City of Basketball Love

Zach Drapkin (@ZachDrapkin) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Penn’s dismal start to Ivy League play continued on Saturday, as Brown came into the Palestra and walked out with an 82-70 win.

At First…

For the majority of the first eight minutes, the Quakers were ahead behind A.J. Brodeur and Matt Howard, but they hit a dry spell at the 12:29 mark as Brown found its rhythm. The Bears mounted an over the next three-and-a-half minutes, turning an 18-15 Penn lead into a 26-18 advantage for Brown before the under-8 media timeout. The lead reached 11 on a pair of Steven Spieth free throws with 4:16 remaining in the half, but the Quakers were able to close the margin to just five, 36-31, by halftime.

Hanging on to a two-to-three-possession lead, Brown found itself up by 10 with 12 minutes left in regulation. Penn was able to cut the edge to just two with under eight to go, thanks to a 13-5 surge sparked by a couple of three-point baskets by Jackson Donahue.

Turning Point…
The Bears maintained the upper hand, however, and countered with an 11-2 run of their own to bring the lead back out to 11. With the score 73-62 and just over two minutes left on the clock, Brown’s spurt proved to be the nail in the coffin for Penn. Brandon Anderson and the Bears did their job from the charity stripe the rest of the way, securing an 82-70 victory.

Standout Stars…
Finishing with a game-high 21 points was Anderson, who was 5-of-10 from the floor and 10-for-11 from the foul line. Spieth continued his standout final year of eligibility, scoring 20 points while attempting just nine shots, making all seven of his 2-point attempts while missing two 3-pointers; he also was 6-for-6 from the foul line.

Leading the Quakers was Howard, who finished the game with a team-high 20 points, as well as four rebounds and four assists. Darnell Foreman added 19 on 8-9 shooting from the foul line for Penn, while Brodeur ended up with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Noteworthy Numbers…
92.3: Brown was terrific from the foul line, converting on 24 of 26 free-throw attempts. The Bears are one of the best in the nation at getting to the line; coming into the weekend, the team had made more foul shots than any other team in the league had attempted.

30: The two teams combined for 30 giveaways; Penn had 16 of those, including four players with three each. Despite that, the two teams only had a grand total of two fast break points.

Up Next…
Penn (6-8, 0-3 Ivy) vs Saint Joseph’s (8-8, 2-3 A-10) -- Sat., Jan. 21, 7 PM
Brown (10-8, 1-1 Ivy) vs Yale (9-6, 1-1 Ivy) -- Fri., Jan. 20, 8 PM