The Princeton Tigers came into the Palestra last night at the bottom of the Ivy League and with their backs against the wall. They knew they had to win to resurrect their Ivy title hopes, and they played like it.
For the first 33 minutes.
The last seven minutes featured one of the most memorable comebacks in Penn basketball history, as the Quakers rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat Princeton in overtime, 70-62.
The Quakers (12-7, 5-0 Ivy) were able to hold the Tigers (10-9, 1-4) to just three points and no field goals during the final 7:35 of regulation, as Princeton experienced a complete meltdown after dominating most of the game.
"This is probably my favorite victory I've ever had in a basketball game," senior guard Tim Begley said. "It was unbelievable."
In a game reminiscent of the Tigers' comeback victory over Penn during the 1998-99 season, the Red and Blue was able to reverse the tides of fortune with its most dramatic win in recent history.
The Quakers outscored the Tigers 21-3 during that final stretch, led by a suffocating full-court press and lights out perimeter shooting by seniors Eric Osmundson and Jan Fikiel.
But even after the game, Penn's senior captain, who finished with a team high 20 points, struggled to explain how his team made such a remarkable recovery.
"The two guys to my left [Osmundson and Fikiel] hit huge shots down the stretch ... we kept chipping away," Begley said. "Next thing we knew Oz was at the line hitting the two biggest shots of his life."
Osmundson's free throws with 31 seconds left knotted the score at 56, and produced the first tie of the game. The Tigers had one last possession to salvage a win.
But Penn sophomore Steve Danley stripped Princeton's Andre Logan as he drove to the lane, forcing the contest into overtime.
With Penn riding all the momentum and a deafening crowd behind them, there was no way the Quakers would lose in the extra session.
Things kept bouncing Penn's way, and it culminated with Begley banking a three-pointer from the top of the key that gave the Quakers a four-point lead with just over a minute to play in overtime. Princeton would not score again.
Penn coach Fran Dunphy put the victory into perspective.
"If you've been around long enough, a lot of these things will happen," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "It happened against us a few years back, and now, tonight, everything went our way.
"I'm just so proud of them, it was a hell of a victory."
The Tigers could not have suffered a more devastating loss after mounting a 32-17 halftime edge. They shot a blistering 62 percent from the field in the first half and held the Quakers to their lowest first-half point total of the season.
And although the Tigers' shooting cooled down at the start of the second half, it still looked like they would pull away with expert ball-handling and dominating inside play from senior Judson Wallace -- who led all scorers with 21 points.
But then came the full-court press. And Begley's clutch steal from Wallace and resulting layup. And Wallace fouling out with a minute left in regulation.
"This was a very traumatic loss," Princeton coach Joe Scott said. It's hard to see the glimmer of light when you have the kinds of losses we have."
Osmundson summed it up best when asked how the Quakers were able to reverse Princeton's control of the game.
"With this team, we have a never-quit attitude," Osmundson said. "We've been through a lot, which allows us to grow as a team, and I think we showed that tonight."
