Sushaan Modi | Weather, worries and a win

I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t the most emotional weekend of my time in college.

That’s what happens when you mix your first roadtrip, a dreary drive through seven states, a near-death experience and Penn basketball’s biggest win in five years.

And thanks to Zack Rosen, it was definitely worth it.

• * *

Saturday night was the culmination of an up-and-down 58 hours that had more flips and dips, more twists and turns, than a heart-stopping roller coaster — but it almost never was.

Penn was supposed to take care of business on Friday. Dartmouth had just one Ivy win, but a second-half run from the Big Green gave them a lead and put the Quakers on their heels.

It could have been disastrous — no more dream matchup with Harvard, the end of Penn’s Ivy title hopes, the Red and Blue disappointing late in the game, once again, and a wasted trip to New England.

But somehow, Zack Rosen and Rob Belcore wouldn’t let that happen.

Belcore’s constant energy on defense and his two steals in a little more than 30 seconds helped lift the team, while Rosen scored Penn’s last 16 points. Dartmouth’s Javonte Brooks missed a game-tying free throw with 12.6 seconds left, and Penn escaped.

“We come in with a game plan and we don’t execute very well,” Belcore said of the Dartmouth game.

• * *

As it happens, a near-calamitous loss to a last-place team was the best part of the night. As we left the sleepy hamlet of Hanover, N.H., we found ourselves stuck in eight inches of fresh powder.

After driving all of eight miles, our car skidded out twice — it was a scene straight out of a horror movie. Two hours later, we were back at Dartmouth.

After a scare the next morning that our car had been towed (probably never going to pay that ticket, sorry, Hanover), we made it to Boston.

Finally, the reason we were there. The reason ESPN and Bob Ryan, Boston’s most famous sports journalist, were on hand to witness the town’s biggest sporting event.

And what a game it was.

• * *

Penn came out strong, taking a 17-16 lead with eight minutes left in the first half, when it all seemed to slip away.

Harvard began to show why it is the most talented team in the Ivy League. Kyle Casey bullied his way into the paint. Keith Wright was fouled every five seconds (or so it seemed). Even unheralded freshman Wes Saunders threw down an emphatic dunk to the resounding chants of “I believe that we will win,” from the Crimson student section.

But the Quakers never quit. They clawed back and chipped away. Fran Dougherty collected blocks on two All-Ivy forwards. Brooks pushed back against Wright. Steve Rennard and Miles Cartwright hounded Laurent Rivard and Corbin Miller. Belcore played his heart out for 38 minutes. And the Penn faithful that journeyed to Boston, filling up almost a quarter of the arena, roared madly with each basket.

And Rosen — the man is a winner. Turnaround fade-aways, knifing drives into the lane and feeding teammates, he made it all look easy. With 23 seconds left, he knocked down two clutch free throws, putting Penn up, 55-54.

“The team needs me to step up and make plays,” Rosen said. “I’m a senior. I worked my butt off. Coach trusts me. All the guys trust me … [I was] fortunate enough to do what it takes to win.”

During the last series, my hands were shaking, my heart pounding against my chest. It was an absolute whirlwind — a dubious deflection by Penn, a charge taken by fifth-year senior Tyler Bernardini and a press break to seal the victory.

• * *

I sat in O’Rourke’s Diner in Middletown, Conn., for the second time in three days reflecting on the past 58 hours. Emotionally drained, I downed what was only my second proper meal of the weekend.

Victory tastes sweet.

SUSHAAN MODI is a sophomore international studies and business major from Demarest, N.J., and is Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. He can be reached at Modi@theDP.com

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