Penn 14-0 after beating Tigers

PRINCETON, N.J.-- Just a few days earlier, Fran Dunphy had occupied the front seat of an emotional roller coaster. One night the Penn basketball coach was watching his five starting seniors clinch their third straight Ivy League title before cutting down the net in celebration. The next night Dunphy was sharing hugs and tears with those same seniors as they completed their final home game at the Palestra. When the Quakers visited Jadwin Gymnasium last Wednesday, Dunphy saw his seniors lead Penn to a 69-57 victory over Princeton in the regular season finale. In the process, he saw them conclude a third consecutive undefeated Ivy season and extend their all-time best league winning streak to 43 games. After the game, Dunphy could not help but reflect on the situation. "Obviously, I'm especially proud of our five seniors," he said. "This was their last league game and they finished in terrific style. They are a special, special group and I will miss them in every way -- not only basketball, but off the court as well." Against the Tigers, Dunphy saw one of his relatively less-heralded seniors continue to step up his offensive production. Forward Shawn Trice led the way for Penn, scoring a career-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting in his final Ivy contest. The Detroit native was simply dominant inside, never attempting a shot outside the paint. "We always stress establishing an inside game and then trying to work outside," said Trice, whose previous high of 23 came against Georgia last season. "I got a couple of my shots to fall early, and then [his teammates] just kept giving me the ball." Most of Trice's damage was done after intermission. Penn (21-5, 14-0 Ivy League) was unable to pull away from the Tigers in the first half. The Quakers tried early and often to increase the game's tempo and capitalize on their superior athleticism, but to no avail. Penn's defensive pressure was ineffective and Princeton (16-10, 10-4) led the ESPN2-televised contest for much of the first stanza. With 11 points from freshman forward James Mastaglio, the Tigers were able to play at their own pace. When Trice put Penn up 24-23, it was the first Quakers lead since 2-0. After a half plagued by turnovers on both sides, nothing had been decided and the score was tied at 28. The Quakers began the second half strong and gradually opened a lead. With just over 13 minutes to play, senior Scott Kegler drained a three-pointer to put Penn ahead 47-34. The crowd was momentarily silenced. The Quakers appeared to have put the game out of reach. But Princeton senior center Rick Hielscher, playing in his final game, answered with a trifecta of his own. The shot brought the crowd back into the game and sparked a 12-2 Tigers run which closed the gap to three with seven minutes left. "When we got it to 49-46, I thought maybe we would be able to turn things around a little bit," Princeton coach Pete Carril said. But it was not to be. A television timeout was prolonged several minutes after a Penn cheerleader fell to the floor and lay at center court. She was fine, but the lag seemed to hurt the Tigers' momentum. Princeton was playing four freshman and one sophomore in crunch time, and Penn's experience was just too much. Penn junior forward Tim Krug, who has a habit of making big plays against Princeton, blocked a shot by Hielscher and then buried a three-pointer at the other end. That put the Quakers ahead 54-46, and Princeton would never again get closer than six points as Penn put a final exclamation point on its recent Ivy League feats. It may take some time for the Quakers to be able put things in perspective. "I don't think we'll realize it until we're done," said Penn guard Matt Maloney, who became the first player in Ivy history to play three years without losing a league game. "I know it's a great feat from what people have said, but later we'll think about how much we've done and how much we'll miss each other." For the time being, Penn could begin focusing on the NCAA Tournament. Carril, meanwhile, took a moment to verbalize the thoughts of every coach in the Ancient Eight. "I won't have to see these guys again," he said.

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