Penn Upsets Saint Joseph’s 83-74 at the Palestra in Big 5 Pod Play

PHILADELPHIA— The University of Pennsylvania Quakers upset the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks 83-74 on Monday, Nov. 17, defending their home turf at the Palestra behind a monster second half from senior wing Ethan Roberts.

In a game that saw 15 ties and 12 lead changes, Roberts put his team in the drivers’ seat, scoring 24 points in the second half and finishing his day with 31. After a Derek Simpson three-point shot put the Hawks (2-2, 1-1 Big 5) ahead 66-65, Roberts went on his own 6-0 run, sinking four foul shots and a layup as he put the Quakers (2-2, 1-0 Big 5) ahead for good.

Saint Joseph’s Deuce Jones II (24 points), Simpson (16 points), Jaiden Glover-Toscano (12 points) and Anthony Finkley (10 points) all finished in double figures, but Jones and Finkley ran into foul trouble in the second half.

Hawks Gameplan Backfires

TJ Power netted 18 of the Quakers’ first half points, including a run where he scored 11 straight points for Penn, tying the game with three shots and putting them in front 25-24 with his fourth. Power finished his day with a 25 point, 15 rebound double-double.

While the Hawks’ advantage in length and athleticism leapt off the page — 6-foot-10 center Justice Ajogbor picked up three blocks on three consecutive Quakers’ shots at one point — St. Joseph’s took 35 of their 71 shots from three and converted on just 10 of 35 on the night.

After Power led the charge for Penn in the first half, Roberts and big man Dalton Scantlebury combined to net the Quakers’ first 18 points out of the break. Roberts sank a three off a Scantlebury steal to push the lead to 55-50 and set off the crowd at the Palestra, forcing Hawks’ head coach Steve Donahue to call a timeout.

Things got chippy with 1.7 seconds left to play, the Quakers holding a five point lead. Already with four fouls on the night, Jones received a personal foul and a technical foul as he and AJ Levine got into an altercation. Levine and Simpson also received techs, but Jones ended his night with a rare extra foul.

Up next, Penn will head two blocks north to face Drexel at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21 to determine which team makes the Big 5 Championship game; the Hawks will head west to Las Vegas, where they’ll take on UNLV at 10 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20.