CONWAY, S.C. – The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team closed out play at the Myrtle Beach Invitational with a 71-63 win over Old Dominion University on Sunday afternoon at the HTC Center on the campus of Coastal Carolina University.
 
The Quakers (3-4) ended the weekend with a 1-2 record at the tournament. The Monarchs (2-4) finished with an 0-3 mark.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn took just 51 shots on Sunday, a season low, but made 25 of them for a .490 shooting percentage.
 
*Penn knocked down 11 three-point baskets, the fourth time hitting double figures in that category already this season, and shot above 40 percent from beyond the arc for the fourth time (.440).
 
*Penn had a season-high 19 assists on its 25 baskets on Sunday, sophomore Jordan Dingle leading the way with five (matching his season/career high) while sophomore Max Martz and senior Jelani Williams had four each.
 
*Dingle scored another 16 points on Sunday, his sixth double-figure scoring game already this season.
 
*Junior Jonah Charles also had 16 points, his fourth double-digit scoring game of the season, and also set season/career highs in rebounds (7) and steals (3).
 
*All of Charles' field goals on Sunday came from beyond the arc. This season 23 of his 27 made field goals have been three-pointers.
 
*Freshman Nick Spinoso made his first collegiate start on Sunday and finished the day with 10 points and seven rebounds—a season/career best—in 30 minutes of action.
 
How It Happened
Penn scored the first five points and never trailed in this game, but the Quakers could never quite shake the Monarchs. ODU got back level at 9-9, but Lucas Monroe hit one of two free throws to set the Red and Blue off on another 5-0 run, and then when the Monarchs got back within two Penn ran off eight in a row—six of them coming on back-to-back treys by Martz and Charles—for a 24-14 lead. The advantage was still six at the half, 31-25.
 
The teams essentially traded points for most of the early second half, the lead fluctuating between six and 10 points for the first six minutes. Jelani Williams scored a personal five-point run that pushed the Quakers to a 48-37 lead, but just when it seemed like Penn might take control ODU scored four in a row to get back within seven at the second media timeout.
 
The Quakers' lead was 51-43 when Michael Moshkovitz and Charles had treys on consecutive possessions, the start of five straight possessions in which Penn scored. That pushed their lead to 63-48 and forced ODU to take a timeout, after which Nick Spinoso hit a free throw for a 16-point advantage with less than six minutes to play.
 
Once again, the Monarchs refused to go away. They scored eight unanswered points over a 53-second span to get back within eight and now it was Penn's head coach Steve Donahue calling timeout. Charles briefly stanched the run with a trey, but ODU came back with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer and suddenly it was a two-possession game at 67-61 with more than two minutes to play.
 
To its credit, Penn didn't fold. Old Dominion got a steal, but on the break with a chance to get within three or four the Monarchs threw a pass out of bounds. Williams missed a good look from beyond the arc, but Martz grabbed the offensive board and Dingle drew the foul with just 1:11 left. He made 1-of-2 to push the lead back to seven. ODU scored right away to get the margin back to five and had a foul shot to get within four but missed, Spinoso getting the rebound.
 
Penn then worked the shot clock down and Spinoso was fouled going up for the shot just as that buzzer sounded. He made one but missed one, keeping the game at a two-possession margin, but the Monarchs missed a long trey and Williams snared the rebound. He was fouled immediately and made both shots to set the final score.