The University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team was defeated by Yale University 77-60 on Saturday at The Palestra in Philadelphia. Yale, the defending Ivy League champion, maintained a 10-point lead at halftime and responded to Penn’s efforts to close the gap in the second half with a quick five-point run that kept them ahead for the remainder of the game.
Penn now holds a 2-3 record in Ivy League play and an overall record of 9-9. Yale stands alone at the top of the league with a 4-1 conference record and is 15-3 overall.
Penn matched its season low with 60 points, which it had previously scored in a loss to Hofstra on November 30. However, the team set a new season high for blocked shots in a single game with eight. Augustus Gerhart contributed three blocks, Lucas Lueth added two, while TJ Power, Ethan Roberts, and Dalton Scantlebury each recorded one.
Sophomore AJ Levine led Penn with 17 points, tying for game-high honors. He also led all players in assists (7) and steals (4), and collected four rebounds. Power added 12 points along with seven rebounds and four assists. Roberts contributed another 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
For Yale, Isaac Celiscar achieved a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Townsend came close to one as well with 17 points and nine rebounds. Trevor Mullin also scored 17 points while Casey Simmons finished with 14.
During the first half, both teams traded leads before Yale took control late in the period through an extended scoring run that gave them their halftime advantage. In the second half, Penn managed to reduce Yale’s lead to four points but was unable to capitalize further as Yale quickly restored their margin.
Looking ahead, Penn will travel next weekend for Ivy League games against Columbia on Friday night in New York City followed by Cornell on Saturday night in Ithaca.
