Quick Report: Princeton 61, Penn 52

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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A strong second-half comeback from Penn brought the Quakers even with archrival Princeton but could get no further, as the Tigers finished strong to take home a 61-52 win in Ivy League play.

At First…
Penn couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn for the game’s first 25 minutes or so. Princeton slowly pulled away from its visitors over the course of the first half, taking advantage of a Quaker squad that missed all seven of its 3-point attempts in the opening half and was 7-for-22 (.318) overall during that span. The Tigers weren’t exactly electric in their own right, only scoring 11 points in the game’s opening eight minutes, but they’d doubled up Penn at 20-10 with 5:30 left in the half and took a 34-17 lead into the break.

The Quakers started connecting in the second half, however. Freshman guard Ryan Betley connected on the team’s first triple with 15:52 remaining and then he and sophomore Jackson Donahue proceeded to make three each during the second half. Donahue’s third completed the 21-point comeback, tying things up at 44 with 7:01 remaining.

Turning Point…

It seemed like Penn took all the energy it had to get back to dead even, because from that point onwards Princeton was back in control. A jumper by Devin Cannady put the Tigers back in front, and Myles Stephens made it five on a 3-pointer with 6:04 to play. All-in-all, Penn managed just eight points in the game's closing seven minutes, committing four turnovers during that span, including two crucial ones in the final two minutes.

Standout Stars…
Penn junior Darnell Foreman was the team’s only offense with 10 points in the first half, finishing with a team-high and career-high 17 points. The 6-2 guard from Pitman (N.J.) hasn’t been known as much of a scorer during his three years as a Quaker, averaging 4.8 ppg in 58 career appearances, but he’s hit double figures four times this season, and is averaging 9.3 ppg over his last six. Donahue and Betley added 11 each.

Noteworthy Number(s)...
8: The Quakers had very different results on their first eight 3-pointers than they did on their second octet. Penn started off 0-for-8 from deep until Betley’s triple to begin the second-half push, but then (starting with that one) knocked down seven of their next eight long-range shots, finishing 7-of-16 (.438) for the game.

4: Penn’s ball movement was not its best on Saturday night, as the Quakers finished with just four assists on 17 baskets while turning it over 15 times.

6: Penn freshman A.J. Brodeur has been the brightest spot of the Quakers' season, but he matched his season low with six points in the loss, shooting 1-for-6 from the floor. It's just the second time all year that the 6-8 forward out of Northfield Mt. Hermon (Mass.) has finished in single digits in the scoring column; he did chip in eight rebounds and two blocks.

Up Next…
Penn (6-6, 0-1 Ivy League) vs. Yale (8-5, 0-0) -- Fri., Jan. 13, 7:00 PM