Penn falls in OT to Hawks, Blunt

As the entire St. Joseph's student section rushed the court in celebration of St. Joseph's 92-82 upset over No. 25 Penn, Jerome Allen, Matt Maloney and Ira Bowman were all caught in the melee. The Quakers' trio was not in the mood to celebrate. But in a scene that captured the essence of the Big 5, they worked their way through the frenzied crowd to embrace and congratulate their rivals. These were not ordinary rivals. They were boyhood friends, contemporaries and even former teammates. Now, though, they were members of the Hawks. Despite the friendly postgame exchange, the action on the court was as fierce as any all season for the Quakers. In a game that was dominated by runs and spurts, the Hawks (9-5) had the last laugh. This Big 5 game was "unofficial" in name only. At a sold-out Alumni Memorial Field House Saturday evening, where St. Joe's has not lost since last February 13 against Rhode Island, Penn (9-3) blew several opportunities down the stretch to finish off the Hawks. With 57 seconds remaining and the Quakers clinging to a 72-69 lead, Maloney missed the front end of a one-and-one. Staring into the friendly confines of the Penn section, the Penn guard, a career 80-percent free-throw shooter, clanged this charity toss off the front iron. While the Quakers made 10 of 13 free throws, St. Joe's did not miss from the line while the outcome was still in doubt. After senior guard Mark Bass drilled a long three-pointer from the left corner to tie the contest at 72, the Quakers had one possession to escape Hawk Hill alive. Again, that rim would prove most unfriendly. After a timeout, Penn coach Fran Dunphy and the Quakers gave the ball to their best man -- Allen. When Allen was unable to get a clean look at the rim, he dished to senior forward Scott Kegler. After several dribbles, Kegler let fly with a soft leaner. In and out. After senior center Eric Moore's follow attempt met with a similar result, Penn and St. Joe's were headed to overtime. "We wanted to give it to Jerome and let him create," Dunphy said of that last possession. "He came off a staggered screen and we wanted him to take the last shot." Allen could only credit the St. Joe's defense with denying him of a scoring opportunity. "They did a good job collapsing on me," said Allen, who along with Moore attended Episcopal Academy a block from the St. Joe's campus. "So I threw it out to Scott. I thought he'd shoot it immediately, but the defense did an excellent job rotating. Sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way." That's where Penn's bad luck ended -- the Quakers were not unlucky in the overtime period, they were just outplayed. The Hawks, led by senior guards Bass and Bernard Blunt, scored on their first six possessions of the extra stanza, extending to an 84-76 lead from which Penn never recovered. Despite a game-high 28 points from Allen, the St. Joe's backcourt stole the show in front of numerous NBA scouts. In his finest performance since last season's career-threatening knee injury, Blunt recorded 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Bass tallied 14 on the evening, most of which came during crunch time. "I didn't know when I'd finally start shooting the ball ball better," Blunt said. "Everyone kept telling me that as long as I kept working hard, things would work out. I actually knew I'd have a big game when I missed a long jumper but the shot felt real good. It's weird. That's just the way my mind works." While the Hawks were the beneficiaries of a balanced attack, Allen did not get much help. Maloney shot two for 14 from the floor, and the St. Joe's perimeter defense did an excellent job denying Kegler good looks at the basket. The Hawks also won the battle up front, with senior Carlin Warley leading the charge. Warley was dominant, pounding in 21 points and pulling down 17 rebounds, both season highs. Allen and Blunt have been battling each other for years. Although Allen may have won the battle with two more points Saturday night, Blunt and the Hawks won the war. The friendships will go on. So will the rivalry. · Tonight at 8 p.m., the Quakers take on Lafayette on the road in Easton, Pa. Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney are both banged up, with wrist and thigh injuries respectively.