Lycoming News

The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team secured a victory against Columbia on Saturday, winning 84-72. The game was marked by senior guard Clark Slajchert reaching his 1,000th collegiate point early in the match. This achievement contributed to the Quakers' momentum as they maintained a double-digit lead by halftime and did not allow Columbia to come closer than 11 points in the final nine minutes.

Slajchert's performance was a highlight, scoring 22 points when only 12 were needed to reach his milestone. His significant basket came on a floater in the lane just before the under-4 media timeout. This made him the 43rd player in Penn's history to achieve this mark and the fourth during Steve Donahue's coaching era.

Penn improved their record to 11-16 overall and 3-9 in Ivy League play, while Columbia fell to 13-12 overall and 4-8 in conference action. Junior Nick Spinoso led Penn with a career-high of 23 points, narrowly missing a double-double by one rebound. Freshman Tyler Perkins added 13 points, marking his team-leading 20th double-figure scoring game this season.

Columbia started strong, leading early in the game before Penn took control with contributions from players like Slajchert and Cam Thrower. Despite Columbia's efforts to regain the lead, Penn consistently responded effectively throughout the game.

Next Saturday, Penn will conclude their season by hosting Princeton at The Palestra.