Quakers take early lead and embarrass men's basketball, 62-38

As the Princeton announcer introduced the Penn players, the Quakers clutched one another and hopped in a circle like overactive toddlers in a playground.

Then, like stern and conscientous parents they locked the backdoor, eliminated all fire hazards and set an example for others to follow.

The men's basketball team (10-9 overall, 5-2 Ivy League) bowed to Penn (17-6, 4-3), losing 62-38, in its most crushing loss this season.

"We got spanked," freshman guard Will Venable said.

Princeton missed shots in a variety of ways — clanging balls over the rim, bouncing them off the blackboard, fumbling layup attempts and three-pointers alike. For the game, the Tigers shot 27% from the field. The Quakers were equally adept at converting their chances, shooting 46.7% and roaring out to a 24-3 run — including a span of 20 straight points — to start the game.

Three Quakers scored 17 points: junior forward Koko Archibong, junior center Ugonna Onyekwe and junior guard Andrew Toole. Venable was the only Tiger to score in double digits, with 11 points.

As the Tigers wandered out of the locker room to start the second half, their faces reflected variations on a theme: a grimace.

But they could not stop the Quakers, who finally unleashed the talent that had been lurking through a disappointing season. Four minutes into the second half Onyekwe slipped inside the Tiger defense and floated through the empty, uncontested air for a gentle dunk, stretching the Penn lead to 41-20.

Six minutes later, Ugonna waited patiently in the paint, then elevated as the ball arrived on cue and hovered near the basket. He plucked the pass from the air and slammed it through the net. 48-28 advantage Penn.

Not much had changed.

It quickly became clear that the Tigers would struggle throughout the evening. Early in the first half, junior Tiger forward Ray Robins watched as his shot banked against hte rim, then rolled back and forth along the edge like it was receiving a massage. The ball almost went in. But it didn't. On the next play, Robins skidded across the floor, slithering after a loose ball. He almost saved it. But he didn't. Then, after Robins missed a driving hook shot, the sinewy Archibong rebounded and streaked down the court where he smoothly sank a two-point shot.

It was that kind of night for Princeton.

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"Early on we got what we wanted, but the ball didn't go in," head coach John Thompson '88 said.

The Tigers shot 25% in the first half, including a combined 0-5 performance from senior starters guard Ahmed El-Nokali and forward Mike Bechtold. No Tiger scored more than one basket. At the end of a half, Penn was dominating, leading 37-15.

Continually, the Princeton crowd chanted down the seconds on the shot clock as they slipped below ten, but the Tigers could not find the cracks in the Quaker defensive walls. Princeton had no foul shots in the first half and — at 30% — had a higher shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line.

Overall, the Quakers outrebounded the Tigers 39-27, including 28 boards off Princeton misses. There were enough to go around.

Penn ended the first half with three successive three-point plays, boxing in Tiger baskets.

With 13.2 seconds left, Toole brought the ball upcourt, paused as the clock tickted down then calmly sank the ball in the net for three points at the buzzer. Penn players flung their arms in the air, fingers flying even higher.

The Quakers are not number one. They are not even number two — that place still belongs to Princeton. but none of that mattered tonight. And it may not matter for long.