Auburn sends M. Hoops home with close loss

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Different state, same story. The Penn men's basketball team gave No. 8 Auburn all it could handle Saturday at the Arby's Hardwood Classic, but ultimately came up just short, falling 77-70. Though the Quakers played the Tigers tough, costly turnovers, streaky outside shooting and debatable calls in the second half sent Penn packing with its third straight close loss. The Quakers (1-4) have now dropped their last three games by a combined 17 points, and the team knows that it could have, and by all rights should have, pulled out a "W" in this most recent defeat. "Overall, I would say I was happy with the way we played. But there were so many opportunities we had to play a little bit better and maybe come away with the victory," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "There were stretches where we played very well, but other times we took some foolish shots and shots that were too quick, and that hurt us. We're not too much into moral victories." Penn refused to let the Tigers (5-1) run out to an early lead as several Quakers opponents have done in this season's early going. The final margin of victory, seven points, was the largest lead for either team. Quakers senior Michael Jordan, with 20 points, was the only Penn player in double digits. Auburn, on the other hand, had three players with at least 14 points. Down 42-39 at the half, and 61-60 with eight minutes left, Penn did not perform well enough down the stretch. In the second half, Auburn scored 15 of its 35 points off Penn turnovers. Despite 16 points by Jordan in the final 20 minutes, the Quakers could not overcome two-for-nine shooting from three-point range after intermission. Four times in the final two-and-a-half minutes, the Quakers had the ball, and a chance to cut the Auburn lead to two, or even one, point. But they could get no closer. With 2:27 left and Auburn up 71-67, Quakers freshman Ugonna Onyekwe was called for an off-the-ball offensive foul, giving the ball back to Auburn. Nine seconds later, with Auburn up 72-67, Onyekwe fouled out with his second consecutive foul. The forward was called for charging as he sank a runner -- a huge basket had it counted. With 0:50 left and Auburn up 73-69 , Penn's Frank Brown missed the front end of a one-and-one, and -- once again -- the Tigers got the ball back. On Penn's next possession, and with Auburn up 74-70, Quakers guard Matt Langel was called for an offensive foul, essentially ending the Quakers hopes for the victory. "A couple of plays if we'd just held out and gotten a good shot, then it's a different game," Quakers center Geoff Owens said. "Especially down the stretch, every possession counts. We have to start really valuing the ball and valuing every play." One of the definite keys to the final few minutes was Brown's adventurous trip to the free-throw line. Much to the chagrin of the few Penn fans in attendance and the many watching on television across the country, the referees blew it -- literally. Brown was awarded a two-shot foul -- which was confirmed by the arena announcer and scoreboard. The Quakers senior forward missed his first free throw, and the referee picked up the ball to hand it to Brown for his second shot. But Auburn coach Cliff Ellis went ballistic, correctly pointing out that it was not the double bonus situation. So the referees, trying to right the call made a second gaffe, giving the ball to Auburn. The correct call in this case is to declare an inadvertent whistle and go to the possession arrow to determine whose ball it would be. Though the Quakers had the arrow, the Tigers inbounded before the decision could be contested, and the momentum shifted. "I was a little disappointed that we couldn't get any explanation. We thought that the official had given it to our guy and said, 'You have two shots,'" Dunphy said. "Just get the play right. Just stop the game and don't put the ball in. "At least give me an explanation." Even after this exchange, though, the Quakers still had a shot to win due in large part to Auburn's horrendous free-throw shooting -- 16-of-33 for 49 percent. But Langel was called for a questionable offensive foul on a drive following his rebound of an Owens missed free throw, and Auburn got the ball back. After Scott Pohlman made two free throws, it was basically all over. This was a less-than-impressive ending to an outing that saw the Quakers shoot 52 percent from the field. Led by nine points from Brown and six apiece by Owens and Koko Archibong, the Quakers surprised many of the 13,131 fans in attendance by keeping it close, 42-39, at the half. In one stretch in the middle of the first frame, Brown scored seven straight points for Penn and swatted a shot by Auburn star and preseason All-American Chris Porter. But Pohlman and Tigers center Mamadou N'Diaye each countered with 12 first-half points. N'Diaye dominated inside against both the man-to-man and two-three zone defenses employed by Penn, pulling down 10 rebounds. Penn would not be pushed aside, however. Onyekwe and Jordan combined for 15 points in the first nine minutes of the second half. With 10 minutes left, Penn found itself up 56-55. But then the Tigers found a doctor -- or in this case a Doc -- to solve their ailments. Auburn senior guard Doc Robinson scored eight points in a two-minute stretch, giving the home team a 63-60 lead it did not relinquish. The Tigers' guards, who combined for 32 points, were vital to Auburn avoiding the upset. "Robinson knows exactly what he's doing. He's a solid point guard," Dunphy said. "And Pohlman made some really difficult shots on us in both halves. Their guards did a terrific job." For the Quakers, Jordan was similarly terrific. The senior took over late in the game, scoring 15 on 6-for-9 shooting in the second half and scoring three of the Quakers final four baskets. But, aside from Jordan, the Quakers missed six long-range attempts in the final six minutes. And Auburn escaped with a very hard-fought win.

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