A FRONT ROW VIEW: In crunch time, the experience was invisible

The way the Quakers played the final four minutes, 43 seconds of last night's game could not have been more out of character. It was agonizing to watch a game in which Penn had worked so hard and clearly deserved to win -- for 35 minutes -- slowly, but surely, slip away. It wasn't one thing in the game's final minutes that caused the Quakers' senior class to wave goodbye to any chance of beating each of the Big 5 teams at least once during its career. It was just a combination of little things whose effects began to accumulate. It was all about the fundamentals, and the lapses in these basics were magnified because the glaring mistakes were made in crunch time. Free throw shooting faltered, box outs didn't take place, and the team couldn't protect the ball. These are traits normally associated with a young, inexperienced team. It isn't often when you read about a squad that starts all seniors falling apart on its own home floor. The Quakers did not score a single point after guard Matt Maloney knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the night with 4:43 remaining. That shot extended the Penn lead to 56-52. The Quakers had been in front of the Owls since the 15-minute mark of the second half. Every time Temple made a little bit of a run, Penn had the answer. The Quakers had played solid basketball and all indications pointed to that trend continuing. But after the Maloney basket, Penn was anything but solid. The Quakers had the chance to widen the four-point lead, but an offensive foul and two missed free throws erased that chance. Center Derrick Battie tipped the ball out to freshman guard Johnny Miller for yet another second-chance opportunity, and Miller nailed an open three. With the Penn lead now back to a single point, the Quakers desperately needed a basket. Instead, the offense faltered and Jerome Allen was forced to put up a bad shot as the shot clock expired. With another chance to extend the lead, Penn got Shawn Trice a good look from the baseline, but the shot wouldn't fall. The grateful Temple team gladly accepted the chance to take the lead. After Miller missed an open three-pointer, Penn could have sewn up the victory with a rebound. Unfortunately for the Quakers, Derrick Battie was the one who got the pivotal board -- and the put back as well -- with 12.7 seconds remaining. The final 12 seconds weren't any different from the 271 seconds that preceded them. An errant catch of a bullet pass finally gave the game to Temple. This sequence of events should never have happened. The Quakers are too talented and too smart and too well-coached to let their biggest home game of the year end in such a way. As experienced as this group of five seniors is, it simply doesn't have enough practice playing in these types of tight finishes. Every time a game goes into crunch time, it is a learning experience. In most major conferences, every game is decided in the final five minutes. In the Ivy League the games are over before Penn even hits the court. After playing so many Ivy games in a row, it is easy to forget what it's like to play against the big boys. A little complacency emerges, and it becomes impossible to instantly pick up the level of play for 40 minutes when you find yourself in a dogfight against a quality opponent like Temple. The Owls had just played a nail-biter at Louisville. It was the first time this year they were able to win a close game. Tonight was the second. All the close losses earlier in the year taught the team a lot. Now, with the tight win over Penn, Temple has apparently learned what kind of intensity it takes to come away with a final-second victory. The last close game Penn had played was Jan. 21 at St. Joseph's. That too was a sad saga of missed free throws and blown rebound opportunities. The only other times Penn found itself in games going down to the wire were against Michigan, St. John's, Lehigh and Canisius. While the Quakers were able to hold on against the Wolverines and the Red Storm, these kind of close games are few and far between for a Penn team that makes its living pounding Ivy foes. In every other area of the country, conference play is what prepares teams for the postseason. Because the rest of the Ivy League is so bad, conference play actually hinders Penn. Playing five straight games against pushovers helps little in the overall building process. There's no question that non-Ivy games determine how the Quakers will perform under pressure come tournament time. Despite the loss to the Owls, a game like this is much more valuable than any Ivy game ever can be. A narrow defeat every once in a while may not be so bad for Penn in the long run. The experience the Quakers take away from a game like last night's may translate into wins in more important games come March. Andy Meran is a Wharton junior from Boca Raton, Fla., and a sportwriter for The Daily Pennsylvanian.