Cornell's offense was too much for the Red and Blue as Penn (4-11, 0-2 Ivy) let up at least 85 points for the third time in four games.
Starting the game holding its own, a scoring surge from the Big Red (10-5, 2-0 Ivy) in between the second and third frames buried the Quakers. Down by 20 points early in the second half, Penn’s eventual comeback fell short with a slew of missed opportunities – ending with the 86-76 loss against Cornell.
“The good thing about the league [is] there’s a tournament. You have to keep fighting. We’ve got a young group that’s got a big room for growth,” coach Steve Donahue said.
Who was across the court coaching against Donahue? None other than Cornell's Jon Jaques, Donahue's former player, who got his first-ever victory over his former coach. Jaques played under Donahue during his tenure at Cornell. During his career under Donahue, Jacques won three straight Ivy League titles and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in the 2009-10 season.
“Honestly, I hate it. It’s not fun,” Donahue said of coaching against a former player. “I want him to be so successful. I don’t think I look at the red jersey or anything else, I just think of the people. It doesn’t make me any less determined to kick his ass and I’m sure he wanted to kick my ass.”
Multiple former Cornell players were in the Palestra to see the matchup of their old teammates and coach. Something that Jacques attributes to the culture Donahue builds.
“Beyond being a great basketball coach, he creates that kind of connection with the team and makes you feel important and makes the team feel really important,” Jaques said.
The Quakers got out to a blazing hot start in their return to the Palestra. Their defense was apparent early on, with freshman guard AJ Levine forcing a turnover in his third start and allowing senior forward/center Nick Spinoso to take it all the way to score. They forced three early turnovers in the first half, throwing the Big Red off their rhythm and keeping them away from the basket.
On the offensive end, the Quakers attacked high and low, driving to the basket and launching from deep — highlighted by junior guard/forward Ethan Roberts nailing two three-pointers. Roberts had a rebound performance, leading all scorers with 26 points after a Dartmouth game where he failed to score in the first half.
But Cornell went on a hot streak where it simply could not miss. The Big Red outscored Penn 17-4 to close the half, including a 10-0 stretch that started with under four minutes left. They locked up the Quakers on defense, featuring a huge block by Cornell forward AK Okereke that led to a three on the other end. The Big Red's run put them up by 11 points at the end of the half.
“My sense was … we were so conservative against their pressure,” Donahue said. “It was apparent at halftime that we were so back on our heels, and they sensed it.”
The offensive onslaught didn’t stop at halftime. Cornell continued to let it rain from three, scoring 12 points easily. On the interior, Penn’s stout defense from the beginning of the game broke down. In one possession, Cornell guard Cooper Noard lost his defenders, stole the offensive rebound, and drew a foul from sophomore guard Sam Brown to put the Big Red up 59-39. At the end of the first half, they put up 17 points in four minutes while Penn struggled to finish.
The Quakers had a refreshing response in the form of two solid runs where they looked poised to make a comeback victory. In their first surge, Levine, who finished with 13 points, logged his first points, including a layup to cut the lead to single digits for a score of 67-58. His defense was a huge factor in the second surge, where he got three steals that led to four transition points but also a missed dunk.
“AJ missed a dunk. Nick Spinoso [missed] three or four [shots that] he typically makes. I thought it was those plays," said Donahue. "You’re down eight, down nine, and you go to the foul line, and you miss two free throws. Winning teams make those plays."
Brown, who finished with 15 points, had two late threes with one cutting it to a nine-point deficit. But while Brown’s threes sparked hope, victory was just out of reach.
Penn continues the hunt for their first Ivy victory in Cambridge against Harvard on Jan. 20.
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