Quakers Win 76 – 67 Over the Lions
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 2/13/2026 –
If one just looks at the final score it was not indicative of how hard fought and close a game that was played at the Palestra. The University of Pennsylvania would need every bit of perseverance to earn a win against the Columbia Lions 76 – 67. The Quakers had that when it was needed.
“We know that every Ivy game down this stretch is going to be a war,” said Penn guard AJ Levine. “As long as we’re fighting and at the end of the game, the intensity is rising, I think we always have a chance to win the game. That’s exactly what we did towards the end there.”
Late Momentum Turned Towards the Quakers
Penn had a 3 – 2 lead early in the game. The Red and Blue would not get the lead back until 2:42 seconds showed on the clock when Ethan Roberts made a short jumper for a 64 – 63 lead. Columbia responded with a three-pointer by Blair Thompson. Roberts got the lead back with another basket from beyond the arc. It gave the team a huge lift to finally regain the advantage.
“It definitely gave us a big lift,” said Roberts. “I really think it was the stops momentum that we had just before that gave us energy to connect on offense. We got back in the game and had a good flow about us, positive energy. Makes it a lot easier to hit those shots.”
From there Penn would close out the game having to break another tie. Dalton Scantlebury made a layup with just over a minute to play setting up the key possession of the game. The Lions looked for points. Penn upped the defense. Levine would get a steal. The ball got to Roberts who drained a jumper for a 71 – 67 lead. Levine would follow with another steal at the 35 second mark. Roberts was fouled and sank two from the charity stripe.
The Quakers ended the game with a 9 – 0 run. Roberts scored 21 points, 12 came in the last 2:42.
Defense Held the Team in the Game
Columbia took a 53 – 43 lead just over six minutes into the second half. Penn later responded with an 8 – 0 run to tie the game at 53. This game would become a possession game. The Quakers could not get enough offense to get the advantage. The team needed to rely on their defense to stay in contention. The Red and Blue would put in a defensive squad to keep the game in reach, and did until it was time to get the offensive unit back.
“We went with that one group which is more a defensive group, and that was a big part of our comeback,” said Penn Coach Fran McCaffery. “Then we brought our guys back in and made shots. As a coach that’s what I was hoping would happen. That’s what I planned on happening. Doesn’t always happen that way, but that lineup was really getting after them.”
“I came in at a good time, too,” Roberts said. “These guys got us back into the game. I was out for a little bit, so credit goes to them.
Defense? Penn caused 20 Columbia turnovers that resulted in a 22 – 5 advantage in points off turnovers. The Red and Blue tied a season-high with 10 steals.
What the Numbers Say
Michael Zazoni scored 16 points and TJ Power added 12. Levine filled the stat sheet with 9 points, a career-high tying 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals.
Columbia got 22 points from Kenny Noland who hit 6 of 9 three-pointers. He tied his career-best for made three’s. Miles Franklin added 14 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Thompson contributed 11 points. Connor Igoe assisted 6 times to tie his collegiate-best.
Up Next
Penn (12 – 10, 5 – 4) will not have to wait long as Cornell visits on Saturday evening. Both teams are tied for third place in the Ivy League. Dartmouth and Princeton lurks a game-behind at 4 – 5.
The Quakers sit in position to go to Ivy Madness. However, in the Ivy League each weekend can make a difference.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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