Penn falls to Princeton, 72-60, despite Jordan Dingle’s 21 points

In a low-scoring affair Monday night at The Palestra, two Ivy League rivals went head-to-head as Princeton used a strong second half to top Penn, 72-60.

Neither team separated themselves for the first 29 minutes, but then a 18-6 run from the Tigers gave them control they wouldn’t relinquish.

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Jordan Dingle, the nation’s third leading scorer entering the game, finished with a team-high 21 points for the Quakers (9-10, 2-3 Ivy). Nick Spinoso also finished in double figures, scoring 12.

Tosan Evbuomwan had a game-best 26 points for the Tigers (13-5, 4-1 Ivy), followed by Ryan Langborg, who was second on the team in scoring with 13 points. Caden Pierce had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Tigers won the rebound battle, 44-36, and Princeton had six assists while Penn only had five.

Entering the season, Penn was picked to finish first in the Ivy League, only one point ahead of second place Princeton, and the first half of Monday’s game showed just how evenly matched these two teams can be. The Quakers went into the break with a 26-25 lead, and throughout the first half, neither team led by more than four.

Penn’s second leading scorer on the season, Clark Slajchert, was held scoreless in the opening frame, but eight points from Dingle and Spinoso paced the Quakers through the first 20 minutes.

The start of the second half was much like the first, as the two teams battled back and forth until about midway through. A five-point possession gave the Tigers a three possession lead and the Quakers weren’t able to recover.

The Quakers struggled shooting the ball, making just 33.3% of their field goal attempts and going 0-for-12 from three. This was the first time since a 2009 game against Drexel that Penn failed to make a three-pointer.

“There’s a lot of shots there that these guys have made at a high percentage that I think could have helped us keep them at bay a little bit, not let them extend their lead,” Penn head coach Steve Donahue said.

With Princeton leading by two with under 11 minutes left, Langborg buried a three-pointer from the top of the key and subsequently Pierce was fouled, sending him to the line for a one-and-one. Pierce made both chances, putting the Tigers up by seven, the largest lead of the game by either team.

After that, the Quakers never got it back to a one-possession game.

“That was the deciding factor of the game, that play right there,” Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson said. “And then once we got it to eight, seemed to — again, the physicality of the game, I think it was going to be really hard for one team to come back.”

The Quakers start a two-game road trip on Saturday as they take on Yale (6 p.m./ESPN+). The Bulldogs (12-6, 2-3) were picked to finish third in the Ivy preseason poll.