Heading into the bulk of conference play, the battle for the Ivy League men’s basketball title heated up with several key matchups this past weekend. Here is a recap of those games across the Ancient Eight.
Penn 65, Yale 41
Extending its winning streak to four games, the Quakers, in front of a large home crowd, downed the Bulldogs in the Ivy League opener for both teams. Opening the game on a 16-4 run, Penn never looked back, maintaining a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Steve Danley paced the Quakers with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while teammate Tim Begley also contributed 15 points. Edwin Draughan picked up 10 points and five assists for Yale in the losing effort.
Brown 57, Princeton 52
With only its second win at Princeton in the last 52 years, the Bears secured the victory behind a strong defensive effort in the second half. Using a 9-0 run to close out the first half, the Tigers secured a 30-28 lead at the break. However, Princeton never regained its touch in the second, shooting just 37 percent. Jason Forte and Luke Roscoe combined to score 33 points for Brown, while Noah Savage and Will Venable each had 10 for the Tigers.
Columbia 65, Dartmouth 45
Facing a four-point deficit at the midway point, the Lions dominated the second half en route to the Ivy victory. Defense dominated in the first period, as the Green took advantage of poor Columbia shooting to seize the early lead. However, shooting just 27.3 percent after halftime, Dartmouth was unable to keep up, as the Lions exploded for 42 in the half. Matt Preston led Columbia with 18, while Mike McLaren and Mike Lang each had seven for the Green.
Penn 83, Brown 60
Securing an early lead in the race for the Ivy League title, the Quakers, behind pinpoint shooting, became the lone remaining undefeated squad in conference play. Penn came out of the gates hot, hitting on 76 percent of its attempts in the first half to secure a 44-23. The Bears made it interesting in the second half, using a 16-7 run to cut the lead down to 12, but came no closer than that. Steve Danley had a game-high 22 points and Eric Osmundson scored 19 for the Quakers. Meanwhile, Jason Forte picked up all of his team-leading 15 points in the second half for the Bears.
Princeton 58, Yale 43
Behind back-up center Mike Stephens’ 23 points, including 15 in the second half, the Tigers overcame a half-time deficit to defeat Yale for the 12th straight year at home. Replacing injured starter Judson Wallace, Stephens scored 11 consecutive points for Princeton, igniting a 20-8 rally that put the Tigers ahead for good in the second half. Edwin Draughan led the Bulldogs with 12 points, while Will Venable added 11 points and six rebounds for Princeton.
Columbia 57, Harvard 55
Erasing a 14-point second half deficit, the Crimson’s comeback bid fell just short as its game-tying shot rolled off the rim at the buzzer. The Lions appeared to have the game in hand, leading, 39-25, less than three minutes after halftime. However, holding Columbia without a field goal for the last seven minutes of the game, Harvard used a 12-1 run to set up the exciting finish. Matt Preston recorded a double-double for the Lions, scoring 19 points and adding 10 rebounds. David Giovacchini and Jason Norman had 12 and 10 respectively for the Crimson.
Archived article by Scott Reich
Sun Staff Writer