A.J. Brodeur’s 24 points not enough for Penn in 59-53 loss to Harvard
The Quakers missed too many shots close the basket in falling to 4-7 in the Ivy League. But lucky for them, Cornell and Brown lost too.
BOSTON, Mass. — Too many missed shots near the basket and a difficult time at the foul line hurt Penn in its upset bid of Harvard.
Despite scoring just five points in the final 6 minutes and 22 seconds, Harvard defeated Penn, 59-53, Friday night before 1,636 in a packed Lavietes Pavilion.
Penn (16-11, 4-7 Ivy League) still remains in the hunt for the fourth and final league spot with three games to go because the other challengers for that final position, Cornell (5-6) and Brown (5-6), also lost on Friday.
The Quakers were led by A.J. Brodeur with 24 points and eight rebounds. Devon Goodman added 15 points. The rest of the Quakers totaled just 14 points.
“It is always tough with this atmosphere,” said Brodeur, who shot 10-for-17 from the field, including making both of his three-point attempts. “It is a small gym and it gets really loud and it kind of has a tendency to overwhelm some guys and I think that was one of the reasons for our poor execution, especially close around the rim.”
Penn shot 6-for-13 from the foul line, although Harvard was just 10-for-18.
“In this league, you can’t afford to go 6-for-13 and win,” Penn coach Steve Donahue said.
Harvard (15-9, 8-3) received 12 points apiece from junior guard Bryce Aiken and 6-foot-7 freshman Noah Kirkwood.
The Crimson earned a 75-68 overtime win over Penn at the Palestra two weeks ago. In that game, the Crimson trailed, 61-55, with just 1:15 left before forcing overtime and dominating in the extra period.
Harvard’s showing this season has been more impressive since the Crimson haven’t had the use of 2018 Ivy League player of the year Seth Towns, who is still recovering from offseason knee surgery.
In addition, the Crimson played Friday without Justin Bassey. A 6-foot-5 junior who averages 10.3 points, Bassey was out with a sprained ankle.
With the score tied at 42, Harvard went on a 12-4 run to take a 54-46 lead when Aiken hit a three with 6:22 left.
From there, the closest Penn would get was 56-52 after Antonio Woods hit a three-pointer with 20.2 seconds left. Harvard then made one of two free throws, got the offensive rebound and Christian Juzang hit one of two free throws with 16.1 seconds left.
Penn led, 26-22, at halftime, but Harvard assumed control in the second half by scoring the first eight points.
On Saturday, Penn has to visit Dartmouth, which lost to the Quakers, 82-79, in overtime two weeks ago at the Palestra.
“We never are losing hope and have that next-game mentality,” Brodeur said. “With how unforgiving the Ivy League schedule is with back-to-backs, we have already put this one behind us.”