Not this time, Tigers!

Penn crushed Princeton 73-48 to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. PRINCETON, N.J. -- The ghosts of past Penn visits to Jadwin Gymnasium have finally been laid to rest. For the first time since 1995, the Quakers are going to the NCAA Tournament after defeating Princeton in convincing fashion. Last night's 73-48 victory gives the current members of the Penn men's basketball team their first taste of an outright Ivy League championship. The honor was long overdue, but well worth the wait for the team's elder statesmen. "It's incredible," Penn forward Paul Romanczuk said. "We've worked so hard for four years. Princeton has had some great teams and it's incredible to finish a career out like this, winning a championship." In front of a packed Jadwin crowd, the Quakers took their first steps toward victory at the close of a relatively even first half. On the final possession of the half, Quakers tri-captain Michael Jordan hit a three from the right corner over Tigers co-captain Brian Earl to give Penn a 29-26 halftime lead. The Quakers (21-5, 13-1 Ivy League) took matters into their own hands right from the start in the second half. After a Princeton (20-7, 11-3) shot clock violation, Jordan hit a three from the left corner to start a 15-2 run. In subsequent possessions, the Quakers successfully took the ball to the basket, with a dunk by center Geoff Owens and a bank shot by Romanczuk. Everyone seemed to be getting into the act as a Matt Langel jumper and two free throws by Jed Ryan were sandwiched between two Owens tip-ins. Princeton tried to close the gap by going to center Chris Young inside, a play which had given the Tigers success in the even first half. "We wanted to see the ball thrown down low," Princeton coach Bill Carmody said. "Even then, Young was in a position to put up more shots from inside." But with Princeton's Palestra comeback still fresh in their minds, the Penn faithful knew the Tigers would not roll over. An opening seemed to arrive at the 12:32 mark when Jordan went to the bench with three fouls. Princeton guard Ahmed El-Nokali sank a three from the left corner to end Penn's 18-2 run. Earl followed less than a minute later with a three from straightaway center that pulled Princeton within 10 at 44-34. But the past would not be repeated as Penn's veterans showed their poise. Senior Frank Brown nailed a three from left of center -- his only points of the game -- to quiet the raucous Jadwin crowd and extend the lead back to 13 with 11:14 remaining. That was as close as Princeton would get. Brown's trey started a 9-0 Penn run that ended when Jed Ryan nailed a three from left of center to give the Quakers a 53-34 lead with 9:23 to go. Carmody responded with a timeout, sending the Penn fans into a frenzy high in the upper balcony. "We needed to make shots," Carmody said. "It seemed at times that people, including seniors, were reluctant to shoot." When Princeton did score buckets in the lane, Penn answered by taking the ball inside on the other end of the court. Romanczuk and Owens combined for 14 points and eight rebounds in the second half while providing an intimidating presence in the paint. Although the Quakers easily pulled away in the end, they knew what their mission was from the very beginning. Penn's focus on getting to the hoop started right after the opening tip, as Owens put back a Romanczuk miss. Much of the early play featured the Quakers' up-tempo offense versus the traditionally slow Princeton offense. While the second-half efforts of Romanczuk and Owens lifted Penn to victory, it was Young who came right at the Quakers in the first half. The Princeton pivotman shot 4-of-7 to lead first half-scorers with eight points, including a handful of hook shots that hit nothing but net. Both teams took their share of first-half threes, with Ryan and Jordan hitting early treys for the Quakers. Most of the early action, however, came in the paint -- even for the Tigers, who are known for their perimeter game. In addition to Young's short hooks over Owens, Tigers forward Mason Rocca attempted his share of one-handed hooks from the baseline. The teams battled evenly through the first half, which saw eight lead changes and nine tie scores. El-Nokali showed flashes of brilliance, hitting two shots from beyond the arc in a 62-second span midway through the first half. But Romanczuk chipped in two buckets for Penn to keep the game even. Romanczuk also added a free throw and a driving layup to give Penn a 23-21 advantage. Penn then seemed ready to break the game open, as the Quakers drew momentum from Carmody, who argued what he felt was a missed call as Penn was taking the ball down the lane. An angry Carmody was hit with a quick technical. Ryan made 1-of-2 to increase Penn's lead to 24-21 with 4:30 left in the half. Carmody could not recall what got him talking when asked about the sequence. "It was my first [technical] in three years. You can tell everyone I'm an angel," Carmody said. But while Penn made it 24-21, it could not pull away. Princeton forward Gabe Lewullis calmly hit a big three from the top of the key, knotting the game at 24-24 with 2:45 on the clock. The teams traded hoops to tie it at 26 before Penn held the ball for the final shot of the half. Jordan ran down the clock before hitting a three-pointer that gave the Quakers a 29-26 lead and the momentum heading into the locker room. The 15-minute break did nothing to slow down that momentum, as it turned into the beginning of an 18-2 run that broke open the game. The Quakers snapped a six-game, three-year losing streak to Princeton, thanks in large part to balanced scoring from the starters. Ryan led the way with 15 points, while Owens racked up 14. Jordan, Langel and Romanczuk scored 13 apiece. "Obviously, it's no different than what we've been used to all season," Dunphy said. "We have four guys averaging double figures, and in all honesty, Owens can be a double-figure scorer and I'm sure he will be for the rest of his career." Even the rebounding was balanced, as Langel, Owens, Romanczuk and Ryan all had at least five, led by Langel's game-high eight. For the Tigers, Earl was held to seven points, well below his 15.2 per game average. Young's successful hook shots made him Princeton's leading scorer at 17. Lewullis was the only other Princeton player to reach double-figures, scoring 10 points. But Princeton just ran out of gas. El-Nokali went 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, but did not hit a trey in the last 12 minutes of the contest. The Tigers shot just 29.6 percent -- including 12.5 percent from downtown -- in the second half as a close game quickly turned into a Penn blowout. Even the Tigers' normally steady free throw shooting -- they entered hitting at a 75.4 percent clip -- failed them, as Princeton missed 5-of-9 free throws in the last 10 minutes. As if that was hard enough for Princeton to swallow, the Tigers did not score on a single backdoor cut. The Quakers slammed that backdoor shut on the Tigers, ending Princeton's three-year Ivy reign and picking up their fourth ticket to the NCAAs in the '90s.