.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Tuesday, February 17
Jadwin Gymnasium
7 p.m.
Princeton University
55
vs
62
Penn
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's Basketball
Giveaways and Second Chances Hurt Men's Basketball in 62-55 OT Loss to Penn
February 17, 2009 | Men's Basketball
PRINCETON ? When asked what bothered him most about the Princeton men's basketball team's 62-55 overtime loss to rival Penn Tuesday night at Jadwin Gym, head coach Sydney Johnson needed one sentence.
“Twenty turnovers, 18 offensive rebounds and Princeton lost to Penn,” Johnson responded.
Enough said.
The offensive rebounds were a season-high for a Princeton (9-11, 4-3 Ivy) opponent, and the turnovers were Princeton's most since giving up 26 against South Carolina on Dec. 2. That Tiger team was thought to be a thing of the past, buried under a seven-game winning streak and resounding victories like the 20-point win over Cornell just 11 days ago.
But it takes time to recover from the tough seasons the Tigers have had recently, and the lessons can be painful. After this game, no one knows that better than freshman Patrick Saunders, who took an elbow from Penn's (8-13, 4-3) Conor Turley that resulted in Turley being ejected with 8:43 to play in regulation.
Saunders walked away with 11 points, tying a career-best, nine rebounds and six blocks, both of which set career-bests, and one cut under the eye that required some postgame stitches.
Johnson, the Franklin C. Cappon-Edward G. Green '40 head coach of Princeton basketball, knows quite well about this rivalry from nine meetings with Penn during his playing career.
“Maybe sometimes if no one gets hurt, it's not a Princeton-Penn game,” Johnson said. “Patrick held his ground and he got hurt but he kept going and I just want to make sure the rest of the guys have the same approach.”
Thanks to a 13-0 run over three minutes in the first half, Princeton turned a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead at 15-9 with 10:17 left. When it got to 11 as late as 29-18 with 5:51 before the break, it looked like Penn's four-game winning streak over Princeton might be finished.
Not so fast, said the Quakers.
The 11-point Princeton lead was just two at halftime and was a six-point hole six minutes into the second half. Penn led by five with 1:46 to go, but a Douglas Davis three-pointer and two free throws by Zach Finley with 23 seconds left in regulation tied it at 51-51.
Finley finished with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, the first double-double for any Tiger this season. It was Finley's second career double-double after 14 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall last season.
But the overtime was Penn's. Princeton's shooting got colder as the night went on, from 55.6% in the first half to 25.8% in the second half and overtime combined.
Penn had a 57-53 lead with 1:57 left in the OT, but two straight turnovers by Princeton allowed the Quakers to seal it from the line.
The Tigers, who are in the middle of a stretch of five games in nine days, will host Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend.
“Twenty turnovers, 18 offensive rebounds and Princeton lost to Penn,” Johnson responded.
Enough said.
The offensive rebounds were a season-high for a Princeton (9-11, 4-3 Ivy) opponent, and the turnovers were Princeton's most since giving up 26 against South Carolina on Dec. 2. That Tiger team was thought to be a thing of the past, buried under a seven-game winning streak and resounding victories like the 20-point win over Cornell just 11 days ago.
But it takes time to recover from the tough seasons the Tigers have had recently, and the lessons can be painful. After this game, no one knows that better than freshman Patrick Saunders, who took an elbow from Penn's (8-13, 4-3) Conor Turley that resulted in Turley being ejected with 8:43 to play in regulation.
Saunders walked away with 11 points, tying a career-best, nine rebounds and six blocks, both of which set career-bests, and one cut under the eye that required some postgame stitches.
Johnson, the Franklin C. Cappon-Edward G. Green '40 head coach of Princeton basketball, knows quite well about this rivalry from nine meetings with Penn during his playing career.
“Maybe sometimes if no one gets hurt, it's not a Princeton-Penn game,” Johnson said. “Patrick held his ground and he got hurt but he kept going and I just want to make sure the rest of the guys have the same approach.”
Thanks to a 13-0 run over three minutes in the first half, Princeton turned a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead at 15-9 with 10:17 left. When it got to 11 as late as 29-18 with 5:51 before the break, it looked like Penn's four-game winning streak over Princeton might be finished.
Not so fast, said the Quakers.
The 11-point Princeton lead was just two at halftime and was a six-point hole six minutes into the second half. Penn led by five with 1:46 to go, but a Douglas Davis three-pointer and two free throws by Zach Finley with 23 seconds left in regulation tied it at 51-51.
Finley finished with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, the first double-double for any Tiger this season. It was Finley's second career double-double after 14 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall last season.
But the overtime was Penn's. Princeton's shooting got colder as the night went on, from 55.6% in the first half to 25.8% in the second half and overtime combined.
Penn had a 57-53 lead with 1:57 left in the OT, but two straight turnovers by Princeton allowed the Quakers to seal it from the line.
The Tigers, who are in the middle of a stretch of five games in nine days, will host Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend.
Hard Cuts | Season 8 - Episode 8
Friday, March 06
Hard Cuts: Season 8 - Episode 7
Friday, February 20
Hard Cuts | Season 8 - Episode 6
Wednesday, February 04
Hard Cuts | Season 8 - Episode 5
Tuesday, January 27