PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team opened Big 5 pod play with a riveting, 83-74 victory over Saint Joseph's Monday night at The Palestra.
Penn's win was its first over SJU since the 2018-19 season and ended the Hawks' unbeaten run since the Big 5 welcomed Drexel to the foled and introduced pod play in 2023-24; they were 7-0 over the last two-plus years, winning the city series each of the last two seasons and opening this campaign with a win over the Dragons.
Both teams are now 2-2 overall, but the Quakers have a leg up in pod play and head to Drexel on Friday with a chance to advance to the Big 5 Classic championship game on December 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn shot 45.2 percent from the field overall (28-62) and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc (8-18); both were season highs against Division I competition.
*For the fourth time in as many games, Penn took more foul shots (23) than its opponent (15).
*Penn led SJU in points off turnovers (24-12), points in the paint (38-32), and second-chance points (8-7).
*Monday's game had more lead changes (12) and ties (15) than any other game so far in this young season; the previous highs were six lead changes and five ties, both at American on November 9.
*Penn allowed just 33 points in the second half, fewest by a D1 opponent in a half against the Quakers so far this season.
*Senior
Ethan Roberts led the way offensively for the Quakers, scoring 31 points—two shy of his career high—of which 24 came in the second half. He also had five rebounds, two assists, and tied his career best with three steals.
*
TJ Power posted his first double-double as a collegian, scoring 23 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds. Both were career highs for the junior transfer, playing his fourth game for the Red and Blue.
*Power's 15 rebounds were the most by a Penn player in a game since Lucas Monroe grabbed 16 against, you guessed it, Saint Joseph's on November 30, 2022.
*The last time Penn had one player score at least 30 points and another score at least 20 in the same game was December 2, 2023—coincidentally, also a Big 5 game (Clark Slajchert 33 points, Tyler Perkins 20 vs. La Salle).
*Senior
Cam Thrower pitched in with nine points, three rebounds and two assists.
*Junior
Augustus Gerhart grabbed five rebounds.
*Freshman
Dalton Scantlebury finished the night with eight points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in a little less than 17 minutes.
*Saint Joseph's had four players score in double figures: Deuce Jones II (24), Derek Simpson (16), Jaiden Glover-Toscano (12), and Anthony Finkley (10). Austin Williford finished with five points, seven rebounds and tied Finkley with a team-high five rebounds
How It Happened
Saint Joseph's was the first to open up any semblance of a gap, breaking a 10-10 tie with six straight points, but Penn responded with seven of the next eight points and a Power triple tied things at 17-17. The rest of the period went back and forth, the lead changing hands nine times and the teams tying on 11 different occasions. When
Dylan Williams faked a handoff and took the ball to the hole for a layup to end the half, the teams went to the break tied at 41-41.
Roberts opened the second half with a triple—as it turned out, something big was brewing. While Saint Joseph's hung around, tying the game twice at 48-48 and 50-50, the Hawks could not push past the Quakers and when Thrower knocked down a triple with 9:05 left Penn's lead was its biggest of the night at six, 62-56.
Penn went cold after that, not scoring a field goal for more than two minutes, and the Hawks took advantage by drawing level at 63-63 on a Jones layup with 6:55 to play. Thrower ended the Red and Blue's skid with a layup in response, but Simpson followed with a triple that gave SJU its first lead of the half with 6:26 left, 66-65.
Roberts took over from there. The senior scored Penn's next 12 points over a span of 5:10. That included an unanswered six-point run that pushed the Quakers in front by five with 4:47 left. That lead was still intact as the clock went under a minute thanks for Roberts' driving layup to make it 77-72. SJU got one of those points back on a Jones free throw, and then after a Red and Blue turnover the Hawks had a chance to make it a one-possession game. However, Jones missed a pair of jumpers—one inside the arc, one outside—and in between Glover-Toscano had a shot blocked by Power. Power then grabbed Jones' second miss and was fouled. He made both shots to make the score 79-73 in the final few seconds.
Jones was fouled with just two seconds left, and hit his first shot to make it 79-74. He missed his second shot on purpose and Power rebounded it and was fouled. A skirmish ensued after the whistle and two SJU players were called for technicals, giving Penn more foul shots to set the final score at 83-74. Fittingly for this city series rivalry, the nine-point final margin was the widest either team had all night.
Up Next
Penn makes the shortest road trip in the country on Friday, traveling a half mile along 33rd Street to the Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC) to take on Drexel in its final Big 5 pod game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
For the latest on Penn men's basketball, follow @PennMBB on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
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