Heartbreak at The Palestra

PHILADELPHIA — With seven minutes, 35 seconds remaining in regulation last night, the men's basketball team appeared well on its way to rebounding from its two disappointing defeats of last weekend.

Senior center Judson Wallace stepped to the line and hit two free throws, giving Princeton (10-9 overall, 1-4 Ivy League) a 53-35 lead over host Penn (12-7, 5-0), equaling the Tigers' biggest advantage of the night.

But Princeton would score just three more points in regulation, as the Quakers stormed back to tie the game at 56 and force overtime. In the extra period, Penn scored first — its first lead of the day — and waltzed home with a 70-62 victory.

It was a banked-in three-pointer by senior guard Tim Begley, who led the Quakers with 20 points, that put the final nail in Princeton's coffin and symbolized just how miserable the night had suddenly turned for the Tigers.

After senior guard Will Venable failed to convert on a three-point play — leaving Princeton down one point — sophomore guard Max Schafer stepped out to guard Begley at the top of the three-point arc. With his hand extended, Schafer forced Begley into an off-balance shot — only to turn around and watch as it banked off the glass and into the net, making the score 66-62 in favor of Penn.

Venable finished the game with 12 points to go along with six assists.

While the Quakers added four more points to their lead at the free-throw line, the Tigers did not score again, and a missed three-pointer by Schafer at the buzzer gave Penn fans license to storm the court in celebration.

Earlier in the night, the Quakers' fans didn't have much to cheer.

Senior center Judson Wallace, who led the Tigers with 21 points, scored nine points in the first six minutes of play as Princeton jumped to a 12-4 lead. He made all five of his first half shots, while the Tigers made 10 of their first 12 from the floor as a team. That hot shooting sparked a 13-3 Princeton run that put the Tigers up by 15 with 7:36 left in the first half.

They still led by 15, 32-17, when the went into the locker room.

Princeton's play in the first half was impressive both from outside and down low. Before the game's midway point, the Tigers not only connected on five of their nine three-pointers, but outscored the Quakers 16-6 in the paint. Overall, the Tigers shot a scorching 61.9 percent from the field in the half, while holding Penn to a 30 percent clip.

Head coach Joe Scott '87 was pleased with the early result.

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"The first 20 minutes, I don't know if a Princeton team has ever played that well at The Palestra," Scott said. "That's my vision of Princeton basketball."

But as has been the case over the past few games, the Tigers could not hold onto the lead they created in the first half down the stretch. In large part due to Penn's pressing defense, Princeton was once again unable to hit the big shots — or, for that matter, even attempt them — in the game's final minutes.

This, coupled with some clutch Penn threes, including one from Eric Osmundson that resulted in a four-point play, ultimately did the Tigers in.

It was this inability to do almost anything right toward the game's end that stuck in the team's mind afterward. For Scott, coming so close to pulling off a huge win on the road against a rival and then failing to come through left him searching for answers.

"We're struggling mightily," he said. "But we have to keep fighting and putting ourselves in position to win."

For the first 33 minutes last night, that's exactly what the Tigers did. But on this night, it just wasn't enough.

"This is a traumatic loss," Scott said. "And when you have traumatic events you can either let it bring you down, or let it be the low point and do nothing but improve."