Despite early lead, Penn men's basketball was unable to hold off Cornell in nail-biter fashion

With its postseason Ivy Madness hopes dashed, Penn men’s basketball needed to have an explosive performance to close out the season on a hopeful note. On Friday night, the Quakers, who entered the weekend sitting second to last in the Ivy League, went up against Cornell who were tied for first in the conference. 

Unfortunately for the Red and Blue, a hot start was not enough to get them the win as they lost 87-81. 

For most of the season, Penn (10-17, 2-10 Ivy) struggled with starting the game off strong. Against the Big Red (21-5, 10-2 Ivy), the game started on a rather different note, with Penn going on a 12-0 run after just five minutes of game play. Notably,  freshman guard Tyler Perkins made his way back into the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the last three games. 

Momentum on offense was built by senior guard Clark Slajchert, who caught a lob pass from Perkins to lace a three pointer while also nabbing two steals by the end of the first half. Junior guard George Smith followed suit, and was active on all parts of the floor, collecting offensive rebounds, steals, and establishing dominance in the paint. 

The Quaker defense kept the Big Red at bay, forcing contested threes and turnovers, maintaining its lead. A timeout midway through first half seemed to change momentum, as Cornell started to cut the lead, led by forward AK Okereke, whose points at the line allowed the gap to close.

Something of note for the Quakers were the different player rotations out on the floor, mainly composed of relatively inexperienced underclassmen.

“I just felt we needed whoever was playing well, at that point, to stay in the game,” coach Steve Donahue said. “They [Cornell] play at the fastest pace, I think second in the country.”

The young rotation stepped up to the challenge. For much of the game, the pace was dictated by sophomore guard Cam Thrower and freshman guard Sam Brown, dropping 15 points apiece. The Quakers were able to work the ball around effectively, leading Cornell 46-34 at the end of the first half.

The beginning of the second half showed signs that the rest of the game would be one of hot potato. Cornell picked up steam, lacing three pointers, and stopping the Quaker offense in its tracks — demonstrating why it is currently tied for first in the conference. With fourteen minutes to go in the second half, the game was tied up at 56-56 — both teams in gridlock. 

The Red and Blue showed a certain tenacity that had been missing in their past several games, though Cornell appeared to have an answer for everything that the Quakers tried. Every time Penn tied the game up, Cornell would respond with an equally impressive response to regain the lead. With just under a minute to play and Cornell up 83-80, foul trouble and a missed three point opportunity spelt doom for the Quakers.

Penn men’s basketball will fail to make an appearance in the Ivy League tournament for the first time since the tournament’s inception.

“It’s painful,” Donahue said of the team’s absence, “You just can’t afford to be quite young and then lose your best player for a long stretch,” in reference to Slajchert’s knee injury earlier in the season, which held him out for six weeks.

After a back and forth game, the Quakers look to regroup for their second game of the weekend against Columbia on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Palestra.