CONWAY, S.C. – The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team dropped a double-overtime thriller with Utah State, 87-79, on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
 
The Quakers (2-3) erased a 12-point second-half deficit and had chances to win it at the end of regulation and the first overtime, but the Aggies (2-1) pulled away late in the second extra session to earn their second straight win.

With the loss, Penn moves into a consolation-round game with Davidson that will tip off Friday at 2:30 p.m. and air nationally on ESPNU. The Wildcats fell to New Mexico State in the afternoon's other first-round game, 75-64. NMSU and USU will meet in a semifinal Friday at noon.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*This was Penn's first overtime game since a 75-72 win over Harvard on January 31, 2020.
 
*It was Penn's first multi-overtime game since that epic, four-overtime classic at Monmouth won by the Quakers over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2017.
 
*Penn fell to 49-59 all-time in overtime games.
 
*Penn knocked down nine three-pointers but shot just 27.3 percent from beyond the arc, a season low.
 
*Junior Jordan Dingle scored a career-high 31 points on Thursday but took 24 shots in the process, the most by a Penn player in the Steve Donahue coaching era.
 
*Dingle also had five rebounds, a season best.
 
*In just his second game back after missing three due to injury, sophomore Max Martz scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field including two three-pointers.
 
*Junior Jonah Charles scored nine points on a trio of three-pointers; his 60 points this season have come on 17 treys, three two-pointers, and three foul shots.
 
*Sophomore Clark Slajchert also had nine points.
 
*Senior Jelani Williams set season/career highs with seven assists and three steals.
 
*Junior Lucas Monroe had five rebounds, a season high, and matched career bests with two blocked shots and three steals.
 
How It Happened
After starting 0-of-6 from the field, the Quakers got back-to-back buckets in the paint as a dunk from Max Lorca-Lloyd pulled the Red and Blue to within two at 6-4 five minutes into the game.
 
Midway through the first half, the tandem of Nick Spinoso and Clark Slajchert scored 11 straight points off the bench—nine of which came from Slajchert—to keep the Quakers in the game as a Slajchert trey brought Penn to within one at 16-15 with 8:01 left before halftime.
 
A quick 5-0 run following a three-pointer from Jonah Charles and a turnaround from Max Martz gave the Quakers a 22-21 lead with 3:48 to go in the opening frame. On the ensuing possession, the Aggies would answer with their third three of the half to take the lead back heading into a media timeout.
 
Penn held Utah State scoreless for the final two minutes of the first half and a pair of baskets in the paint from Jordan Dingle tied the game at 28 heading into halftime despite the Quakers shooting 15 percent (2-of-13) from beyond the arc. During the opening 20 minutes, the Red and Blue had 15 bench points.
 
Utah State scored the first five points of the second half before Charles knocked down a deep three off an Aggie turnover just under a minute and a half into the stanza.
 
Another Aggie surge stretched the Utah State advantage to 11 at 48-37 following a three-pointer with 12:25 to go in the contest. The Aggies knocked down eight of their first 11 shots of the second half to build a double-digit lead.
 
The Quakers responded to their biggest deficit of the game with back-to-back three-pointers. Sophomore Max Martz gave Penn some quality minutes in the second half and his putback with just over eight minutes remaining made it a one-possession game at 53-50 in favor of Utah State.
 
A four-point play from Dingle gave Penn its first lead of the second half at 56-55 with under five minutes left. The lead was the first for the Quakers since the 3:48 mark of the opening half.
 
Dingle was at it again a few minutes later, knocking down a three from the wing to tie the game at 59 with two minutes to go.
 
Following a defensive stop, Dingle hit a pair of free throws to give Penn a 61-59 advantage with 90 seconds left. On the next possession, Utah State took back the lead with a three-pointer.
 
After calling a timeout, Martz hit a trey to give the Quakers a two-point edge. The Aggies would not go away as a tough bucket in the post knotted the game at 64 with 47 seconds remaining.
 
The Quakers came up empty on their next possession and Lucas Monroe made a big play on the defensive end. With an Aggie backing him down, Monroe blocked the shot and grabbed the loose ball as Penn took a timeout.
 
Dingle's game-winning three-point attempt as time expired in regulation rimmed out and the game headed to overtime.
 
With under 30 seconds left in overtime, Max Martz knocked down a three-pointer that looked to give the Quakers a 74-73 lead. Upon further review, it was changed to a two-point basket to tie the game at 73.
 
After the Quakers made a defensive stop, Monroe grabbed a defensive rebound and his fadeaway jumper as time expired was not true as we went to double overtime.
 
Utah State scored the first four points of the second extra frame before a pair for free throws from Dingle broke the ice for the Quakers.
 
The Aggies held Penn without a field goal for the final 1:44 of the contest to pull away late.