Penn loses to Yale, 78-65, as Ivy League woes continue

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Penn, which was so proficient from the field the previous night in a win at Brown, lost its shooting touch 24 hours later against one of the Ivy League’s top teams.

The Quakers shot 26 of 74 (35.1 percent) from the field in losing Saturday night against Yale, 78-65, at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. This came after a 31-for-53 effort in Friday’s 92-82 win at Brown.

Penn fell to 14-8 and 2-4 in the Ivy League. The Quakers surely hope they make a return trip to New Haven next month, because Yale (15-4, 5-1) will host the Ivy League tournament.

Right now, the Quakers have their work cut out for them.

“I was disappointed. I thought our poise on the offensive end the whole night was kind of rushed, and we just never got into a groove,” Penn coach Steve Donahue said.

Penn also had trouble dealing with 6-foot-6 junior Miye Oni, who the night before scored a career-high 35 points in the Bulldogs’ 74-60 win over Princeton. Oni finished with a game-high 21 points on Saturday, along with eight rebounds, five assists, and just one turnover.

“He is a very dynamic player, and he can do it on so many different levels, and he is certainly a kid who can play at the next level and be successful playing there, I think,” Yale coach James Jones said. “Playing here, he is coming into his own.”

Penn was very much in the game when Antonio Woods hit a three-pointer to cut Yale’s lead to 62-59 with 6 minutes, 9 seconds left. But Penn missed shots on its next three possessions. With the Bulldogs still holding that three-point lead, Trey Phills’ three-point play with 4:25 left, began an 11-0 run that put the game away.

Woods and fellow guard Devon Goodman led the Quakers with 16 points each.

Yale did a good job on Penn’s leading scorer, 6-8 junior AJ Brodeur, holding him to 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting. The Bulldogs often doubled Brodeur down low.

“I thought we were a little more physical with him than we have been with other guys,” Jones said about Brodeur. “We have a little more length than some other teams have, so having him have to shoot over that length is really tough.”

Penn trailed, 34-29, at halftime and the difference was at the free throw line, where Yale was 9-for-11 and the Quakers 3-for-5. Oni attempted seven of those free throws for Yale, hitting five.

Penn shot just 11 of 40 (27.5 percent) in the first half.

Now, the Quakers at least will get to make a run at one of the four Ivy League playoff berths with a glut of home games. Penn will play six of its final eight Ivy League games at the Palestra.