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Princeton University Athletics
Penn Runs by Princeton in Men's Basketball Showdown, 60-41
February 14, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2006
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - Steve Danley scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and Mark Zoller had 15 points and 10 rebounds as Penn pulled away from Princeton in the second half on the way to a 60-41 victory over the Tigers in the 213th meeting between the teams Tuesday night at The Palestra.
The win put the Quakers (15-6, 7-0 Ivy) two games ahead of second-place Princeton (7-13, 5-2 Ivy) with the first half of the Ivy schedule now complete. Both Princeton and Penn visit Cornell and Columbia to start the second half of the league season this weekend.
Princeton, which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end, trailed by 10 at halftime and still was within 10 with possession of the ball with 10:37 left after a Luke Owings three-point play made it 40-30. But Ibby Jaaber then stole a pass and scored on the other end for Penn, and two Danley free throws with eight minutes left made it 44-30.
The Tigers would not get closer than 11 points the remainder of the half.
"We fought and had it to 10 there, but we couldn't take advantage of our chances," said Princeton head coach Joe Scott. "Penn is an experienced team and a good team playing at home and I think they sensed that was the time they needed to take control of the game."
Princeton struggled from the field throughout, making just five of 21 first-half shots (24%) and 11 of 35 shots from the field (31%) for the game. Owings had 18 points and Scott Greenman 14, including 8 of 9 shooting from the foul line in the second half, but only four Tigers scored. Jaaber had 17 points and four steals for the Quakers, who won their fifth straight game and their third straight against Princeton. Penn shot 50% (10 for 20) in the decisive second half.
Neither team started well from the field in a low-scoring first half, and the game was still in single digits for both teams with under 10 minutes left when an Owings' three-pointer for Princeton made it 8-8. But a Brian Grandieri layup, followed by two free throws from Jaaber after a technical foul was assessed on the Princeton bench, began an 11-0 run that gave Penn a lead it would never relinquish.
Zoller's three-pointer concluded that run that made it 19-8 with 2:58 left, and another three from Zoller, this one off the backboard, made it 23-13 Penn at halftime.
"We ran our offense well at times and got some layups, but we have to make those layups," said Scott. "When you miss layups, then shots like the banked three-pointer seem to go in on another team's home court."
The Quakers then led by as many as 16 points in the first five minutes of the second half before Princeton cut its deficit to 10.
Princeton stayed within striking distance during the second half thanks mostly to its free-throw shooting. After not attempting a free throw in the first half, the Tigers made 15 of 16 free throws in the final 20 minutes.
Penn improved to 117-96 all-time against the Tigers in a series that dates back to 1901. The Quakers make a return trip March 7 to face Princeton at Jadwin Gym.
Princeton's game at Cornell Friday (7 p.m.) will be televised live by the YES Network (Channel 610 on DirecTV).