Penn 77, Brown 73: Bears come up short in Ivy League opener
PHILADELPHIA — George Smith had a season-high 23 points to help Pennsylvania fend off Brown, 77-73, in their Ivy League opener on Sunday.
Smith shot 9-for-10 from the free-throw line for Penn (4-10), hitting a pair of shots with 8 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession lead. Jordan Dingle added 20 points for the Quakers, who snapped a six-game skid.
Michael Moshkovitz pitched in with 16 points and five assists.
Tamenang Choh tied a career-high with 26 points and had 13 rebounds for the Bears (8-8), who have lost four straight. Kino Lilly Jr. added 14 points, while Nana Owusu-Anane scored 10. Paxson Wojcik had nine points, while Jaylan Gainey had eight, six rebounds, and two blocks.
Brown trailed by 10 at the half, but managed to cut the deficit to two late in the game. The Bears used a 9-2 run, that went from the 2:15 mark of the second half down to just 12 seconds remaining, to cut the Penn lead to 75-73. Wojcik was fouled on his successful layup attempt and sank the free throw to get Brown within two.
The Bears attempted to trap the Quakers on their ensuing possession, but Smith was fouled and hit both free throw attempts.
With his 26 points, Choh's career total climbs to 1,111, passing Mark McAndrew '08 for 24th all-time in program history. He is just 22 points short of 23rd place, currently held by Russ Tyler '71 with 1,133.
Brown will attempt to get its first Ivy League win of the season on Friday at 7 p.m. at Harvard.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Brown University plays at Pennsylvania in their Ivy League men's basketball opener
