Men's Hoops falls to Delaware in final seconds

NEWARK, Del. -- With 6:48 to go in the game last night at Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center, Penn senior guard David Klatsky fouled Delaware's Rulon Washington behind the three-point arc on the left baseline.

Washington went to the line and swished all three free throws, tying the game at 50. After eating away at a 32-27 Penn (1-2) halftime lead, it was the first tie since the first minute of the game.

With 4,797 now-rowdy fans behind them, the Fightin' Blue Hens (2-1) grabbed the momentum and executed in the key moments during the final stretch of the game, eventually closing out the Quakers 60-59.

"The game could've gone either way," Delaware coach David Henderson said. "But we made a couple of big plays when we needed them in the last couple of minutes, and I think that was the difference in the ball game."

After three Delaware offensive rebounds on the same possession -- the third coming from senior guard Ryan Iversen -- senior forward Dave Hindenlang received Iversen's pass and sank a jumper in the lane with 45 seconds to play. Though he missed the subsequent "and-one" free throw after a Tim Begley foul, the field goal pushed the Blue Hens ahead for good.

"The close ones really hurt, especially when they come down the stretch," Penn point guard Andrew Toole said. "Especially after Hindenlang comes down the lane and gets fouled after everybody's battling, doing the best they can on defense.

"It seemed like we were playing defense for the last minute and a half out there."

Delaware is 2-17 in the past three years when failing to score 60 points.

With seven seconds left, Iversen sank two free-throws to make it a two possession game at 60-56.

Penn senior forward Ugonna Onyekwe sank a three-pointer with 1.7 seconds left, but the effort would not be enough for the Quakers, who have now lost their second-straight game.

Even before the two teams tipped off, Penn was at a disadvantage, as starting point guard Andrew Toole was forced out of the starting lineup because of a strained abdominal muscle.

He came off the bench with 14:17 left in the first half, playing for 12 minutes in the first.

Toole ended up playing 25 minutes in the game, scoring eight points on 3-for-8 shooting.

Penn coach Fran Dunphy had emphasized the importance of going down low against the Blue Hens' big men early, especially after forward Koko Archibong only shot three field-goals in their previous game against Drexel.

But just 3:42 into the game, Ugonna Onyekwe picked up his second foul after pursuing a rebound and would not return for the rest of the half.

He collected his first foul in a scramble for the ball, even after Delaware already had control.

"The first one was foolish," Dunphy said. "There was no reason to run over there, the play was over."

With Penn's NBA prospect out of the game, Delaware center Maurice Sessoms took over the paint on both ends of the floor.

The senior went 5-for-6 from the field in the first half and 5-for-6 from the line.

The situation almost became disastrous when Koko Archibong hobbled to the bench with 9:47 left in the first half because of an ailing right knee.

The Pasadena, Calif., native returned to the game just two minutes later and ended up playing 34 minutes in the game without any noticeable problems.

"Koko's fine, there is no injury," Dunphy said. "He's got a boatload of tape on his leg but he's able to play."

In Onyekwe's absence, Penn senior Adam Chubb played 15 minutes in the first half but had little success defending Sessoms.

Yet while Sessoms dominated the inside at the outset, Onyekwe's second half return drastically limited Delaware's main threat.

Sessoms scored only four points in the second half -- two of them coming on a 15-foot jumper, after his defender was screened on an out-of-bounds play.

Onyekwe also held his ground on the defensive end, forcing Sessoms to adapt his play and turn the ball over several times.

But after Onyekwe forced Sessoms to travel with 14:37 left to go in the game, the Penn senior missed a pair of free throws at the other end of the floor.

Onyekwe, a 65.2 percent free throw shooter for the season, went 2-for-5 from the line last night. Penn finished the night 6-for-13 from the free throw line.

Despite Penn's insufficiencies from the line and Delaware's four 3-pointers in the second half at opportune times -- including two by Iversen -- Penn had a chance to win the game, down two, with 11.3 seconds left.

After senior guard Jeff Schiffner stole an outlet pass, he found Toole across the court for a clean look at a 3-pointer. The shot hit the back of the rim, and Onyekwe missed the tip-in.

After Iversen's free throws, the game was all but over.

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