Penn can't overcome mistakes, loses to Columbia

NEW YORK - Jack Eggleston was trapped.

There were 2.7 seconds left in the 217th meeting of Ivy League rivals Penn and Columbia. The Quakers were trailing by a point and had the ball.

Eggleston, the junior forward from Noblesville, Ind., grabbed a pass 27 feet from the basket and was immediately trapped by two Lions. Not enough time to pass or dribble, Eggleston tossed up a prayer that fell 2 feet short.

If ever a game encapsulated a season, Penn's 56-55 loss to Columbia at Levien Gym last night was it. The Quakers had every opportunity to put the game away early, as they led 30-27 at the half. But turnovers, a lack of rebounding and poor foul shooting conspired to send Penn to its 19th loss of the season.

Interim coach Jerome Allen absolved Eggleston of any blame. Instead, he pointed the finger at his entire team and himself.

"The last shot is not where we lost the game," Allen said in a tempestuous postgame scrum. "We lost the game in the first half where we had eight turnovers. We don't value possessions. We [could] get a defensive rebound but yet we don't. Maybe I need to be a better job of conveying that message. I take the blame."

Penn was swept by Columbia (10-15, 4-8) for the first time since the 1967-68 season. Penn lost, 66-62, to the Lions at the Palestra on Feb. 13. The last time there was a season series sweep was 2006-07, when the Quakers won both games en route to a 22-9 season and a loss to Texas A & M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

But unlike 3 years ago, Penn will not be representing the Ivy League in the NCAA Tournament. An overall record of 5-19 and 4-6 in conference assures that the Quakers will again be watching the tournament next month, instead of participating.

Still, a tournament berth has not been the purpose of this season, not after starting the year with 10 consecutive losses and Allen replacing Glen Miller on Dec. 12.

Dan Monckton finished with a team-high 17 points for the Quakers. Zack Rosen had 16 points, but only six in the second half. Eggleston added 10. Columbia's Noruwa Agho led both teams with 23 points.

The Quakers will cap off their weekend in New York state with a date with Ivy League-leading Cornell (23-4, 9-1) tonight. Penn beat the Big Red - nationally ranked at the time - 79-64 at the Palestra on Feb. 12. But after last night, it seems like an eternity since that win.

"It [stinks]. It shows that we got to lock in on every possession or crazy stuff can happen," Rosen said. "It can't stay with us too long. We got to go up and play Cornell, who's going to be hungry to play us, anyway. We have to correct our mistakes and play a game [tonight]." *