Sophomore forward AJ Brodeur has dominated Yale down low to the tune of 17 first half points.
Credit: Chase SuttonIt wouldn’t have been wrong to expect Penn men’s basketball to come out hot fresh off last week’s devastating one-point defeat at Yale. But this is another level.
In the second semifinal of the Ivy League tournament, the Quakers are all over the Bulldogs at the break, holding a 44-25 lead with a spot in the Ivy title game on the line. Sophomore AJ Brodeur leads both teams with 17 points as the Red and Blue have dominated all of the opening 20 minutes.
Both teams started somewhat slow offensively, and the No. 2 Quakers (22-6, 12-2 Ivy) led only 12-9 six minutes in behind some strong play from Yale big men Blake Reynolds and Paul Atkinson, but it’s been all Penn from there. The Red and Blue went on a 12-0 run, spurred by some strong play from several of their reserves, and they haven’t looked back from there, leading by as much as 23 at one point.
As strong as Penn’s bench has been though, Brodeur has undoubtedly been the story of the half. The sophomore forward scored seven points in the opening five minutes and hasn’t slowed down much since, scoring bucket after bucket in the paint. In contrast, No. 3 Yale’s (16-14, 9-5) leading scorer, Miye Oni, has been held scoreless throughout the half, surprisingly shooting 0 for 10 due to both some cold shooting and strong defense from Penn's Antonio Woods.
After No. 1 Harvard (18-12, 12-2) won its semifinal earlier this afternoon, the Crimson will face off against the winner of this game for the right to head to March Madness.
Follow along on @dailypennsports Twitter as we’ll continue giving updates for the rest of the game.
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