With 1.9 seconds remaining in the game, Princeton freshman Meagan Cowher approached the free-throw line with confidence.
The Tigers trailed 61-59, and, with the game on the line, Cowher -- who leads the Tigers in scoring -- seemed like an ideal player to withstand the pressure.
All eyes watched as the forward's first attempt bounced off the rim, missing the net.
Princeton coach Richard Barron screamed at Cowher to miss the second to give the Tigers a chance to tie. But Cat Makarewich grabbed the ball on its way down and Princeton could only watch helplessly as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
After 40 minutes of regulation time and two five-minute overtimes, the score held at 61-59, and the Quakers (10-6, 3-0 Ivy) claimed victory over their Orange and Black rivals last night in Jadwin Gym.
"I'm glad [Cowher] missed the free throw, that's all I can say," Penn coach Patrick Knapp said.
Cowher's failed free-throw attempt provided a much-needed stroke of luck for the Quakers, who fought bitterly until the very last second in a game characterized by its intense, drawn-out play.
Penn struggled through much of regulation, shooting only 35 percent from inside the arc. The Tigers (9-7, 1-2) successfully silenced Penn center Jennifer Fleischer, who could not muster a single point.
"We knew they were going to double down on Fleisch," sophomore guard Joey Rhoads said, "so we had to be ready to knock down their shots."
Without Fleischer's dominating presence on the post, the Quakers encountered difficulty on the inside.
"Hey, we tried to go inside," Knapp said, "Fleisch is our killer. I don't think she had a field goal. So that doesn't help us any."
To counter this obstacle, the Red and Blue looked to its outside shooters to pick up some much-needed points.
Penn found what they were looking for in Rhoads along with seniors Karen Habrukowich and Makarewich.
Habrukowich hit five of her seven three-point attempts. Makarewich and Rhoads each sunk three shots from beyond the arc.
"We were on fire tonight. I think they were looking in on the post a lot, so that left us open," Rhoads said.
By halftime Penn hit an astounding 87.5 percent of their three-point attempts. The players' ability to hit the outside shot was the only thing that kept the Quakers close in the first frame. But they still trailed 32-27 heading into the locker room.
"I knew somebody needed to step up tonight," said Habrukowich, whose 21 were more than one-third of the Quakers' 61 points. Habrukowich's final three-point basket tipped the scale in Penn's favor, pulling them in front of the Tigers for good.
Prior to Habrukowich's decisive shot, the teams had, for the most part, remained neck-and-neck. In the spirit and tradition of bitter Penn-Princeton rivalry, neither squad would surrender.
Intensity only increased as time went on; this tension became clearer as both sides, exhausted and frustrated, continued to commit unnecessary fouls.
The Quakers accumulated 22 personal fouls, while the Tigers committed 16. Princeton also went to the line 30 times -- nearly twice as many as Penn.
"It was just the energy of the game," Rhoads said. "We both wanted to win so bad we were going to do anything. It wasn't the prettiest game, but it was the most intense game we've had so far."
"I would say it was an exhausting game, not a physical game," Knapp said.
As the Princeton players wandered off the court with disappointment, the Quakers rejoiced in their sweet victory. At the same time, though, they are cognizant of the tough road ahead of them.
