When the season began last November, very few people expected anyone besides Princeton to patrol the top of the Ivy League standings. Expectations don’t always hold true, as the league has seen throughout the conference schedule. The usually dominant Tigers have been mired in a terrible rut all season long, and currently langusih in sixth place, their hopes for a return trip to the NCAA tournament dashed. The conference race this year appears to be another two-horse race, but this time between Penn and a suddenly hot Yale. The second-place Bulldogs knocked off the previously undefeated Quakers Saturday to punctuate an exciting weekend in the Ancient Eight. Yale 56, Princeton 43
The Elis took a 28-16 lead into halftime and continued to build momentum throughout the second half, as they sent Princeton reeling to its sixth conference loss of the season — the Tigers’ most since 1992-93. Edwin Draughan scored 20 points for Yale and Caleb Holmes added 10. Noah Savage led Princeton with 18 points and six rebounds in the losing effort. The victory maked Yale’s first in six chances against the Tigers. Yale had not beaten Princeton since an Ivy League playoff game on March 7, 2002 at The Palestra in Philadelphia.
Penn 79, Brown 62
Mark Zoller notched a double-double while Tim Begley and Ibby Jaaber each scored 22 to lead the Quakers to their 11th consecutive win on Friday in Providence, R.I. Zoller scored 14 points with 12 rebounds. Eight of Zoller’s points came during a 25-4 run in the second half that allowed Penn to jump ahead by as many as 31 points with 4:21 left in the game. Reigning Ivy League player of the year Jason Forte was held to just eight points for Brown, his second-lowest output of the season. Keenan Jeppesen led the Bears with nine points, while the Quakers shot an astounding 69.2 percent from the field in the second half.
Harvard 78, Columbia 71
Four Crimson players scored in double figures helping Harvard into a second-place tie in the Ivy League standings. Brian Cusworth led all scorers with 18 points for the Crimson, while Matt Stehle posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. After a cold first half from the floor, Harvard shot 61.9 percent in the second half. After the Lions were up by as many as five early in the second half, the Crimson went on a run over the next 10 minutes. Harvard took its largest lead of the game, 61-49, on a 3-pointer by Kevin Rogus with 6:34 left in the game. The loss was the Lions’ fifth straight, as they fell to 3-6 in conference play.
Yale 78, Penn 60
The Bulldogs completed the sweep of the Princeton-Penn weekend for only the fifth time in team history Saturday, as Draughan scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures. Yale dominated every facet of the game, as it outrebounded the Quakers, 42-33, and posted a very strong game defensively. Draughan kept Penn’s Begley scoreless. Zoller scored 22 for Penn, leading three players in double figures. However, Yale kept the pressure on Penn the whole game, and slowly built a lead in the second half. The game marked Penn’s first conference loss of the season and kept the Bulldogs squarely in contention for the league title.
Princeton 69, Brown 52
Will Venable’s 18 points helped the Tigers to their first Ivy road win in five tries this season Saturday night in Providence. Princeton shot 65 percent from the floor, its highest mark of the seaon. In addition, the Tigers received contributions in the form of Mike Stephens’ double-double. Luke Owings scored 10. Brown, which fell to 2-6 in Ivy play, is now in eighth place in the confernce. The Bears were led by Forte’s 26 points, half of the team’s total offensive production. Brown led twice, both times in the first half. Venable is 50 points shy of the 1,000th of his career.
Dartmouth 50, Columbia 48
The Green ran its conference winning streak to three with Saturday night’s victory over Columbia. David Gardner scored 18 points to lead all scorers, as neither team led by more than five points. The -game seesawed back and forth, particularly in the second half. Columbia held a lead as late as with five minutes left. A three-point play by Dartmouth’s Chuck Flynn with 5:04 left gave the Green a lead for good. Columbia has lost four straight.
Archived article by Owen Bochner
Sun Sports Editor