'Nova blocks M. Hoops' shot at Big 5 sweep

Villanova used a 13-1 run midway through the second half to end Penn's hopes of its first 4-0 Big 5 finish since 1973-74. VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Pride and the chance for a better RPI ranking were on the line for both Penn and Villanova at a sold-out Pavilion last night. Although Penn led most of the way, the Wildcats pulled ahead midway through the second half to post a 74-63 victory. The Wildcats (19-9, 2-0 Big Five) did not do themselves any favors in the early going. Penn (18-5, 3-1) took an early lead with perimeter shots, as well as layups on cuts to the basket. Quakers forward Jed Ryan caught fire in the first six minutes with two three-pointers. Penn swingman Frank Brown added two jumpers to help the Quakers jump out to a 10-point lead. Meanwhile, the Wildcats were putting on a horror show in front of the crowd. Villanova guard John Celestand's quick trigger, combined with two missed three-pointers by Wildcats guards Brian Lynch and Jermaine Medley, led to a 2-for-12 three-point shooting display by the home side during the first half. The first turning point began with just over six minutes left in the half. In a 31-second span, the Wildcats recorded three blocks. Villanova center Malik Allen contributed two of those rejections, the first off of a putback attempt by Penn guard Michael Jordan and the second after a quick pass from Quakers forward Paul Romanczuk to Frank Brown. Brown seemed to have a clear layup off the glass when Allen came hard from behind to swipe the ball off the backboard. From there, Villanova aggressively pushed the ball down the lane to draw fouls, tying the game at 28-28 with 4:29 left in the half. With Penn leading 34-32 and the half coming to a close, the Quakers' Frank Brown lost the ball to the Wildcats' Howard Brown, who then had it stolen by Penn guard Lamar Plummer. Plummer fired to Jordan for a layup, giving the Quakers a 36-32 lead at the break. Villanova knew that it had to take advantage of the Geoff Owens-less Quakers on the inside -- it was just a matter of translating the game plan from the drawing board to the hardwood. The crowd witnessed some bad luck by the Wildcats, as layup attempts by Brian Lynch and Allen both rolled around the rim only to fall out into the hands of Penn rebounders. Penn took advantage, as Jordan hit two treys and Brown nailed two 15-footers from the left baseline. The Quakers extended the gap to five. At the midway point of the second half, however, the Wildcats embarked on a 13-1 run that provided the eventual double-digit margin. With under two minutes remaining, Villanova's Brown picked off a bad pass from Jordan that was intended for Jed Ryan. Brown broke the other way, finishing the play with a one-handed jam. More importantly, Villanova had taken its first lead of the contest at 53-52, with 9:46 left. The Quakers called a 20-second timeout as the home fans finally came to life. A Jordan three-pointer and an Allen putback left the game tied at 55. Then the 13-1 run began. Allen, Lynch and Wildcats guard T.J. Caouette came hard to the basket, making hoops, drawing fouls and converting free throws. "Penn sometimes doubled down [on defense]," said Allen, who hit 5-of-8 from the floor in the second half. "They made it tough on me at times to get a good look, but I couldn't get frustrated. In the second half, the guards got the ball to me in good position." Penn had no answers as shots failed to find the bottom of the net, while the Quakers accumulated fouls in their defensive end. "We ran out of making the best decisions with a couple of shots and a couple of passes that we shouldn't have tried to make, which led to a few easy baskets [the other way]," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "We also didn't have an answer for Malik [Allen] once he started posting up down low." Villanova was led Lynch's 17 points and Brown's 16 points and five steals. "We did something we hadn't done all year -- use Howard Brown as our four-man for a few minutes, giving us four perimeter players on the court [at the same time]," Villanova coach Steve Lappas said. "Penn is so mobile and had to play small tonight. I think it then helped us that we went with a small lineup as well." Celestand and Allen provided balance in the Wildcats' scoring with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Jordan, meanwhile, led Penn with 19 points. Romanczuk had another strong game in the paint with 17 points, and Frank Brown added 14 points in 28 minutes. Penn guard Matt Langel was the lone starter to struggle, going 1-for-10 from the field for three points -- far short of his 11.7 average. While Villanova helped its chances for an at-large NCAA bid, Penn was left to ponder what could have been -- an undefeated Big Five season. "I wanted it for myself and for my teammates so that down the line we could've said that we were one of the only teams to go undefeated in the Big Five," Romanczuk said.