box score
audio - coach sydney johnson, noah savage & kyle koncz

The 2007-08 Princeton basketball season came to an end on Tuesday night with a sloppy, listless 60-47 loss to Penn at Jadwin Gym. Princeton finished the season with a program-worst 6-23 record, 3-11 in Ivy League play.

Freshman Jack Eggleston recorded a game-high 15 points for the Quakers, who had three players in double figures.

Center Zach Finley, who missed Princeton's previous two games with an ankle injury, returned to the floor versus Penn, scoring 13 points off the bench. Jason Briggs added 10 along with a career-best eight rebounds and Noah Savage tallied 10 in his final collegiate contest.

After honoring five seniors before the game with handshakes and framed photographs, Coach Johnson did something that no other Princeton coach had done in the previous 20 years - start all five of his seniors. Kyle Koncz, Noah Savage and Kevin Steuerer were joined at the opening tip by Zach Woolridge and Matt Sargeant. It was Sargeant's first start since his freshman year.

"With the five seniors and the things that they have gone through, they deserved their moment," explained Johnson after the season had ended.

Woolridge and Sargeant played the first three minutes before being replaced by Nick Lake and Jason Briggs.

An inbounds pass from Briggs to Noah Savage free on the wing tied the score 8-8 at the 14:10 mark. The score was even at 10 after two free throws from Princeton's Kareem Maddox. Penn ran off the game's next seven points, going up 17-10 on a bucket by Kevin Egee under Koncz in the post.

The Tigers responded with a 12-2 run of their own that gave them a short-lived lead. Savage pulled up at the free throw line for two. Steuerer drove with his left hand and was fouled by Eggleston, converting both free throws. Kevin Egee hit from the elbow for Penn, making the score 19-14 Quakers. Kyle Koncz halved a pair at the stripe after being held by Egee on a cut that was Penn's seventh foul of the half.

Zach Finley split a late double team in the post, rising over Andrews Schreiber for a hoop while being fouled. Finley would miss the free throw, one of five misses by Finley in six attempts at the line.

Savage tied the game for the fourth time on two free throws after he dribbled past a screen and into the paint, where Brian Grandieri was whistled for the harm.

Tyler Bernardini missed a layup short on the right baseline and at the other end Briggs found Koncz in stride as the Tigers raced up the floor for the 156th three pointer of Koncz's career. Penn called time out, now down 22-19 with 4:26 on the clock before intermission.

The lead was still three a minute later following two Maddox free throws that came after a long-armed drive which Egee could not cut off in time.

Briggs sprung open on the wing but was unable to double Princeton's advantage from outside. At the other side of Jadwin, Grandieri picked up a loose ball after missing inside and laid it home off glass.

Steuerer was fouled by Brennan Votel reaching in on a drive, but Steuerer missed both free throws. Harrison Gaines gave Penn the lead again when he attacked the lane and laid the ball home unobstructed when defensive help never came. Steuerer tied the score at 25, making one of two free throws after being fouled by Bernardini on a jumper from the free throw line.

Penn scored the half's final four points, Votel's line drive jumper from just inside the three point line sending the Quakers to the locker room up 29-25.

Princeton was 7-17 from the field in the first half (41.2%), getting to the free throw line 18 times. The Tigers made just 10 of these chances, leaving a lot of points off the scoreboard (55.6%). Princeton attempted just four three point shots, with Koncz's basket the only conversion (25.0%).

Penn shot 13-29 in the opening frame (44.8%), 0-3 outside (0.0%) and 3-3 from the line (100.0%). Grandieri scored 10 in the first half to pace the Quakers.

Down four at the intermission, the Tigers stayed within striking distance for most of the second half, cutting a Quaker lead to two on four separate occasions.

Briggs cut backdoor and converted a looping Finley pass out of the high post for a basket as Gaines fouled him. Briggs could not complete the three point play and Princeton trailed 33-31.

Bernardini's first field goal of the game - using an upscreen to spring free for a jumper - doubled Penn's advantage. Kevin Egee knocked down Penn's first three point shot to give the Quakers their biggest lead.

An unnecessary over-the-back foul by Savage, trying to jump over Schreiber when he had no chance of getting his hands on a missed Nick Lake three sent Schrieber to the free throw line for two free points, sending Princeton down 42-35 with 11:48 to play.

Lake zipped a pass down the baseline to Finley for a lay-in. Eggleston timed his jump so as to come up and tip in his own miss as Princeton's defenders came back down to the floor and the lead was seven again.

Quickly, Briggs put home a Finley pass backdoor down the left side and after an Eggleston miss Koncz drove the lane and passed over to Steuerer outside for a three point shot that had Princeton down by two again.

Leading 44-42 with eight minutes to go, Penn built a ten point buffer on two three point shots by Bernardini wrapped around a putback by Eggleston of his own miss inside.

"[Bernardini] helped them out. He made some shots and they got some distance from us," said Johnson about this critical stretch. "Having [him] out there changed some things and made it difficult for us."

Princeton was unable to widdle the Penn lead down below seven points in the final minutes, as Princeton coach Sydney Johnson took co-captains Savage and Koncz out of the game with 21 seconds left for a final round of applause. Penn scored the game's last six points.

"I'm thankful I had a chance to play here," said Savage shortly after his career had ended. "I feel like I was part of something special."

"It has been a rough four years," added Koncz. "It is always going to be frustrating looking back on my career and seeing how many times we lost."

Notes:

-Princeton's shot 17-41 for the game (41.5%), 2-11 from outside the arc (18.2%). Penn was 22-55 on the night (40.0%), 3-12 outside (25.0%) and 13-16 at the line (81.3%).

-The Tigers committed 20 turnovers versus Penn, 12 in the second half. The Quakers turned the 20 turnovers into 20 points.

-After shooting 20-24 from the free throw line over his past 10 games, Finley was 1-6 from the stripe versus Penn. The Tigers were an awful 11-21 against the Quakers as a team.

-Kyle Koncz finished his career fifth all-time at Princeton with 156 three point shots. Savage had 155 three pointers as a Tiger, good for sixth place.

-Brian Grandieri's final game as a Quaker was a well-rounded night: 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals.