PHILADELPHIA, Pa. --- No. 2-seeded Penn rode a game-high 19 points from senior Darnell Foreman to defeat top-seeded Harvard, 68-65, in a memorable Ivy League Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship Game Sunday afternoon at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa.
The Quakers improved to 24-8 and earned the Ivy League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Penn will learn its postseason fate Sunday evening during the NCAA Selection Show, a tournament the Ivy League has six wins in the last eight years. It marks the 24th time that Penn will appear in the Big Dance.
Both of Penn’s wins over Harvard this season were by a three-point margin.
The Crimson fell to 18-13 despite having a quartet of players in double figures. Harvard will await their opponent in the NIT, which will be announced Sunday evening.
Foreman wasted little time lighting up the scoreboard after he dropped 11 of Penn’s first 13 points. The Crimson had held the senior in check in the previous two contests, allowing him to score 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Following a pair of Foreman free throws, Harvard produced the first of the game’s entertaining runs. The Crimson outscored Penn, 13-0, in a span of 6:53, taking a 26-13 lead. During the spurt, Harvard freshman Rio Haskett scored all seven of his points. Haskett entered the contest averaging 3.1 points per game.
The Quakers responded with a 21-6 run of their own, capped off by a Foreman triple in the final seconds of the first half. Penn took a 34-32 lead into the intermission.
Penn used six consecutive points from the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, AJ Brodeur, to produce an 11-0 run to open the second half.
Brodeur turned in his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. He was the only player in the game with double-digit rebounds and was named the tournamen’s most valuable player following the game.
The Crimson used strong play from Justin Bassey to ignite a 23-7 run over the next 8:06 while Harvard took a 58-55 lead. Bassey finished with 15 points.
Penn senior Caleb Wood hit consecutive triples before a conventional three-point play from Ryan Betley put the Quakers up six, 66-60.
Penn drained its last four free throws and staved off a pair of potential game-tying threes in the waning moments to hold onto the win.
Ivy League Men’s Basketball All-Tournament Team
Cornell Guard Matt Morgan
Harvard Forward Chris Lewis
Harvard Forward Seth Towns
Penn Forward AJ Brodeur
Penn Guard Darnell Foreman
Most Outstanding Player: Penn Forward AJ Brodeur