The University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team secured a 73-71 victory over La Salle at the Cathedral Classic in Philadelphia on Saturday. The Quakers overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half to achieve their fourth consecutive win, improving their record to 5-2 overall and remaining undefeated against city opponents this season.
This result marks Penn’s first comeback win after trailing at halftime this season. Previously, the team was 0-2 in such situations. Penn shot exactly 50 percent from both the field (26-52) and three-point range (10-20), continuing its streak of shooting at least 50 percent for the third straight game.
Penn attempted more free throws than La Salle, making 17 trips to the foul line compared to La Salle’s eight. This continues a trend for Penn, which has had more free throw attempts than its opponent in every game so far and is +46 in free throw attempts against Division I teams.
Defensively, Penn recorded six blocked shots—a season high for the team.
Junior TJ Power led all scorers with 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including five three-pointers. He also contributed six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. Nineteen of his points came after halftime as he played a key role in narrowing La Salle’s lead.
Senior Ethan Roberts was Penn’s only other player to score in double digits with 12 points; he added four rebounds and two assists. Roberts has scored at least ten points in every game this season.
Junior Augustus Gerhart tied for most rebounds in the game with seven. Freshman Jay Jones returned to action for the first time since November 11 and contributed seven points, three rebounds, an assist, and two steals during just over twelve minutes on court. Sophomore AJ Levine matched Jones’ scoring output while providing five assists with only one turnover.
For La Salle, Justin Archer scored 14 points while Ashton Walker and Jaeden Marshall each added twelve. Eric Acker finished with eight points and distributed a game-high seven assists; Edwin Daniel tied Gerhart’s rebound total with seven boards.
The contest began slowly for Penn as they were outshot early but managed to recover through effective free throw shooting by Roberts within the opening minutes. An offensive surge led by Power helped close the gap before halftime despite turnovers that allowed La Salle back into contention. By halftime, La Salle led by six following balanced scoring from multiple players.
La Salle extended its lead to fifteen early in the second half before Power led Penn’s comeback effort with several three-pointers and an assist that reduced the margin to single digits. The Quakers took control late in regulation despite missing crucial free throws down the stretch; however, they held off a final attempt from La Salle as time expired.
Penn will finish Cathedral Classic play against Hofstra on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., while La Salle faces Merrimack earlier that day.
