Matt Howard turns in marquee effort to guide Quakers to victory against Columbia

This season has not been kind to Penn men’s basketball. Coming into Friday’s game against Columbia, the Quakers were winless in six Ivy League contests and in desperate need of a better performance to have any shot of making the Ivy League Tournament. The Red and Blue played one of their best halves of the year in the first 20 minutes, and after relinquishing the lead early in the second, were able to gut out the victory on the back of 48 rebounds and 12 three-pointers. Let’s go to the player ratings.

STARTERS

Ryan Betley, G — 6.5 / 10

The freshman guard did not light up the night with his shooting percentage, but his six rebounds were big in the Quakers’ win. He also played well defensively, forcing a huge turnover as Columbia looked to take the lead late in the second half. His only points came from a very timely three-pointer to regain the lead in the game's final few minutes.

Jackson Donahue, G — 5.1 / 10

Donahue also had a rough night on the offensive end, shooting 2-for-8 on his field goal attempts and missing five of his six shots from behind the arc. He pulled down five rebounds to go along with his five points, but we are accustomed to seeing the sophomore guard shoot better than that. 

AJ Brodeur, C — 8.0 / 10

The Red and Blue have relied heavily on the freshman all season, and he came up big again. He led the team in minutes, finished with a quiet 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. He had tough assignments all night on defense, including guarding Columbia’s 7-foot-1 center Conor Voss, but played physically in the paint. His layup and free throw made up a clutch three-point play, and it became it evident it was going to be Penn's night in the second half. Another solid performance by the big man.

Darnell Foreman, G — 5.8 / 10

Darnell had a tough night from the floor, missing all 5 of his attempts, including three from deep. He was clutch from the free throw line however, hitting all four attempts in the final minute to ice away the game.

Matt Howard, F — 9.0 / 10

Matt Howard was Penn’s best player tonight. He did not lead the Quakers in scoring, finishing with 13, but he was an absolute rock on the defensive end of the floor. He had two high-flying blocks in the game’s final minute to squash Columbia’s comeback hopes. He hit two three-pointers, including a huge shot from behind the arc that killed the Lion’s momentum they had gained after taking the lead early in the second half.

BENCH

Devon Goodman — 7.4 / 10

Goodman went 3-for-5 from three-point range, including hitting one right after Matt Howard’s early in the second half that kept Columbia from running away with the game. His nine points in 24 minutes may not have been flashy, but he played well for the Red and Blue all night.

Sam Jones — 8.8 / 10

If there is anything Sam Jones can do well on this Earth, it’s shooting the ball from behind the arc. The junior guard led the team with 17 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the floor, including five three-pointers. He seemed to be knocking shots down from everywhere on the court, and was really responsible for providing the Quakers with much needed offense. They will need more of this from Jones for the rest of the season.

Max Rothschild  — 6.0 / 10

Rothschild was one of the Quakers who did not shoot the ball very well, finishing with just five points. However, his eight rebounds were massive, including a whopping six offensive boards that were critical in Penn’s ability to finish off the Lions.