Lycoming News

The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team faced a narrow defeat against Yale, losing 72-71 at the John J. Lee Amphitheater on Friday night. The Quakers, trailing by as many as 16 points early in the game, managed to take the lead twice in the final minutes. However, Yale scored the last three points and secured crucial defensive stops to clinch the victory.

Penn's overall record now stands at 6-15, with a 2-6 mark in league play. Meanwhile, Yale remains undefeated in Ivy League play with an 8-0 record and is 15-6 overall.

"This was Penn's first one-point game since the Quakers opened the season with a pair of one-point wins against NJIT and UMES," according to a team statement.

Despite being outrebounded by Yale just 13 days prior, Penn managed to reverse this trend by outrebounding their opponents 38-32 on Friday. The Quakers also excelled from beyond the arc after a slow start, finishing with 11 three-pointers out of 30 attempts.

Sophomore Sam Brown led all scorers with 23 points, marking his second 20-point game in league play this season. Junior Ethan Roberts contributed 10 points and five rebounds. Other notable performances included Niklas Polonowski with nine points and two boards, Nick Spinoso with eight points and seven rebounds, and freshman AJ Levine who led all players with eight rebounds and five assists.

Yale's balanced attack saw all five starters score in double figures. Bez Mbeng topped their scoring chart with 18 points while Nick Townsend, Samson Aletan, Casey Simmons each added 11 points, and John Poulakidas chipped in with ten.

The game mirrored an earlier encounter between these teams at The Palestra where Yale won decisively. This time around, Penn showed resilience but ultimately fell short as Yale capitalized on key moments down the stretch.

Penn will next face Brown on Saturday night in Providence. Brown recently secured a win over Princeton and holds a league record of 3-4.

For more updates on Penn men's basketball, follow @PennMBB on social media or visit their website at PennAthletics.com.