In a battle between the Red and Blue and the Crimson, Penn came out on top.
With tonight’s win, Penn secured its spot in Ivy Madness for the first time since the 2022-23 season, where it finished third in conference standings. Senior guard Cam Thrower is the only Quaker holdout from their last Ivy Madness run.
The Quakers won five of their last six games, with their lone loss coming at the hands of No. 1 ranked Yale Bulldogs by a mere four points. Harvard, which has also won five of its last six, is second in the Ivy and secured its spot in Ivy Madness after a 19-point decisive victory over Cornell last weekend.
This season saw a complete change in the coaching staff following Steve Donahue’s departure from the program after ten seasons with the Quakers. Fran McCaffery entered with a new staff in tow, determined to take the program from seventh place to conference champions. Under McCaffery, the Quakers have gone from being the 259th-best three-point shooting team in the nation to one of the most efficient long-range shooting programs in all of Division I basketball.
Penn’s shooting struggles in the first 10 minutes of play
The Crimson came into this game with the best defense in the Ivy League, and it showed in the first half. Harvard’s defense stifled Penn’s offensive efforts, holding the Quakers to just two field goals made in the first ten minutes of play. Despite being ranked 18th for three point shooting, the Quakers were held to just one of six from deep in the first half.
The Crimson continued to take advantage of Penn’s offensive difficulties by creating a significant scoring gap, leading to a nine-minute Quaker field goal drought. Much of the Crimson’s offensive success can be credited to Harvard guard Robert Hinton, who scored eight points at the top of the first half.
Ethan Roberts closes the scoring gap
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Senior guard/forward Ethan Roberts took it upon himself to put Penn back in the game. When Roberts steps up to the plate, he delivers.
His first bucket came in transition with an up-and-under relay to break the Quakers’ scoring drought. A trip to the charity stripe led to a pair of made free throws, cutting the Crimson’s lead to two possessions. Roberts then dished out two assists to sophomore forward Lucas Lueth for a dunk and a kick out to junior guard/forward Niklas Polonowski for a triple.
Unfortunately for Roberts, the Crimson’s offense rolled with the Quakers’ punches. The Arlington Heights, Ill., native efforts weren’t enough to shrink the lead to single digits as the half closed with the Crimson leading the Quakers 31-21.
The Quakers fire on all cylinders during the second half
Roberts picked right where he left off to start the second half. He got to the basket for a tough finish at the rim, and scored from beyond the arc on his second trip back to the other end.
Roberts’ immediate intensity contributed to the momentum across the court. Junior forward TJ Power seemed to wake up after a quiet start with two quick triples at the top of the half. The Quakers kept the defensive pressure on high, forcing four turnovers on the Crimson during the first three minutes of play. Harvard’s lead was reduced to a tie, as the Quakers went on a 15-5 run to start the first half.
Every time Harvard tried to push back, the Quakers answered with sophomore guard AJ Levine. Levine notched five lay-ups deep into the second half to keep the game competitive between conference foes.
An explosive final minute seals the deal
A pair of layups from Hinton brought the game within one with under a minute left to play. With only 57 seconds left on the clock, the score is 60-59 in the Quakers favor. After a missed bucket by Penn, Levine gets the offensive rebound. Robert scores.
Hinton responds to cut the lead back to one. Penn led 62-61. With 30 seconds left in the game, the Quakers break the Crimsons full court press and Roberts secures the game with a lay-in, definitively clinching a berth to Ivy Madness.
“It feels great. I love this place and I just want to give everything back to Penn and how much it means me to wear this jersey, so to do that, it means a lot,” Roberts said. “I hope that caps off my legacy, but I still got more to go because I want to win. That’s what it’s about.”
“ … [It’s] a great feeling as a coach when you know you have a group of guys that have bought in from day one since I got here and want to experience success,” McCaffrey said about his first season as Penn’s head coach. “We earned an opportunity. We have to play well next week and then get ready to play well against two really good teams.”
The Quakers will take on Brown next Friday for their final regular season contest before moving on to Ivy Madness play.
