Penn men's basketball finally got a home Ivy win tonight against Brown, but it wasn't easy. The Bears led much of the game before falling, 64-54.
The Quakers got off to an ugly start in the first half, missing what few open looks they could get. Brown jumped out to an 11-2 lead before Kevin Egee hit his second bucket seven minutes into the game. Those two Egee buckets were all Penn could manage in the first 10 minutes of the half, as Brown extended its lead to 15-4. Egee, who got the start over Harrison Gaines tonight, continued to be Penn's only offensive threat with five more points to cut the lead to 23-14 with two minutes to go.
Penn closed out the half with a nice run, sparked by a Rob Belcore three and a tough full-court press that forced two turnovers. They cut the lead to 23-21 at the break and brought plenty of momentum into the locker room.
But in the second frame, the Quakers once again came out flat, missing on their first five shot attempts, including two Cam Lewis misses from the foul line that included an airball. Brown pushed its lead to 28-21 before Jack Eggleston drew a foul and sunk two free throws. Zack Rosen sparked a nice run at that point with a deep ball and an assist to Gaines for a lay-up, followed by a steal and another assist to Belcore who hit a three. Penn led 31-29.
Adrian Williams finally helped Brown break the Penn press and tie it up at 33 before Matt Mullery hit two free throws to give Brown back the lead. Mullery dominated Penn's weak low-post defense all night, especially in the second half. He also imposed his will on the defensive end with a plethora of blocks. The Quakers battled to a 37-37 tie before Tyler Bernardini broke his shooting slump with a clutch three-pointer. The teams traded baskets, with the Quakers maintaining a slight lead, until Mullery dropped a pretty reverse layup to tie it at 47. The Bears took the lead with a long field goal, but Gaines answered with a three-point play. After a fastbreak bucket by Brown, Gaines responded again with a three-pointer to give the Quakers a one-point lead. Penn's player of the game, Belcore nailed a clutch three to extend the lead and locked down on the defensive end to help Penn bring a 60-54 lead into the closing seconds. Rosen and Gaines each hit a pair of free throws to close out the win.
