With Penn and Villanova matched up more evenly than the cross-town rivals had been in years, this game was everything you could ask of a Big 5 contest.
The result, though, spelled little but disappointment for the Quakers, as Penn ended up on the losing side of the rivalry for the fourth year in a row by a score of 99-89.
Penn (4-3, 0-1 Big 5) pulled even with the Wildcats (6-1, 1-0) after being down by as many as 14 in the first frame, but second-half turnovers and missed free throws in the final minutes were too much for the Quakers to overcome against a sharp-shooting Villanova squad.
"We can't turn the ball over, we've got to box out and, quite frankly, we just have to make free throws down the stretch," Penn coach Glen Miller said. "Seven-of-19 [in the final nine minutes] is definitely not getting it done."
Free throws proved to be crucial to Villanova's success in a game of quick whistles and physical play. The Wildcats shot a lights-out 93.1 percent from the stripe, making their first 24 and finishing 27-of-29 on the night.
Mark Zoller continued his sensational senior campaign, setting a new career high for the second game in a row with 33 points. Zoller was also 10-for-10 on free throws, and drained 5-of-6 from behind the arc to punctuate his performance.
The atmosphere was as charged as ever for Miller's first Big 5 game, with even former-Wildcats-turned-NBA-stars Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry in attendance.
The hype didn't get the best of Wildcats big man Curtis Sumpter, though, who continued his comeback year with an impressive 28 points (including four threes) and a perfect 10-of-10 from the line.
"I was expecting this - anything else I would have been surprised," Sumpter said. "These are the type of games that you look forward to, and coming to the Palestra you know it's going to be tough."
Villanova's Mike Nardi made his presence felt on offense as well, nailing several key shots en route to his 19-point total.
Shane Clark came off the bench for the Wildcats, adding 16 points and six rebounds, four of them on offense.
After an explosive two-handed dunk by Sumpter gave Villanova its first points of the game, Penn took over the contest. The Quakers scored seven unanswered points, forcing Villanova coach Jay Wright to call an early time-out.
Penn continued to set the tempo in a first half that featured high scoring and a much faster pace than the defensive dominance that has long characterized the Big 5.
The Quakers' 66.7 percent shooting and three-point efficiency made up for their 17 turnovers - the Wildcats were only up by seven going into the half.
But after some adjustments, Villanova improved from 12 miscues in the first half to just 3 in the second.
"We played great in the second half," Wright said. "We took care of the ball . we didn't turn the ball over, and I thought that was big for us. . We were sloppy in the first half."
But Penn wasn't ready to relinquish city bragging rights so easily.
Zoller's five consecutive free throws evened the score at 70 apiece, and Brian Grandieri's subsequent two from the stripe gave the Quakers their first lead of the night, 72-70.
Penn's ultimate decline started after a pair of missed free throws by Ibrahim Jaaber that were followed by a big three from Villanova freshman point guard Scottie Reynolds.
"That was a huge shot and I'm going to make sure that I remind him of that," Wright said. "If you can do that in this place with that crowd . you're a player. That was a big-time play."
Reynolds' three put the Wildcats back up by one, a score that Tommy McMahon would soon tie with a free throw. He finished with nine points.
But missed free throws and a slew of turnovers - eight in the second half - prevented the Quakers from capitalizing. Villanova regained a lead it would not surrender for the rest of the night.
The win brings the series to 36-15 in favor of the Wildcats, and although the result is familiar, the game was anything but typical Big 5.
The fast tempo led to the highest scoring game in the history of the series between Penn and Villnova.
"I was expecting a defensive battle; they're a good defensive team," Wright said. "But that's what I'm saying, it was crazy."
And as Miller learned, unpredictability is really what the Big 5 is all about.
