By: Josh Abrams
Photos: Mike Nance
Philadelphia - Any time Big-5 basketball is played at the one-and-only Palestra, you get a sense that some sort of history is about to be made.
That theme certainly held true on Monday night, when the Penn Quakers defeated the visiting Saint Joseph's Hawks by a score of 83-74. It was the Big-5 opener for the hosts, while the visitors were looking to clinch their third consecutive berth in the title match (December 6th @ Xfinity Mobile Arena). The win over St. Joe's is the first for Penn since the 2018-19 season.
Penn vs. St. Joe's - PSD Photos by Mike Nance
The Quaker duo of senior guard Ethan Roberts and junior forward TJ Power led the way for Penn; the former pouring in a game-high 31 points on 8-15 shooting and 12-14 from the charity stripe as well as three steals, while the latter posted a monstrous double-double with career highs of 23 points and 15 rebounds to go along with two blocked shots. 24 of Roberts' points came in the second half, and Power was the spark in the first half with 18 points, making seven of his 11 shot attempts.
It was more than a welcome sight for Power, as he continues to improve and show the Quaker faithful just how talented he is.
"Each game I feel like I've been getting more comfortable," said the Shrewsbury, Massachusetts native. "Coach (Penn HC Fran McCaffery) has stayed on me to just stay confident, keep shooting and keep playing the way I know how to play."
Power might not have grown up immersed in the culture of Big-5 basketball, but in his first year playing in Philadelphia he seems to be rapidly learning just how significant it is to be able to say he plays his home games where he does.
"It was special," Power said when asked what it was like to play in his first ever Big-5 match. "The Palestra is a really special place, and I didn't have the performance that I wanted in our first home game (just six points on 2-9 shooting), so I had my mind set on settling in tonight and just feeling the energy in the crowd. And I think when I get lost in competing, the other parts of my game kinda fall behind that. I just focused on playing hard."
One of the most beautiful features of the Palestra is its unmatched acoustics which can make a crowd of any size seem overwhelming. So even though just under 2,400 fans of both teams filled the historical landmark on Monday night, it sounded as if there was an awful lot more than that, especially when either team would hit a three or make any sort of big play.
Penn's TJ Power and Ethan Roberts reflect on historic and unforgettable victory over St. Joe's at home (Video by Josh Abrams for PSD)
Late first-half highlights between St. Joe's and Penn; teams exchange baskets in a high scoring first 20 minutes (Video by Josh Abrams)
Both teams were deadlocked at 41 points each after 20 minutes of play. Power led all scorers with a game-high 18 points and seven rebounds at the time. But with Hawks guards Derek Simpson (13 points) and Deuce Jones II (12) shooting the lights out and sparking a high-powered Saint Joe's offense, Penn was in need of someone to step up and match that level of play.
Insert a motivated but also unselfish Roberts.
"(TJ) really carried us in the first half," Ethan said. "I'm just doing my role. Whatever that was at that time; getting him the ball, screening for him... I constantly let the game come to me. I got off to a rough start but it is what it is. I don't try to do anything special, I just do what I can."
Roberts was as spectacular and efficient as it gets in the final 20 minutes, dropping 24 points on just 6-8 FG shooting and making all 10 of his free throws. The Quakers shot 17-18 from the charity stripe as a team compared to just 3-4 by the Hawks. In addition to Power and Roberts, freshman forward Dalton Scantlebury scored all eight of his points in the second half and senior guard Cam Thrower chipped in with nine points.
"We have tremendous respect for anybody in the Big-5," said first-year Quaker HC Fran McCaffery. "You knew it was going to be this kind of game. Can you do the things necessary in crunch time to win (the game)? We had a chance to the same thing on the road last Sunday (84-78 loss @ American). We didn't do those things. So what happens now? You have to learn from that."
And learn from it, they did. Anyone following or watching the game knew St. Joe's was not going to go down quietly. But Penn successfully neutralized the Hawks when it mattered most, holding them without a made field goal in the final two minutes and 10 seconds.
Penn HC Fran McCaffery addresses media and reflects on monumental victory for his team against the Hawks (Video by Josh Abrams)
Second-half highlights from thrilling Big-5 clash between St. Joe's and Penn (Video by Josh Abrams)
Penn was awarded free throws in the closing seconds after a string of technical fouls on St. Joe's, making all four of them and stretching their lead to the final nine-point margin. That did not indicate how close the Hawks were to coming out on the opposite side, however.
"I think they're (Penn) a good offensive team," expressed St. Joe's first-year HC Steve Donahue. "I thought they defended better tonight (than against Providence in a 106-81 loss), in particular the second half. It's hard not to be frustrated because I thought we missed a lot of close shots and some open threes. I just didn't think we executed down the stretch. But give Penn credit. There's a lot of good offensive players in there."
St. Joe's Derek Simpson discusses what led to the result in Monday night's showdown with Penn (Video by Josh Abrams)
St. Joe's HC Steve Donahue talks to media after tough nine-point loss to his former team (Video by Josh Abrams)
St. Joe's falls to 2-2 on the still-young season, having lost their last two games away from Hagan Arena. Their next time on the court will be Thursday night for a trip out west to take on the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV, 10 PM tip-off on the Mountain West Network.
Penn improves to 2-2 with their win over St. Joe's and will look to carry that momentum into yet another colossal and monumental Big-5 showdown on Friday night against Drexel at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, which is about a five-minute drive and 10-minute walk from the Palestra. Perhaps the shortest road trip in all of sports!
The Quakers can clinch a spot in their first-ever Big-5 championship game with a win. A Drexel victory would put all of them, the Quakers and Hawks at 1-1 in pod play, leaving it up to NET rankings to determine who plays the winner of Temple/Villanova for the coveted title.