Duncombe last to reach 40-point mark

Editor's Note: This story ran in The Daily Pennsylvanian on December 11, 1989. Penn men's basketball center Hassan Duncombe scored 44 points in Penn's 90-81 overtime victory over Navy at Annapolis, marking the last time a Quaker scored 40 in a game. After starting 52 consecutive games throughout his freshman and sophomore years, Duncombe was on the bench. Slowed by an assortment of preseason injuries, Duncombe played the role of the Quakers' sixth man. But starting forward Vince Curran's stress fracture in his right foot pressed Duncombe into his accustomed starting position Friday night against Navy in snowy Annapolis, Md. Duncombe was expected to pick up his scoring and rebounding numbers a bit to compensate for the loss of Curran. What he did was bring his game to a level rarely seen in Penn basketball history. Duncombe exploded for a career-high 44 points in leading the Quakers (2-2) to a hard-fought 90-81 overtime victory over the Midshipmen (1-5). Simply put, he gave a clinic in low-post basketball. "I hit my first couple of shots and everything just seemed to fall in from there," Duncombe said yesterday. "We were going with our regular offense," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "Our normal thoughts were that we'll try to get the ball down on the block. "Hassan was a little more active than he normally is. He wanted the ball, he got off to a good start and he knew that he could score." A little more active may be a bit of an understatement. Duncombe, whose previous career high was 23 points, hit his first 11 shots, scored 24 in the first-half and shot 20-of 26 on the game. In the process, he made his way into the Navy record books. His 44 points set a record for points scored by a Navy opponent and just missed the Halsey Fieldhouse record of 45 points set by a Midshipman named David Robinson, who is currently playing with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and is the early-season favorite for Rookie of the Year. In the overtime period, Duncombe scored only two baskets before fouling out with 1:55 left in the contest. Both of those tallies put the Quakers ahead, and put them in the lead to stay, 82-81. Ironically, Penn's win came under situations similar to the Quakers' 93-91 double-overtime loss last year in Annapolis. The crucial factor in both games came down to foul shooting. Last year, the Midshipmen won when forward Joe McDowell hit two free throws down the stretch and Penn's Walt Frazier failed to convert his attempts at the charity stripe. On Friday, with Penn leading 82-81, Navy forward Sam Cook, who led the Midshipmen with 21 points, missed three straight free throws within a 20-second period while Penn forward Paul McMahon sank four clutch free throws for his only points of the game and a Quakers victory. In all, the Quakers hit six free throws in the last two minutes. Penn's early performance did not warrant a chance to win in overtime. Down 8-6 with 16:38 left in the first half, the Midshipmen went on an 18-0 run for a four-minute span, putting the Quakers in a 24-8 hole and leaving them to ponder a long trip home. But Penn showed ice in its veins and responded with a 12-0 run of its own, as Duncombe scored eight points down the stretch, to narrow the deficit to 24-20. At halftime, the Navy lead was 39-36. Within the first two minutes of the second half, Duncombe went lights out again from the low post. When he turned around Friday, Duncombe didn't find Villanova's 7'3" Tom Greis or Temple's 7'0" Duane Causwell staring down at him. Instead, he faced the 6'8" Cook. In fact, none of Duncombe's 20 field goals came from outside 10 feet of the basket. "The last time I scored 44 points? That was the first time I scored 44 points," Duncombe said. Penn can only hope it won't be the last.