SUMMARY
- Power’s record 44 points set an Ivy Madness final scoring mark.
- Penn earns its 25th NCAA tournament appearance with the Ivy League championship.
- Late overtime plays by Cam Thrower sealed the Ivy League championship victory.
ITHACA, N.Y. — TJ Power scored 44 points and the Pennsylvania Quakers men’s basketball team defeated the Yale Bulldogs men’s basketball team 88-84 in overtime Sunday to win the Ivy League championship and secure an NCAA tournament berth.
The victory sends Penn to the NCAA Division I tournament for the 25th time and marks a rapid turnaround under first year coach Fran McCaffery, a University of Pennsylvania graduate who previously led four other programs to the national tournament.
Penn forced overtime when Power hit two three-pointers in the final seven seconds of regulation, tying the game at 75 after Yale had led much of the second half.
Power finished with 14 rebounds and shot 14 for 26 from the field, while Thrower added 19 points including a key three pointer and a putback basket late in overtime.
Robin Harris, executive director of the Ivy League, said the performance highlighted the league’s growing competitiveness.
“Historic individual performances like this show the level of talent competing in Ivy basketball,” Harris said.
Sports economist Victor Matheson of the College of the Holy Cross said conference tournament breakthroughs can raise national visibility before March Madness.
Yale coach James Jones said his team battled but struggled to contain Power.
Penn now awaits its NCAA tournament seeding, where strong guard play and Power’s scoring could shape its postseason chances.
The overtime victory delivered Penn its Ivy League championship and reaffirmed the program’s place in conference history.
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