Turn Back the Clock: Jan. 10, 1979

The Quakers comeback take down an undefeated No. 15 Temple squad, 79-74 January 10, 1979

In front of a sold out Palestra crowd numbering 9,208, Penn improved to 2-0 in Big 5 play, including a win over La Salle.

The season continued to be a special one for the Quakers, ending in Penn’s first and only Final Four appearance.

Wins over Iona, North Carolina, Syracuse, and St. John’s brought the ninth-seeded Quakers into a Final Four matchup with the Magic Johnson-led Michigan State Spartans.

Michigan State then took down the previously undefeated and No. 1 ranked Indiana State, 75-64, to win the national championship. The matchup between Indiana State’s Larry Bird and Magic Johnson remains the highest-rated game in the history of televised college basketball.

Temple earned a No. 7 seed for the East region at season’s end. But the Owls suffered a disappointing finale to their season in the first round of the NCAA tournament to No. 10 seeded St. John’s, 75-70.

The 1978-79 team, coached by Bob Weinhauer, shot 73.3 percent from the free throw line and fouled opponents 708 times over the span of 32 games. The free throw percentage and games played are second in program history, and the fouls are a team record. (Stats found at: http://www.pennathletics.com/pdf8/748241.pdf?DP_OEM_ID=1700 )

Against Temple, the Quakers shot 30-for-45 from the floor in a game in which Penn never trailed. The tone of the game was set early with Tony Price slamming home a put-back jam to increase Penn’s lead to 6-2.

James “Booney” Salters led the Quakers offense with 21 points, Price added 19 points and Tim Smith had 18.

The Owls and Quakers split the Big 5 title with matching 3-1 records, giving Temple its sixth Big 5 title and Penn its eighth.

The season ended with the Quakers boasting a 127-13 record in its previous 140 Ivy League games.

On Jan. 10, 1979, Penn was quietly confident. Following the upset victory, Weinhauer felt that the Quakers could not be playing any better at that moment. He also voiced a sentiment that has been lost as the success of the team has diminished over the years.

“We played well over the vacation, but we missed the fans," Weinhauer said. "We’re looking forward to having the entire student body behind us again"