Heartbreaker

Penn forward Ugonna Onyekwe scored 30 points against one of the nation's best defenses Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was not enough for the Penn men's basketball team, however, as for the third time in Onyekwe's illustrious career, the Quakers were one-and-done in the tourney, this time losing to Oklahoma State 77-63. The game was not nearly as lopsided as the final score would suggest. Penn was down 67-63 with just under three minutes remaining and was tied at 55 with over eight to play. "It seemed like we could never get over the hump," Penn senior Andrew Toole said. "It stayed at six or eight for what seemed like a while in the second half." Penn committed 18 turnovers in the game, none as critical as senior David Klatsky's failed inbound lob to Onyekwe with four minutes to play. Had they connected it would have trimmed Oklahoma State's lead to two. With the score tied at 55 after a Koko Archibong three-pointer, Oklahoma State's Tony Allen hit his second consecutve three to put the Cowboys back ahead. Then the wheels came off for Penn offensively. With eight minutes remaining Tim Begley was hit by Victor Williams just over halfcourt and the sophomore guard went down in a heap not to return. Klatsky committed an intentional foul to prevent a breakaway layup. While the made free throw only gave the Cowboys a four point lead, momentum had swung. The Quakers would only score one field goal the rest of the way. Even in a losing effort, Onyekwe's performance was one for the ages. The 30 points matched his career-high and he elicited high praise from the men he tormented all day. "He's probably as good as any player we have in our conference and we have some good ones in the Big 12," Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said said of the Ivy League Player of the Year. Onyekwe was "one of the best I've seen all season," Sutton added. However, if the Ivy Leaguers were more athletic than Oklahoma State expected, they were not immune to mental errors either. With 2.4 seconds remaining in first half, Penn's David Klatsky was on the floor giving the Quakers six men on the court. The resulting technical foul shots -- of which Williams made one -- gave Oklahoma State a 36-35 halftime lead. Penn would never regain the lead from the Cowboys. "Even the Ivy Leaguers, I guess can make some mistakes," Sutton said. "My abacus got stuck," Penn coach Fran Dunphy deadpanned after the game. Despite that moment of levity, the Penn postgame press conference was a somber affair. Six Penn seniors -- four of whom combined for 54 of Penn's 63 points -- laced up for the final time for the Quakers. Despite being one of the most successful classes in Penn history, the sextet was unable to notch a tournament win in their careers. "I guess it wasn't meant to be," Onyekwe said.