PRINCETON, N.J. — The faces on the court and the sideline were new, but in the end, the result for Penn was the same in its Ivy League opener: a crushing loss to Princeton.
Penn has only beaten its biggest rivals five times since Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. It’s a streak of futility that has now spanned four different head coaching regimes.
The Quakers (7-7, 0-1 Ivy), over the past few years, have developed a habit of finding new and unique ways to lose to Princeton (5-11, 1-0). They’ve squandered big leads, been blown out of the water and lost heartbreakers in the final seconds. Monday night had a little bit of everything.
Penn built a 14-point lead in the first half, saw it all wash away thanks to a stretch of atrocious defense and then mounted a furious rally to get one last shot to win the game. The Tigers could only exhale after point guard AJ Levine’s contested three at the buzzer hit back iron, which sealed a 78-76 win.
What did Quakers fans learn from another excruciating trip to Jadwin Gymnasium?