St. Joe’s rallies from 14 points down to beat Penn, 85-80, in overtime

Saint Joseph’s took the second game of Wednesday’s Big 5 doubleheader at the Palestra, rallying from 14 points down in the second half and holding on in overtime for an 85-80 win over Penn.

It was the City Series opener for both teams, the first win for the Hawks (3-3) after two straight losses, and the first loss for the Quakers (5-5) after four straight wins.

Erik Reynolds II led St. Joe’s with 27 points and five assists. Kacper Klaczek had 19 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, and Lynn Greer III had 16 points, nine rebounds, and four steals.

Penn was led by Jordan Dingle’s 28 points, the seventh straight game where he’s scored 20 or more. Clark Slajchert had 18 points, and Nick Spinoso had eight points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds. Lucas Monroe had 16 rebounds, but just seven points.

» READ MORE: Strong second half pushes Temple past La Salle in Big 5 matchup at Palestra

Penn led for much of the game and by a healthy margin. But while Reynolds II brought the big box score line for the Hawks, Greer, a transfer, brought some intangible magic with his stats.

It was Greer’s first game at the Palestra since his days as a star at Roman Catholic High, where he won back-to-back Catholic League titles; and the first Big 5 game for the family since his father starred at Temple.

The son had nine points, six rebounds, and three steals in the second half of this game.

“Every time I come back here, it really is honestly a blessing,” he said. “Seeing everything, seeing how it’s stayed the same since the last time I was here, and it really brings back a lot of memories. When I walked in here, I got goosebumps -- it’s just an iconic place.”

And Greer said that in the locker room the Hawks “talked about not only the Big 5, but just the great players that have played on this court, and how much of a blessing it is to be able to play in this gym.”

The Quakers started the night shorthanded as Max Martz was out with flu symptoms. Then the bench got shorter when Max Lorca-Lloyd came down hard after blocking a shot midway through the first half. Penn coach Steve Donahue rotated only seven players after that, and the wear and tear was noticeable in player fatigue.

Donahue said after the game that Lorca-Lloyd “tweaked his ankle.”

Penn led by 14 points five minutes into the second half, by one with 1 minute, 17 seconds to go in regulation, and by two with 1:13 to go in overtime. They lost all three leads.

The Quakers had one more shot at a game-winner with 10.9 seconds remaining, but Ed Holland III was called for a charge driving to the basket. Greer sealed the win at the free throw line.

» READ MORE: How well do you know the Big 5? Take our Philly hoops quiz to find out.

On a night that was meant to celebrate Big 5 traditions, let’s give the honor not to a player, but an old-school rollout banner.

Penn led 51-44 with 12:34 remaining when Donahue called timeout. During the stoppage, Penn’s band unveiled a rollout that said, “STOP FLAPPING, START PLAYING.”

The banner might have come out at that time regardless, but the Hawks fans across the floor knew St. Joe’s was on a 7-0 run. It had been 51-37 Penn at the 15:02 mark.

The Hawks’ comeback was slow but steady. With 6:07 to play, Greer scored his second straight basket to put St. Joe’s ahead 61-60.

Neither team led by more four points for the rest of the night. When Penn went up 68-64 with 3:20 left, the Quakers seemed set to pull away. But they made just two more field goals for the rest of regulation. The second, a jumper by Dingle with six seconds to go, spared Penn a regulation loss.

Greer had the last word on the court with his overtime free throws, and gave one more flourish at the podium afterward.

“I’m just hoping that my dad wants us to win the Big 5 this year,” he said.

Both teams next play on Saturday. St. Joe’s hosts Fairleigh Dickinson at 1 p.m. (ESPN+), and Penn hosts La Salle at 2 p.m. (ESPN+). It will be Fran Dunphy’s second straight game at the Palestra in his first season as La Salle head coach, and the Quakers’ second of four straight City Series contests.

» READ MORE: ‘There’s an aura to it’: Palestra memories come flooding back ahead of Big 5 doubleheader