After tough loss to Harvard, Penn coach says every game is like a playoff now

ALLSTON, Mass. – Steve Donahue isn’t one for manufactured story lines. Following Penn’s 69-65 loss Saturday night at Harvard, the Quakers coach appeared unfazed by his team’s position on the outside looking in at the Ivy League tournament.

“The media, friends, alumni, they get caught up in that,” Donahue said moments after the loss at Lavietes Pavilion. “I get caught up in how well we play, how hard we play, what our execution is like.

“Do [the players] really back each other up? Do they come every day to work hard? Those are the things I worry about, and everything else kind of takes care of itself.”

The Quakers (13-10, 5-5 Ivy League) fell to fifth place in the league but are only one game back for a spot in Ivy Madness. Penn hopes to return to the house of the Crimson (18-7, 7-3) come mid-March for the league tournament.

Penn freshman guard Jordan Dingle willed the Quakers to a 33-27 first-half lead, scoring 12 of his team-high 16 points. Senior guard Devon Goodman tossed in 15 points for the Quakers, who also got double-digit scoring efforts from senior forward A.J. Brodeur (12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and freshman guard Max Martz (10 points).

Despite getting swept by Dartmouth and Harvard over the weekend, Donohue took away positives.

“It just happens. I was just really proud of our effort, honestly all weekend,” Donahue said. “We played really well at times, in particular on the defensive end. Tonight we did enough on offense to win. I give Harvard credit.”

Harvard changed the course of the game with a 10-0 run midway through the second half, turning a four-point deficit to a six-point lead that it never relinquished.

Senior forward Chris Lewis, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound bruiser, muscled his way to 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Sophomore Noah Kirkwood also added 19 points, and senior Justin Bassey tossed in 12 points for the Crimson, who remain perfect at home at 10-0.

“Effort was good. Execution was good,” Donahue said. “Tonight, Harvard was better.”

Penn needs a few victories over the next two weekends to keep its season going and earn a spot in the tournament. The path to the postseason begins with a battle at conference-leading Yale on Friday night in New Haven, Conn.

“Going forward, this is basically our playoffs now,” Donahue said. “It’s the way we look at it. The playoffs arrived a couple weeks early.”