Exactly eight years and a day after the last win, Penn has finally beaten Princeton.
The Quakers were out for revenge after a loss in New Jersey had inched the Tigers past Penn in the all-time series. Penn managed to pull off a close win on Saturday, with a final score of 61-60.
Heading into the match, Penn (11-10, 4-4 Ivy) was coming off a huge 91-81 win at Cornell that ended a three-game losing skid in Ivy League play. Princeton (8-15, 4-4) entered the game after last week’s bounce-back win at Columbia that followed a 64-87 loss at Cornell.
Despite the significance of this game in the teams’ rivalry, coach Fran McCaffery prepared his team as if it was just another game on the schedule.
“I don’t concern myself [with] what happened in 2018, that’s not my deal,” McCaffery said. “This team, we’re going to prepare them to win the next game on the schedule. That next game happened.”
Here's what gave Penn the edge on Saturday.
A Stifling Defense
The Quakers came out ready to shut down the Tigers in the first half. From two shot clock violations to four blocked shots and three steals in the first period, the Quakers’ man-to-man coverage and stints of a full-court press left Princeton looking for answers offensively. The Tigers shot a mere 32% from the field — nearly 10 percentage points below their team average on the season — and went 2-of-9 from downtown. The Quakers held the Tigers to just 25 points in ten first period. The monstrous defensive effort was capped off by Princeton ending the half with only one made shot of their last eight field goal attempts and scoring zero field goals in the final four minutes of the half.
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The tale of the first half can be summed up in three words: defense, hustle, and drives. Despite being a top-20 team in the nation in three-point field goal percentage going into the game, the Quakers had a different game plan this time around — get to the free throw line and score easy buckets: Penn shot 11 free throws to Princeton’s eight. Despite the success in the paint, the Red and Blue shot an abysmal 10% from three-point range. Penn’s first half was one of swarming defense, aggressive rebounding, and playing full-court pressure on multiple possessions.
Hour of Power
The story of the first half was junior forward TJ Power, who had an immense showing in the game. Not only did he score over a third of his team’s points, he also put the team on his back once Princeton started showing signs of life. Power led all scorers with 18 points, making the only three-pointer of the first half for the Quakers. Power helped offset an off day from Penn's other leading scorer, senior guard Ethan Roberts, who went scoreless in the game. Power’s signature mid-range jump shot was put on full display. With a skillset that includes rising over his defender and a smooth dribble, he helped the Quakers outmuscle the Tigers.
Timely Threes
Despite having a cold shooting performance in the first half, the Quakers got back to their bread and butter after the break, shooting 4-of-8 from three-point range. Although the team gave up a total of 35 points in the second half, which included allowing a late surge from Princeton, the Red and Blue kept the Tigers at bay with critical three-pointers down the stretch.
Among these was sophomore forward Lucas Lueth, who hit a big corner three to put the Quakers up 53-48. This helped shift the momentum, as Princeton had gone on a 6-0 run and Penn had missed eight field goal attempts.
Soon afterward, freshman guard Jay Jones would get the ball at the top of the key and sink a three that put the Quakers up 56-48 to extend their lead. As the Tigers pressured and brought the team back, Penn suddenly saw themselves with their backs against the wall, up only one point with just over a minute remaining. With the crowd roaring, there was no shot bigger than the one from the hands of Power. With a slick pass from sophomore guard AJ Levine, Power would swish a three from the corner pocket to put the Quakers up 61-57, to the raucous delight of the Penn crowd.
“It’s kind of a blur when I think back on it, but pretty sure, we got like some dribble penetration, it kicked to AJ [Levine who] had a good shot,” Power said. “[Levine] made the unselfish play and passed it up for a great shot. That shows what our team chemistry is like, right there.”
Levine’s Defense Secures It
Princeton continued to match Penn’s offensive output with a jumper from forward Malik Abdullahi, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and a triple from guard Dalen Davis in the second half.
The Quakers found themselves up by just one point in the final possession of the game. Levine, who had played well on the offensive and defensive side of the ball all game, was guarding the ball. Davis tried going one-on-one with the feisty guard. With the seconds counting down, his shot went up … and out. It was over. The Quakers had secured their first victory over Princeton in eight years.
Penn will be at it again next weekend, with a Friday evening matchup against Columbia at the Palestra waiting for them.
