Penn downs Hartford 75-55 in the first game of the inaugural Cathedral Classic at the Palestra

Penn can lay claim to its first game in the inaugural Cathedral Classic at the Palestra with a commanding 75-55 win over Hartford, in the first of three games this weekend.

Jordan Dingle led the Quakers (3-4) with 20 points off the bench. He also notched his 1,000th point for the Quakers, becoming the fourth-fastest player to complete the feat at Penn (57 games).

Junior forward Max Martz added 15 points, and Clark Slajchert added 11. Senior guard Jonah Charles had 9 rebounds.

Jared Kimbrough led Hartford (3-4) with 13 points as Hartford’s sub-.500 season has been one full of blowouts. All but one of their games has been decided by over 20 points.

The round robin-style tournament will continue Saturday when Penn hosts Colgate and Delaware. All three programs have significant ties to Penn head coach Steve Donahue.

Here’s a look at the other two matchups scheduled for this weekend.

Colgate’s been a proven winner so far, beating the likes of Syracuse and Brown.

Senior guard Tucker Richardson leads the Raiders with 18.1 points per game and is formidable from beyond the arc.

Colgate coach Matt Langel hails from the Philly area, graduating from Moorestown High. Playing for Penn in the late 1990s, Langel was part of a Quakers team that celebrated two Ivy League titles. As a coach, Langel also was an assistant at Penn and Temple.

Coming off a tough loss to Duke, Delaware is undoubtedly looking forward to facing fellow mid-major teams. Redshirt junior guard Jameer Nelson Jr. drives the Blue Hens as the Haverford native leads Delaware in points (15.3 per game) and is second in rebounds (14).

Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby is also a Philly guy. His dad, Tom, played guard at Villanova in the 1970s and was his coach at Archbishop Carroll. Associate head coach Bill Phillips played three years at St. Joseph’s and spent a season coaching at the Division II level at Philadelphia.