PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team finished its Big 5 season in style on Saturday night, defeating Saint Joseph's 67-56 at The Palestra. With the win, the Quakers ended up 1-3 in city play and moved to 13-6 overall. The Hawks fell to 11-9 overall, 0-3 in Big 5 play.
 
Notes
*Penn is now 4-4 with Saint Joseph's over the last eight meetings.
 
*Penn improved to 12-1 when shooting a better field-goal percentage than its opponent, 7-1 when wearing its white uniforms, and 12-2 when leading at the half.
 
*Penn is now 9-0 this season when shooting more free throws than its opponent, and 7-0 when making more free throws than its opponent. The Quakers were 10-of-14 at the stripe on Saturday, while Saint Joseph's was 8-of-13.
 
*Penn had 51 rebounds on Saturday, the fourth time reaching at least 50 boards in a game this season, and the Quakers' +15 rebound margin was a season best.
 
*For the third-straight game, and the fifth time this season, Penn took more three-point shots (31) than two-point shots (27).
 
*Penn had a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint, tied for its highest margin this season (also set against UMKC and Delaware State).
 
*Penn's bench outscored the Saint Joseph's bench, 19-0.
 
*Sophomore AJ Brodeur had his first double-double of the season and his fourth at Penn, scoring 13 points and tying a career high with 11 rebounds. Penn is 4-0 when Brodeur has a double-double.
 
*Junior Antonio Woods nearly had his first collegiate double-double, scoring 11 points and snaring a career-high nine boards. He also had three assists.
 
*Senior Caleb Wood had his second-straight double-digit scoring game and seventh this season with 12 points.
 
*Sophomore Ryan Betley kept his double-figure scoring streak intact with 11 points; he has now scored at least 10 points in six-straight games, 13 of Penn's last 14 contests, and a team-high 16 overall this season.
 
How It Happened
Saint Joseph's led early, 17-12, but Penn held the Hawks without a point for nearly six minutes and went on a 10-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a five-point lead. The Quakers kept that lead intact to the break, going to the locker room up 33-30. Caleb Wood was a nice spark off the bench early, hitting a pair of treys and finishing the half with a team-high eight points.
 
The Hawks tied it off the first possession of the second half, Shavar Newkirk hitting a three-pointer, and then took a 37-35 lead on a pair of Chris Clover layups in transition. Penn responded with the game's next 12 points, however, as SJU went 3:33 without a point.
 
Saint Joseph's got within four points on two separate occasions after that, getting within 49-45 with a modest 6-0 run and then trading baskets. That was as close as the Hawks got, though, as an Antonio Woods layup set Penn off on an 8-2 run that made it 59-49 with three minutes to go. It looked like the Red and Blue might extend it even further with a steal on SJU's next possession, but AJ Brodeur's outlet pass was intercepted and instead the Hawks' Shavar Newkirk got to the line for a pair of free throws that he hit. Penn then turned it over trying to break the Saint Joseph's press, and Chris Clover hit a long two-pointer to make it 59-53 with 2:25 still to go.
 
The Quakers quickly righted the ship. Woods hit a pair of free throws, as did Foreman after a defensive stop. Taylor Funk hit a three-pointer to make it 63-56, but that was it for the Hawks as Foreman hit two more free throws and Brodeur capped the night with a late fast-break dunk.
 
Up Next
It's all Ivy League play from here on out, starting next weekend when Penn hosts Brown (Friday) and Yale (Saturday). Both games will tip off at 7 p.m.