M. Basketball’s Second-Half Rally Comes Up Short Against Quakers

Facing the most crucial juncture of the biggest game of the season, Harvard could only watch as the leader of the best team in the Ivy League made short work of the Crimson’s hopes for an upset victory.

Carried by senior guard Tim Begley, an early favorite for Ivy League Player of the Year honors, the Quakers (10-7, 3-0 Ivy) fought off a valiant Harvard rally to defeat the Crimson 70-57 at Lavietes Pavilion Friday night, notching their sixth consecutive win in the series and third straight on Harvard’s home court.

“They gave us everything we could handle,” Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. “I thought [Begley] took over the game on the offensive end, which we needed him to do.”

Penn ran out to a 33-20 lead in the first half thanks to sloppy play and poor shooting by the Crimson. But Harvard (7-11, 2-3 Ivy) put together a 9-2 run over the final three minutes, and, despite committing 14 turnovers and hitting only 9-of-28 shots, the Crimson was down just 35-29 at intermission. That momentum carried over into the second half, as junior forward Matt Stehle and junior center Brian Cusworth combined to score the first six points after the break, knotting the contest at 35 and sending the raucous capacity crowd into a frenzy.

It was here that Begley stepped up to eliminate any notion that first-place Penn’s Ivy League supremacy would be challenged. On the same night that preseason favorite Princeton was stunned by Dartmouth, the Quakers’ captain refused to let a similar scenario play out in Cambridge. Begley hit two quick jumpers to ignite the sizeable Penn crowd, and added an acrobatic reverse layup shortly thereafter to quickly give a cushion back to Penn.

“If there’s a team in the league that has instant offense, it’s Pennsylvania,” Sullivan said. “I’d be surprised if [Begley] is not the player of the year at the end of the day...He’s got tremendous offensive instincts.”

Before a stunned Harvard squad could pause to catch its breath, Begley’s lightning assault had spurred an 11-0 run that put the Quakers up 46-35, effectively putting the victory out of the Crimson’s reach.

“We settled down...and I think that really enabled us to get into our [offensive] sets,” Penn guard Eric Osmundson said. “Tim did a great job of opening the gap for us.”

Once that gap was opened, Harvard was unable to do much down the stretch to close it, and never crept closer than nine over the game’s final 15 minutes. As has become customary in the Harvard-Penn matchup, the Crimson was kept at bay by the quickness and versatility of the Quakers’ three-guard lineup, as all of Penn’s starting backcourt players reached double figures—Begley had a game high 21 points, while Ibrahim Jaaber added 12 and Osmundson racked up 10. The trio also combined for 18 rebounds, eight assists and six steals.

“For us, it’s always the one, two, and three men with Pennsylvania,” Sullivan said. “They’re guys who can shoot, dribble and pass...[They’re] always very difficult.”

The Penn guards contributed on the defensive end as well, hounding their Harvard counterparts on the perimeter all night long, and holding Harvard to 34 percent shooting from the field. Senior guard Kevin Rogus was unable to fire a single shot in the first half, and he hit only once from the floor on the night. Senior point guard David Giovacchini connected on just 2-of-8 attempts, while captain Jason Norman shot 1-of-7.

The Quakers forced the ball inside and dared the Crimson’s big men to score in the post against the smaller Penn frontcourt, something Stehle and Cusworth struggled to do.

“They were just basically playing the guards real tough and were letting the ball into the post and saying, ‘Let’s see what you can do,’” Cusworth said.

Turnovers and poor shooting prevented the Crimson from rising to the Quakers’ challenge. Cusworth looked uncomfortable in the blocks all night long, as he shot 2-of-12 from the floor and finished with only five points and four rebounds. Stehle was more effective, scoring a team-high 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, but foul trouble limited him to 25 minutes of play, and he committed seven turnovers before fouling out late in the second half.

“The story of the game is that we really shot ourselves in the foot,” Cusworth said.

All told, Harvard coughed the ball up 22 times, and many of its giveaways propelled Penn into its vaunted running attack. The Quakers scored 23 points off turnovers, and outscored Harvard on the fast break 11-2.

The Crimson’s chances were hurt even more by its poor defensive effort, as Penn was able to routinely get to the basket and draw fouls. The Quakers were in the bonus early in both halves and shot 29 free throws to Harvard’s 12. Penn made 12-of-14 from the line in the second half, stymieing any chance for a late Crimson surge.

“The frustration of fouling, the frustration of turning the ball over, the frustration of not making shots can be draining,” Sullivan said. “That really bothered us.”

—Staff writer Caleb W. Peiffer can be reached at cpeiffer@fas.harvard.edu.