Penn beats Brown in a nearly empty Palestra

It was a scene reminiscent of 2020 and parts of 2021, two days into 2022.

The Penn men’s basketball team hosted Brown at a mostly empty Palestra on Sunday. A new policy for fan attendance at winter sporting events on campus meant the crowd was limited to a few dozen friends and family members of each team.

The Quakers were charged with creating their own energy, and for most of the day, they did. It started with a lively warmup session and carried over. Penn (4-10) took the lead less than two minutes into the game and never trailed, posting a 77-73 victory over Brown (8-8) in the Ivy League opener for both teams.

» READ MORE: Penn-Eastern men’s basketball game canceled; fans restricted from winter sports events

Penn, which was playing for the first time since Dec. 11, led by as many as 13 in the first half and 10 at the break. Brown cut the deficit to three twice in the second half and to two inside of 10 seconds left, but Penn’s young backcourt had the answers down the stretch.

Freshman George Smith led the Quakers with 23 points and sophomore Jordan Dingle added 20. Brown was paced by Tamenang Choh’s 26 points.

“He’s such a mature competitor,” Penn coach Steve Donahue said of Smith. “George is the same guy every day, every possession. He doesn’t get flustered, he stays poised.”

Dingle and Smith were run stoppers for Penn. Smith twice muscled his way inside for critical baskets late in the second half and then hit the game’s biggest shot: a corner triple to push the Penn lead to nine with 2 minutes, 27 seconds left in the game.

Smith, who reached double digits for the first time in Penn’s Dec. 11 loss to La Salle, put the game away late with free throws.

Dingle reached 20 points for the ninth time so far this season and fifth time in Penn’s last six games.

Game No. 14 for Penn featured the ninth different starting lineup of the season.

The only starter for all 14 games has been Jelani Williams, who was part of the three-man backcourt the Quakers started Sunday with Dingle and Smith. Max Martz and Michael Moshkovitz made up the frontcourt.

Moshkovitz followed up a career-high 13-point performance vs. La Salle with 16 points Sunday. He also added five rebounds and five assists.

The 6-foot-7 big man had a key sequence late in the game. Brown cut the lead to four, 68-64, before Moshkovitz pounded his way inside for a basket. He then stole the ball at the other end, setting up Smith’s put-away three.

“We call it ‘race to get space.’” Smith said of his three-pointer. “... I know the guys believe in me. We practice that shot every day in practice.”

While the Palestra was quiet Sunday, Penn was playing a game there for the first time since Dec. 1 and only the third time this season.

It had been even longer since Penn hosted an Ivy opponent at the Palestra. Since the 2020-21 season was canceled, Brown was the first Ivy opponent at the Palestra in 666 days.

It’s unclear how long Penn will not allow the general public to attend winter sports. The school announced the new policy Thursday “effective immediately until further notice.”

The Quakers play at home again Tuesday (Howard), Friday (Cornell) and Saturday (Columbia) before hosting a fifth straight home game Jan. 15 vs. Dartmouth.