By: Josh Abrams
Photos: Ryan Nix
Philadelphia - When the La Salle Explorers traveled to University City to take on the Penn Quakers over the weekend after Thanksgiving, there was a slightly different feel to it.
Coming into this season, both teams were put in separate pods for Big-5 play. But thanks to the fourth annual Cathedral Classic, which honors the near-100 year old legacy of the Palestra, the city rivals had an opportunity to meet under rather unusual circumstances.
In what was the second game of a three-game weekend, Penn prevailed in the second half over La Salle by a score of 73-71. Junior forward TJ Power led all players offensively with 29 points, 19 of them coming in the final 20 minutes as the Quakers flipped the game around after trailing by as many as 15 points and outscored the Explorers 35-27.
The six-foot, nine-inch power forward from Shrewsbury seemingly could not miss, as seven of his nine shot attempts fell through the basket, five of them from beyond the three-point line.
"I think we were getting good shots to start the second half, they just weren't falling," TJ said. "And I made some shots in the beginning of the game, so I felt like I had a rhythm and I just needed the ball to come back to me. Once I saw one (go in) I just stayed aggressive."
A back-and-forth first half saw both teams go on multiple runs, the last one a 12-4 burst that allowed La Salle to take a six point, 44-38 lead into halftime. During that stretch, Rob Dockery and Ashton Walker each connected on triples while Eric Acker and Jerome Brewer Jr got easy layups to fall. As a team, La Salle was out-rebounding Penn 21-14 overall and 12-4 on the offensive glass.
"We rebounded better (in the second half)," said Penn head coach Fran McCaffery. "We were just getting destroyed on the glass in the first half, and you can't win basketball games like that."
Penn players TJ Power and Jay Jones address the media after leading the charge in second-half comeback vs La Salle (Video by Josh Abrams)
Power gets the hot hand in the second half as Penn starts ferocious second-half comeback against La Salle (Video by Josh Abrams)
La Salle extended their run to 18-2, including a 13-0 spurt, to give themselves a 53-38 lead with just under 16 minutes remaining. Power answered right back with two threes, but a corner trey from La Salle's Jaeden Marshall put the Explorers back up by 14, 58-44. From there, the hosts outscored the visitors by an advantage of 29-13; Power sparking the run with 13 points and three triples, some baskets coming at a very high degree of difficulty in the face of any Explorer defender.
"That's what I'm most proud of," said TJ of his team's ability to fight back. "We work really hard on building our identity - to be a winning team. And when we went down (in the second half) all we were saying in the huddle is 'we win basketball games'... we just knew we had to get stops, make some adjustments on defense, and then we got some momentum on offense."
More second-half action between Penn and La Salle; Jones gets rebound and putback, follows up on next possession with strong take to the basket (Video by Josh Abrams)
Penn HC Fran McCaffery speaks to media after his team's spectacular second-half comeback against La Salle (Video by Josh Abrams)
One of Penn's usual scoring threats, senior guard Ethan Roberts, really struggled from the floor on Saturday (12 points on 3-14 shooting, 5-9 from the FT line). But his first and only three-pointer of the contest with just under four minutes left gave the Quakers a lead they would not relinquish.
What certainly cannot go unnoticed from this game is the contributions from Penn freshman guard Jay Jones. The Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts native played just 12 minutes but maybe had the biggest impact on the game by a player not named TJ Power. His plus-minus of 15 led all players, and his lone three of the game - banking off the glass with just over 90 seconds left - all but iced the game.
He doesn't get to play big minutes very often, so this was quite the confidence boost and reason to smile.
"I feel like we have such a supportive group," Jones said of his team. "We have a bunch of guys you can tell they're all happy for me to get in the game. Coach was saying 'stay ready' the past couple of games, so it's really just about staying ready and loving the group."
There were multiple opportunities for La Salle to either tie or take the lead in the final minute, especially after the Explorers forced a shot clock violation and locked in on the defensive end down the stretch. But careless handling of the basketball and a missed jumper at the buzzer allowed Penn to squeak by with a two-point victory, providing an exciting finish if you were a Penn fan, and heartbreak if you wanted La Salle to hold on.
"For me, it's just (about) getting better every single day," said La Salle head coach Darris Nichols. "I think a lot of people put (emphasis on) being a prisoner of the moment, especially after wins and losses. I tell my guys all the time, 'the season's long'... you can be poisoned by accomplishment, you could be down in the valley of disappointment, and both of them are bad. (It's about) trying to understand that we've got to continue to get better... and continue to work."
La Salle HC Darris Nichols talks about Cathedral Classic game against Penn and what his team needs to improve on (Video by Josh Abrams)
The victory for Penn marked their fifth victory of the season. After falling to Hofstra in the finale of the Cathedral Classic on Sunday, the Quakers' record sits at 5-3 heading into the Big-5 Classic this upcoming weekend. On Saturday night, 7:30 PM at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, Penn will face off against Villanova for the right to claim the Big-5 championship. The Quakers are seeking their first ever crown in the new pod format.
The defeat for the Explorers gave them their fifth loss of the season, and their record sits at 3-6 overall after falling to Merrimack in the finale of the Cathedral Classic on Sunday. They will kick things off in the Big-5 Classic on December 6th at 2 PM when Drexel stands in their way for the fifth place game.
