Penn breaks losing streak to Princeton, squares series with win over Tigers

By Andrew Hefner (@Ahef_NJ)

PHILADELPHIA — Just over a month ago, the Princeton Tigers shocked the basketball world by not just flipping the script on a historical matchup played for over a century, but staging an improbable comeback to take down the Penn Quakers and extend a 14-game win streak that has stood since 2018.

Rolling into The Palestra today with the all-time series out of their hands for the first time, the Quakers were set for revenge, and a battle that saw Princeton almost stage the same devastating resurgence finally fell into the hands of Penn, 61-60. 

A packed crowd and strong visiting fan section saw Princeton jump ahead early, with the scoring opening on a Malik Abdullahi slam and a Dalen Davis trey. Davis, the star guard for the Tigers, suffered a sprained ankle last week at Columbia and did not return to that game, but was all set and suited up to start at Penn. 

Penn’s response was almost instantaneous, as it seemed to be for much of the clash between rivals, as first-year head coach Fran McCaffery’s side was able to regain the lead by the first media timeout, and head on a 14-3 run with little challenge from the visitors. 

Jack Stanton, coming off six three-pointers and a career-high in last week’s win over Columbia, did not start for the Tigers and only played six minutes before being removed for the remainder of the game. 

“I have no idea,” said head coach Mitch Henderson as to why Stanton was unable to return. “We’re going to reevaluate, but it’s tough not having him out there.” 

The injury did not help Princeton, as the Penn onslaught continued for much of the first half, but was halted for a moment by junior Jackson Hicke, who contributed eight big points in the final minutes of the half to hold Princeton within ten heading into the locker room. Hicke, a native of Radnor, Pennsylvania, played high school basketball just a 30-minute drive from The Palestra, but has been a highlight of this Princeton team over the past two seasons.

The Tigers finished the half making just one of eight field goal attempts and saw themselves at a firm 35-25 deficit, but not a game completely out of hand for a visiting team that has staged far more improbable comebacks in recent seasons. 

“In that locker room, they felt like they had it,” said Henderson. “They felt like they were going to win the game. I love that about them. I just want to encourage that.”

Out of the locker room, Princeton was a rejuvenated group, as it commonly is to start the second half, opening the frame with a 10-2 run to pull within four for the first time since the middle of the first. 

“It was spectacular up there for a half, and then it was as bad as it could be,” McCaffery said of Penn’s defensive performance. “But again, you always say, well, we didn’t do this, we didn’t do that. (Princeton) shot it well, and they moved it, and they executed their stuff, and they made a bunch of shots in a row.” 

Leading the charge in the start of the second half was Abdullahi, who has become an incredibly important part of a Princeton team that lacks a ton of strong size and pressure in the paint.  

“Abdullahi is really playing well, so they kind of went to him,” McCaffery explained. “He’s a different kind of cover than the other guys.”

Abdullahi finished the night with 12 points and four assists, while leading the game with 11 rebounds. Similarly, junior Jacob Huggins stepped up for the Tigers as well, taking much of the minutes that would have gone to Stanton, and capitalized in a big way for Princeton. Huggins racked up 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, capped by a big three that once again brought Princeton within four points. 

“He was awesome, especially down the stretch and doing things that juniors do on the road,” Henderson said. “It was terrific. He was great on both ends of the floor. He got us back into the game and made a huge three.”

Huggins tied a career high with a team-leading 14 points and six rebounds, but it was not enough to power the Tigers all the way to victory. For the second time this season, the Penn and Princeton clash came down to the final few possessions, as after Penn looked like it was going to run away with it again and held a ten-point lead late in the second half, Princeton battled back to make it a five-point game with under four minutes to play. 

“I loved the way we played at the end,” said Henderson. “It didn’t go our way tonight, but that was a very, very physical game. We had a chance to win it at the end. It was good on the road.”

A TJ Power three-pointer from Penn put the Quakers up four with just over a minute to go in the game, but great defense from both sides gave Princeton one more possession with just under 20 seconds on the shot clock. The ball remained with Davis the entire drive, but a stumble left him in an awkward position for the final shot, forcing him to take a falling mid-range jumper that clanged off the front of the rim and ended with a one-point victory for the Quakers. 

The victory over Princeton, the first time in 14 games over a span of eight years, now re-ties the all-time record at 127 apiece, and puts Penn at 4-4 in Ivy play, tied with three other teams for third. 

“We have a few generations of guys that haven’t lost here or at home,” said Henderson, “This felt a lot like what it was like when I played.”

Princeton similarly falls to 4-4 and, like Penn, is tied for third heading into next weekend’s two-game slate. 

“I just said to the staff, ‘this stuff's gotta help us at some point,’” said Henderson. “We’re also pretty banged up, we’re getting better. Like I said, tough to win on the road. That was just a really physical game. To be able to be right there, I feel really good about it.”