As students eagerly anticipated the final buzzer Friday night, there was no question as to how they would celebrate Penn’s 79-64 win over No. 22 Cornell.
“As soon as we got the win, I knew we were going to storm the court,” said Garret Marks, a College and Wharton sophomore.
With the game officially in the books, hundreds of students rushed from the stands and gathered at the center of the court to celebrate Penn’s first win over a nationally ranked opponent since 1998.
The players — including point guard Zack Rosen, who was overcome with emotion — escaped the mob, quickly shaking hands with their opponents and hugging a few frenzied fans before heading to the locker room.
With the Cornell basketball team drawing national acclaim for a 14-3 non-conference record that included a narrow six-point loss to then-No. 1 Kansas, Penn’s 15-point win prompted coverage from ESPN and other major media outlets.
The win brought welcome relief for players and fans alike, coming just weeks after Penn’s worst start in program history.
“It was the first time I was proud of the basketball team in a while,” College senior and SPEC Vice President Preston Hershorn said.
“It made me think back to freshman year when there was a lot of support for the basketball team,” he added. “It was the first time this season that I actually felt that excitement.”
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