In a season like this one, it was hardly surprising that the perfect ending was not to be.
Penn closed out a forgettable rebuilding season with a 59-56 loss to Princeton at the Palestra Tuesday. There was little to do afterward but mull over the wreckage. There is enough of it to dishearten even the most dedicated of fans.
"It's enormously frustrating," Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) told the Philadelphia Daily News at halftime. "They've been so inconsistent . It's really frustrating to think where the program was and where it is now."
The game was certainly not the Quakers' worst this year. They never trailed by more than six and led Princeton by a point with under a minute to go. But the Tigers (13-14, 8-6 Ivy) put on a free-throw clinic in the final minutes, ending the evening with a perfect 13-for-13 mark from the stripe.
Just like in last month's game at Jadwin Gymnasium, the Quakers (10-18, 6-8) won the battle of the boards easily, nabbing 16 offensive rebounds. But they hit just five of 17 three-pointers and clearly suffered from the absence of shooting guard Tyler Bernardini, who missed his third straight game with lingering concussion symptoms. Freshman point guard Zack Rosen led Penn in scoring with 13 points, and only one other Penn player - Harrison Gaines - hit double figures.
Princeton completed a remarkable turnaround with the victory, going from a 3-11 conference mark in 2008 to a second-place finish in the standings this year. The Quakers dropped into a tie for sixth. They won just one Ivy League game at home.
"I've never had a season like this, ever," coach Glen Miller said.
He then repeated a now-familiar litany of Penn's walking wounded: Darren Smith, an all-conference player, missed his second straight season; Andreas Schreiber, once a key presence in the Penn frontcourt, played in all of two games; classmate Justin Reilly was never near 100 percent; Tyler Bernardini was plagued by a bad back and a possible sports hernia all season long.
"I could go on and on," Miller said.
But there was no need. He walked back on to the Palestra floor for a few final handshakes, and the Quakers' season drew to a merciful close.
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