ANAHEIM, Calif. – The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team gave No. 14/14 Arizona a solid battle on Friday night at the Anaheim Arena, and were within four points of the Wildcats with three minutes left. However, Arizona had a little too much offensive firepower down the stretch and were able to gain a 92-82 win in a Wooden Legacy semifinal. With the win, Arizona (8-0) moves into Sunday's championship game against Wake Forest.
 
Up Next
Penn (4-3) will play Long Beach State in the third-place game on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. EST). Sunday's game will be televised live on ESPN2. The 49ers fell to Wake in Friday's other semifinal, 88-75.
 
Notes
*One night after winning a game in which it won a game despite turning the ball over 22 times and giving up 22 offensive rebounds, the Quakers lost a game in which it committed just nine turnovers and allowed just six offensive boards.

*Penn also scored a season-high 82 points; the last time Penn scored 80 points in a game and lost was January 30, 2016 (89-83 at Brown), since then the Quakers had won the last 23 in a row when scoring 80 points before tonight.
 
*Penn hit 13 three-point shots, the fourth straight game the Quakers have reached double figures in that category.
 
*Penn had 21 assists on its 27 baskets on Friday, giving the Quakers 38 assists on 51 baskets thus far at the Wooden Legacy.
 
*Senior AJ Brodeur had his fifth double-double of the season and the 24th of his career, but this was the first of his career that came from a combination of points (11) and assists (10).
 
*Brodeur extended his double-figure scoring streak to 32 games, and his assist total was a career high.
 
*Brodeur had the first 10-assist game by a Penn player since Darnell Foreman had 10 against Brown on February 19, 2016.
 
*Freshman Jordan Dingle scored 27 points, a season/career high, with 19 of them coming in the game's final 11:27.
 
*Jordan's 27 points were the most by a freshman since Ryan Betley scored 28 at Brown on February 17, 2017.
 
*Dingle hit seven three-pointers on Friday, tied for most by a Penn player in the Steve Donahue coaching era; Caleb Wood originally did it against Central Connecticut State on November 22, 2016.
 
*Betley scored 20 points, giving him 85 over the last five games (17.0 ppg).
 
*Senior Devon Goodman had 11 points, the fourth time he has reached double figures in the last five games (15.0 ppg in that stretch).
 
How It Happened
Penn hit its first five shots on Friday night as both teams started red hot. The Quakers didn't just cool off after that; they went stone cold. The Red and Blue hit just two of the next 16 shots as Arizona built up a 28-18 lead.
 
At that point, Penn sprung back to life offensively. A seemingly innocuous foul shot by Devon Goodman was the start of a 13-2 Quakers run that put them up, 31-30, with 2:29 left. At that point, Arizona went back to lockdown mode and scored the next nine points, a stretch ended when Jordan Dingle powered to the hoop for an emphatic dunk. UA's Nico Mannion matched him with a jumper at the other end, though, and at the half Arizona led, 41-33.
 
It was a 45-40 game when a critical moment occurred, AJ Brodeur getting called for his third and fourth fouls without any game time running off the clock. He had to come out with 17:07 still left in the game, and the Wildcats immediately took advantage. UA went on a 13-2 run that took just a little more than two minutes, blowing out to a 58-42 lead.
 
It was still 66-49 when Dingle sprung into action. He hit a trio of three-pointers, part of a run that saw the Quakers knock down five treys for a 15-7 run that made it a nine-point game at 73-64. Arizona scored five straight points to go back up by 14, but a Ryan Betley triple was followed by a Lucas Monroe bucket and a Brodeur free throw to make it 78-70 with 6:14 left.
 
UA went back up by 12, but Dingle knocked down threes on consecutive possessions and just like that Penn was only down by six, 82-76, with 4:25 left. Both teams had empty possessions, before Brodeur was fouled and hit both free throws to get the Quakers within four, 82-78, with 3:03 to play.
 
It was Penn's last gasp. Nico Mannion (24 points) hit a second-chance field goal, and then after a Dingle free throw Josh Green (14) knocked down a layup. Penn turned it over, but after a defensive stop Goodman was fouled with 1:13 left. He missed both foul shots, and Arizona began a parade to the foul line.