Coming off a single-digit loss at American University, Penn men’s basketball could not bounce back and fell 106-81 to Providence.
Penn men’s basketball (1-2) entered the matchup still searching for its first win against a Division I opponent this season. Providence (2-1) was coming off an overtime thriller loss to Virginia Tech (2-0) in which both teams surpassed 100 points. In that game, the Friars had two players dropping nearly 30 points — guards Jaylin Sellers and Jason Edwards.
From the start, Providence’s explosive offensive lineup showed. In the first four minutes of action, Providence exploited the Quakers’ interior defense, putting up high-percentage looks to bank an eight-point lead. Offensively, through these first few minutes, senior guard/forward Michael Zanoni quickly became one to watch for the Quakers as he scored the team’s first eight points.
Penn soon found its rhythm with the basket as senior guard/forward Ethan Roberts and junior center Augustus Gerhart closed in on the Friars’ eight-point lead. This early rally was topped off by a three-pointer from sophomore guard AJ Levine to tie the score at 16 points each, before a pair of free throws and a triple put the Friars back on top.
The Quakers struggled from the field throughout the first half, shooting a field goal percentage below 40%. Despite this, the team still made timely baskets to keep the game within five points. Through the majority of the first 20 minutes, it was the discipline at the charity stripe and efficiency from beyond the arc that kept the Quakers close behind.
However, the tide quickly changed in the last four minutes of the first as the Quakers’ scoring went cold, making only one of their seven shots from the field to close the period. The Friars continued to hit threes and ended the half with a triple from guard Corey Floyd Jr., capping a 13-2 run in the final minutes of the first to give Providence a 12-point lead heading into the locker room.
“They got a lot of different guys who can go off the bounce. They don't need a ball screen. Sometimes they'll set it, then they will flip it. Just trying to do something to get the guy downhill a little bit,” coach Fran McCaffery said.
At the start of the second half, Zanoni spearheaded a comeback for the Quakers to keep the game within single digits. The senior sharpshooter provided nearly all of the Quakers’ offense in this period, answering every Friar basket with one of his own. Within the first four minutes of the second half, Zanoni totaled 10 points.
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Despite Zanoni’s efforts, the Quakers were unable to capitalize on these offensive bailouts with a defensive stop. The Quakers gave up seven threes and allowed the Friars to shoot over 60% on twos in the second. The Friars also dominated Penn on the glass, winning the rebounding battle by 19 boards. With just over three minutes left in the final period, the Friars blew the lead wide open, extending it to 20. The lead only widened as the final seconds ticked away.
Zanoni ended the day with a career-high 30 points. His previous best was 27 points against Penn State last season. Two other Quakers joined him in double digits: Roberts and junior forward TJ Power, each notching 15 points. For Power, that total also marked a career high.
“I don’t think there is any deficiency that they had that we felt like we exploited,” McCaffery said regarding his team’s performance.
McCaffrey credited the Friars’ ability to drive and get downhill as a key strength of their team, which made them difficult to defend.
“Some of those guys that are really good drivers [are] big so if you get to the end and the guy does a pretty good job defensively, they can still shoot over you,” McCaffery said.
With losses in its first two Division I matchups of the 2025-26 season, the Quakers look to turn the page next week as they take on Saint Joseph’s and Drexel in Big 5 pod play.
