The scene looked all too familiar. On Feb. 15 last season, with Penn sitting at 6-0 in Ivy League play and Brown at 7-0, the Bears led, 66-61, with under two minutes to play. However, the Quakers calmly made every play they needed to down the stretch and ended the game on a 12-0 run, preserving a 73-66 win and eventually an undefeated Ivy League season.
Friday night, Brown was wilting down the stretch again and ready to fold.
A Patrick Powers three-pointer put the Bears ahead, 71-56, with just over six minutes to play. Smothering defense and timely shooting brought Penn back within one, 74-73, with 30 seconds to play. After two free throws by Brown's Jason Forte, the Quakers had a chance for the tie.
"Honestly, for about seven minutes, there didn't look to be much of a difference" between the two games, Brown coach Glen Miller said.
Only there was a difference. When Penn needed a basket last year, it got it. David Klatsky and Jeff Schiffner combined for three huge three-pointers down the stretch. Penn ran its offense through Ugonna Onyekwe in the post, who inevitably drew double teams.
This year, the Quakers got freshman Ibby Jaaber missing a three pointer with 13 seconds to go. There was no ball movement, no screens set. Without knowing Penn's game plan, this could not have been the shot coach Fran Dunphy wanted. Jaaber, despite his impressive performances so far, was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc over the weekend and a 28 percent shooter on the season from deep.
However, with no true go-to guy, that might have been the best look the Quakers were going to get. And that brings us to the problem.
There is no true go-to guy, which has plagued the Quakers in all three close Ivy League games they've played this season -- all of which ended up in the loss column.
Penn has been able to overwhelm most Ivy League teams with waves of talent off its deep bench. Penn's six Ivy wins have been by an average of 19.7 points per game -- including one over league-leader Princeton. But when Penn gets into a close game, as it has both times against Brown and its first game against Yale, the Quakers do not have confidence in any one offensive option.
Down the stretch there has been no reliable set to run, no single player who demands a double team.
This is not a slight against Schiffner, the team's leading scorer. However, it is simply very difficult for a perimeter player to get a shot off in the face of a determined defense without the benefit of any screens. None came for him in the final moments against Brown, and he could not get a look.
Center Adam Chubb and power forward Mark Zoller were both terrific against Brown, carrying the team with a combined 45 points on 19-for-26 shooting. However, neither player demands a double team nor does either have a pure post game -- instead scoring frequently on putbacks and after guard penetration.
With the primary inside players thus limited, Penn needs to call sets that free up its perimeter players at the end of games. This means that somehow, in the face of a determined defense, Schiffner, and to a lesser extent second-leading scorer Tim Begley, need to get better looks down the stretch.
Dunphy has made a good move in this regard by frequently going with the faster Jaaber in the closing minutes, hoping to drive and dish out to Begley or Schiffner. However, teams in the Ivy League have long since stopped doubling off of those two players. Therefore, the Quakers must rely on Jaaber's ability to finish at the rim -- and Zoller and Chubb's ability to clean up on the glass -- or set more screens to get their shooters open.
Either way, Dunphy needs to make adjustments down the stretch. Assuming Brown and Penn both win out and that Princeton picks up another league loss, the Quakers and the Bears would likely meet again in a three-team Ivy League playoff. By then, hopefully they have their crunch time plays figured out.
