT ROW VIEW: Sweet to repeat!

Tigers can't go through Moore The box score does not tell the whole story. Yes, without Matt Maloney's 24 points (on 7-of-14 shooting), four assists, four steals and only one turnover on the evening, the 25th-ranked Quakers would probably not have clinched their second-straight Ivy League championship and the ensuing berth in the NCAA Tournament last night at the Palestra. Yes, without Princeton turning the ball over a mind-boggling 21 times -- each one creating a separate ulcer in Pete Carril's stomach -- the game may have turned out differently. But what is not noticed on a quick glance of the stats is the play of Penn center Eric Moore. Without Moore turning in probably his finest performance of the year, the Quakers may have vanished from the Top 25 quicker than you can say "Gillooly." And the story of Moore's contribution goes far beyond his statistical line of nine points and nine rebounds. A Senior Night start for Andy Baratta relegated Moore, who came into last night's game averaging only 6.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per Ivy contest, to the bench at the beginning of the game for the first time this season. It also meant Baratta had the task of guarding suddenly-rejuvenated Tiger center Rick Hielscher. Hielscher, who was embarrassed with a second-half benching after scoring a grand total of zero points the last time these two teams met, got out of the gate quickly, taking advantage of Baratta's decreased mobility due to his knee injury. He scored five of Princeton's first seven points as the Tigers stayed close. Enter Moore. Hielscher was able to score when he backed into the paint with relative ease, taking advantage of his quickness to move toward the basket. Against Baratta and later Tim Krug, Hielscher was also able to gain incredible position inside the paint, making a basket almost automatic when he received the ball in the post. But when the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Moore entered the game, the lanky Hielscher suddenly found himself being pushed to the outside, where his effectiveness is limited at best. He turned the ball over twice and had one shot blocked while only making one basket in Moore's 11 minutes of floor time in the first half. This trend continued in the second half. While Hielscher made two shots in the first six minutes after intermission, he was getting punished physically inside. Moore clearly had the strength advantage, and the finesse of Hielscher could not match Moore's power. Hielscher started to drift farther outside the paint, making it more difficult for him to shoot, and easier for one of his passes to be picked off. He was getting worn down. But Hielscher got a break when Moore left the game with 12:47 to go. With Tim Krug now guarding him, it was Hielscher's turn to shine. Krug's block of an attempted dunk by Hielscher last year at the Palestra was probably the most memorable play of last season. However, Hielscher was the one who made Krug look bad last night. He easily established inside position during each possession, as Krug was unable to get a body on him and did not receive weak-side help on defense. In five minutes, Hielscher scored eight easy points to bring the Tigers within one point with 8:43 to go. Enter Moore. Now Hielscher does not show much emotion on the court, but you know when Moore lumbered back into the game, the Tiger center was thinking about the pounding he was about to take. And with the game on the line, Hielscher -- the Tigers' only offensive weapon on the night -- did not score again thanks to some defense that was otherwise unnoticed in the box score. Game over. Ivy Champs. All in all, Hielscher scored 15 points in the 12 minutes Moore was not guarding him, and only six points in the 28 minutes when Moore was on him defensively. But Moore's contribution was not limited to the Tigers' end of the floor. While his 4-for-13 performance from the field may not exactly conjure up images of Michael Jordan, Moore was at his best offensively during what was probably the most crucial minute of the game. With seven minutes to go and the Quakers up 41-40, the tension was mounting as every one of the 8,711 fans in attendance had hoped for Penn to have a comfortable lead by that point. Maloney found Moore in the right corner. Moore drove the baseline for a layup and was blocked by Hielscher. Moore pulled down the rebound, but the ball was then knocked in the air. He grabbed it again amidst a sea of black jerseys, using brute strength to fend off any Tiger hoping to get a piece of the rock. After what seemed like hours, Chris Mooney was finally whistled for the foul. Penn ball. A minute later, Maloney found Moore open just left of the key behind the three-point arc. Catching Hielscher sleeping on defense, Moore launched a three. Swish. Penn 44, Princeton 40. It was at about that point that the 8,711 people at the Palestra decided to scream at the top of their lungs for the remainder of the game. It is also at about that point that the Tigers decided to pack it up and head home -- five minutes early. They had enough. Game over. Ivy Champs. Thanks to an unlikely hero. Dan Feldman is a College senior from Dallas, Texas, and former Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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