Tigers send Quakers out the backdoor

Princeton asserts its Ivy dominance by coasting past Penn at the Palestra. Although former Princeton coach Pete Carril no longer squirmed on the sidelines, his presence was certainly felt last night. Utilizing the system Carril had developed and perfected in his 29 years at Princeton, coach Bill Carmody's Tigers (17-3, 7-0 Ivy League) pulled away in the second half to defeat the Quakers 74-59 -- dropping Penn to 8-11 overall and 4-3 in the Ancient Eight. "It was an impressive demonstration of how to run their stuff," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. Princeton came out of the locker room in the second half nursing a 31-30 lead against a highly emotional Penn team. While Princeton had hit six three-pointers in the first half, nothing prepared the Quakers for what was to come. The Tigers scored on each of their first eight possessions to start the second 20 minutes. The backdoor cut, long a Princeton trademark, became a common theme as the Tigers had numerous easy lay-ups. By the time Gabe Lewullis hit a three-pointer six minutes into the half, the lead had expanded to 49-39. "The first few minutes in the second half are always important," Penn forward Paul Romanczuk said. "They embarrassed us out there." Penn's efforts to stop the Princeton offensive deluge were met with more cutting lay-ups as the Quakers' defense was often caught sleeping. Exacerbating the problem was that Princeton, normally a poor three-point shooting team, was on its way to an 11-for-19 performance from behind the stripe. "We don't fool them," Carmody said. "Tonight our shots went in, and that was the difference." With eight minutes remaining, Princeton had run out to an insurmountable 65-44 lead. During the second half, Princeton shot an incredible 76 percent from the field, overshadowing a solid 52 percent effort from Penn. "The way [Princeton] shot in the second half," Dunphy said, "We are not going to beat anybody." The first half gave little indication that this game would be any different from the numerous close games between the two Ivy League rivals in recent years. In fact it was Penn who opened up an early 8-0 lead, capped by a Michael Jordan trey four minutes into the game. "When the game started off, we didn't play with as much emotion as Penn did," Carmody said. "They came out and wouldn't let us do anything. When it was 8-0, it seemed as if it could get ugly." Princeton recovered to eventually take a 14-13 lead halfway through the first half. The intensity both teams displayed, combined with the quick whistles of the referees, led to a foul-filled first half -- 23 in all. Princeton captain Sydney Johnson committed two personal fouls and a technical within 15 seconds, forcing him out of the rest of the first half -- giving the Quakers a 19-15 lead on three Garett Kreitz free throws. Princeton responded to their captain's absence by going on a 9-0 run. Then it was time for Jordan to take over the game on his way to another outstanding performance at the offensive end, scoring 22 points. He bucketed six points and assisted on two other baskets to bring Penn within one at the half, before the Quakers' collapse in the second half. "He has given us such tremendous heart and desire," Dunphy said. For most of the game Jordan seemed to be the only scoring option for the Quakers. Sophomore forward Jed Ryan, after averaging 19 points over the weekend, had as many turnovers (four) as points in the game. Kreitz also was limited in his three-point opportunities, hitting only one of four three-pointers. In contrast, Princeton featured a balanced attack, as sophomore guard Brian Earl's 17 points led four Princeton scorers in double figures. Another problem for the Quakers was the foul trouble that plagued their big men. Freshman Geoff Owens was able to play only nine minutes, during which he committed four fouls. More importantly, Romanczuk, the Red and Blue's only consistent inside presence, was limited to 27 minutes due to foul trouble of his own. The lack of an inside scoring threat allowed Princeton to key on the three-pointer in the second half, limiting Penn to only 1-of-7 from behind the arc. "I let down the team," Romanczuk said, "I should have been on the court a lot more than I was." The Quakers are now seeing their title hopes quickly disappear as the league losses continue. With three league losses placing them three games behind the Tigers, Penn no longer controls its own destiny as it attempts to reach the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence. Despite not being mathematically eliminated, Dunphy realizes the Tigers will be difficult to catch. "I don't see them faltering down the stretch," Dunphy said. Carmody has his team in an enviable position midway through his first Ivy campaign, and somewhere Carril must be proud of his long-time pupil for doing something he couldn't do in his final four years -- beat the Quakers at the Palestra.