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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Penn
Penn Stuns Princeton With Late-Game Comeback, Defeats Tigers 70-62 in Overtime
February 08, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2005
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - Nearly six years ago to the day, the Princeton men's basketball team walked off the floor at The Palestra all smiles after one of the most stunning comebacks in college basketball history. Tuesday night at the fabled old building, the Tigers were victims of a comeback that may not have been as big but was probably more devastating.
Princeton led 53-35 with 7:35 left after making 21 of its first 32 shots for the game. Princeton still had a double-digit lead two minutes later. Princeton was playing its best game of the season when it desperately needed it.
Penn only played its best game for 12 minutes, but that 12 minutes proved to be enough. Using a full-court press to force Princeton turnovers, holding the Tigers without a field goal in the final 8:33 of regulation and even using a little luck in overtime, the Quakers outscored Princeton 35-9 in those 12 minutes for an improbable 70-62 overtime victory over the Tigers before a raucous crowd of 7,821. The Tigers (10-9, 1-4) saw a late lead vanish for the third straight game on the way to their first three-game losing streak in Ivy League play since the 1987-88 season. Princeton, 1-4 in Ivy League play for the first time since 1978-79, fell four games behind league-leading Penn (12-7, 5-0) with nine league games left to play.
"I'm not sure we could have played better basketball than we did in the first half and even most of the second half," said Princeton head coach Joe Scott. "But it's the same story that it's been in our last three games. We have not been able to figure out how to close games out. Maybe this one seems different because it's Penn and its on this court, but the story is still the same."
Penn, which had lost to the Tigers in overtime at The Palestra last year, showed few signs that it would be able to make its remarkable comeback. Even after making three three-pointers in the first three minutes of the second half, and even with better play overall, the game looked over when Princeton's Andre Logan hit a three-pointer from the corner with 8:33 left to give the Tigers a 51-35 lead. Two Judson Wallace free throws one minute later put the Tigers ahead by 18.
But it was the full-court press, which helped force 10 Princeton second-half turnovers, that finally turned the tide and vaulted Penn back into the game. It began with two Tiger turnovers near the seven-minute mark, and Eric Osmundsen's off-balance four-point play while being fouled by Princeton's Andre Logan with 6:38 on the clock made it 53-43.
The Tigers still led 55-46 with 4:41 left, but turned it over in the backcourt. Jan Fikiel's three-pointer pulled Penn within 55-49. The Quakers pulled within 55-52 with 2:04 left on Steve Danley's layup, and Tim Begley then stole the ball from Wallace and scored uncontested with 1:33 left, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Andre Logan then made one of two free throws for Princeton to put the Tigers ahead 56-54 with 37 seconds on the clock, but Penn's Osmundsen would tie the game with two free throws six seconds later. Princeton could not get a shot off at the end of regulation, and the Quakers had remarkably tied the game with a 21-3 run.
Penn would never trail in overtime, but used some good fortune to finally salt away the victory. The Quakers led just 63-62 with just over a minute left when Begley's off-the-mark three-point shot from the top of the key banked in to give his team a 66-62 advantage.
Wallace led Princeton with 21 points, but fouled out with 1:03 left in regulation after being called for an offensive foul with the Tigers ahead 55-54. His third field goal and sixth point of the game, a layup with 15:01 left in the first half, made him the 25th 1,000-point scorer in Princeton history.
The Tigers dominated the first half nearly right from the beginning, never trailing after Scott Greenman's three-point shot opened the scoring 1:24 into the game. Princeton already had a double-digit lead less than eight minutes into the game, when Logan's three-point shot made it 18-7, and the Tigers remarkably led 29-13 at the final media timeout of the half with 3:40 on the clock. Mike Stephens' three-point shot with 38 seconds left gave the Tigers a 32-17 halftime lead. Princeton made 12 of its first 15 shots in the game and shot 62% overall in the second half.
Begley led Penn with 20 points, while Osmundson had 13 and Fikiel 12 off the bench. The Quakers shot better than 55% in the second half and overtime after making just 6 of 20 shots in the first half.
NOTES: * Princeton outscored Penn 37-9 in the final 15 minutes of its 50-49 win at the Palestra on Feb. 9, 1999. Penn outscored Princeton 35-9 in the final 12 minutes of its 70-62 overtime win Tuesday night.
* Wallace became the first Princeton player to reach the 1,000-point plateau since Gabe Lewullis in 1999. He now has 1,015 career points, 16 behind John Hummer '70.
* Both Princeton's Will Venable and Penn's Tim Begley played all 45 minutes.