Quakers beat Yale for the first time since 2020, 76-68, behind Dingle’s 31 points

Dingle ties career high with 31 points as Quakers give Yale it's first Ivy loss of the season.

Jelani Williams, right, of Penn comes up with a loose ball in front of Matt Knowling of Yale and pushes it to a teammates late in the game at The Palestra on Jan. 22, 2022.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

by Lochlahn March, For The Inquirer

Published Jan. 22, 2022, 6:59 p.m. ET

Penn handed Yale its first Ivy League loss of the season Saturday afternoon, 76-68, at the Palestra.

The Quakers (7-12, 4-2 Ivy) pulled away from Yale (8-9, 2-1) early in the first half, and never surrendered their lead. Rebounding from their 74-64 loss to Princeton on Jan. 17, the Red and Blue took down the reigning Ivy League champions and moved into second place in the standings.

The Bulldogs, who were tabbed as the favorite to win the Ivy in the preseason poll, have had three league matchups postponed due to coronavirus concerns.

Sophomore guard Jordan Dingle led the Quakers in scoring with 31 points, while junior forward Michael Moshkovitz pulled down 9 rebounds.

The Jordan Dingle show

Dingle opened the scoring for Penn with a jumper that was quickly followed by a layup, and never looked back. After a nine-point performance last Monday against the Tigers, which tied a season-low, the sophomore came back on Saturday to tie a career high.

The former Ivy League rookie of the year entered Saturday’s game averaging 18.0 points per game. Dingle knocked down 54.2% (13-for-24) of his shots against the Bulldogs, and also went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to push the Quakers past Yale for the first time since February 2020.

Though Dingle struggled from behind the arc, going 1-for-8 (12.5%), he ended the game on a strong note. Dingle hit his first three of the game with 1:57 left on the clock and extended Penn’s lead to 69-62.

“I was focused as usual, but I have to give a big shoutout to a couple of my teammates, George [Smith], and Lucas [Monroe]. They knew that I had a couple of rough games and as they said, ‘Today’s the day,’” Dingle said. “That constant reinforcement that they still believe in me gave me a lot of confidence.”

Stout Penn defense

The Quakers’ defense had allowed an average of 75 points per game entering Saturday’s contest, but the team found a different gear against the Bulldogs.

Penn held the Bulldogs to 23-for-59 (39.0%) shooting, including just 3-for-19 (15.8%) from behind the arc, Yale’s second-worst three-pointer percentage this year. Yale did not hit a three until seven minutes into the second half.

Penn’s lead stretched to 12 at halftime, and though it began to narrow during the second half, the Quakers never surrendered the advantage.

“Really good teams are fishing for two on offense, and guarding the ball on defense. And we’re starting to do that,” Penn coach Steve Donahue said.