Quakers on top of city again after 28 years

There was history in the making at Tom Gola Arena last night.

With an 81-76 overtime victory at La Salle, the Penn men's basketball team accomplished what no other Quakers squad had since the 1973-1974 season -- they won their fourth Big 5 game and swept the City Series.

After beating local rivals Temple, Villanova, St. Joseph's and the Explorers, the Quakers stand alone on top of the city. Given Penn's recent Big 5 struggles, this is no small feat by any means.

Consider that Penn had beaten Temple only twice in nearly 20 years before it prevailed at the Liacouras Center in December. Consider that Penn had not beaten Villanova since 1992 before doing it this season. Consider that St. Joseph's came into this season ranked and still has one of the nation's speediest and most talented backcourts.

And then, of course, there is the case of La Salle, a team that looked dead in the water last night after falling behind 26-7 early, only to storm back and make Penn's final intra-Philly game yet another nail-biter.

There is always something appropriate about a Big 5 game that goes down to the wire, and last night's contest was no different.

And while this accomplishment came to pass without so much as a pair of raised arms or a net-cutting by the Quakers, the magnitude of what Penn has been able to do hasn't been lost on those who helped make it happen.

"To be able to say that we were 4-0, Big 5 champions, it's very special," Penn guard Andrew Toole said.

Of the four Quakers City Series victories, none were laughers, and the outcome in each contest was in doubt until the very end.

Penn first faced off against Villanova on Dec. 5, and it was nothing short of a coming out party for Toole, who would undergo foot surgery shortly thereafter.

Toole, who finished with 21 points, nailed two late free throws in overtime to put the Quakers up by one. The two tallies eventually turned out to be the deciding scores in a 75-74 victory, Penn's first in the City Series in nearly two years.

The next Philadelphia clash for the Quakers came at Temple on Dec. 30, and it would turn out to be one of the more bizarre games in Penn history.

Temple's mascot, Hooter the Owl, argued with a referee's call late in the game and was hit with a technical foul. Penn guard Jeff Schiffner nailed the resulting free throws, which helped the Quakers on their way to a 68-62 victory.

"Thank God my brother was in that owl suit," Dunphy deadpanned last night.

On Saturday, Penn faced off against St. Joseph's, a team which had beaten the Quakers in December during the unofficial Big 5 games at that month's Philly Classic.

Penn forward Ugonna Onyekwe missed six free throws late, but the Hawks were not able to capitalize, as Alexandre Sazonov's game-tying tip-in was deemed to have missed the final buzzer by a fraction of a second.

"We're feeling very fortunate," Dunphy said of his team's overall Big 5 performance. "It feels great for these guys -- I feel great for them because they work real hard.

"I hope there's something special about this week, that we can now continue to play well and win some games."

La Salle head coach Billy Hahn, his team vanquished, had nothing but praise for Penn's title-run.

"It's a big time accomplishment, what those kids have done," he said.

Penn's non-conference schedule is now in the books, which means that its Big 5 title will be nothing more than the nice little achievement it was able to pull off before the grueling task of Ivy League competition began.

"Obviously, the final prize is going to the tournament," Dunphy said.

But for now, Penn's first outright Big Five title is something to be praised. It took 28 years, but Penn is finally back on top in the City of Brotherly Love.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.