Gamecenter: Illinois-Chicago 78, Penn 90

	1st	2nd	Final
Illinois-Chicago (6-7)	43	35	78
Penn (6-4)	38	52	90


The Palestra – Philadelphia, PA	Boxscore

Keys to the Game
Key sequence	It was looking like a repeat of Penn’s loss to Fordham in its previous game, with Illinois-Chicago opening up an eight-point second-half lead. But after an Othyus Jeffers jumper put the Flames up 60-55 with 14:06 remaining, the Quakers came alive. Brian Grandieri hit a free throw to start the run and Ibby Jaaber found Mark Zoller for a layup. After a UIC free throw, Zoller tied the game with a three-pointer. Grandieri grabbed a defensive board, then hit two free throws. Kevin Egee added a free throw, then Grandieri again came up with a defensive rebound before sticking a jumper at the other end. Robert Bush missed a three-pointer and Grandieri recorded yet another defensive rebound, then again hit two free throws to finish off a 13-1 run that put Penn in front 68-61 at the midway point of the second half.
Key sign it was over	Jeffers cut the Quaker lead to nine with a layup at the 2:44 mark, but Tommy McMahon beat the shot clock with a fadeaway jumper. Bush connected on a three-pointer to cut the deficit to eight, but Brennan Votel hit a long two-point jumper. Josh Mayo couldn’t nail a jumper at the other end, and the tip-in wouldn’t fall. Zoller collected the rebound and was fouled, converting both shots at the line. Bush misfired from three, Penn controlled the rebound, and McMahon sank both free throws to put Penn up 90-76 with 44 seconds left.
Key performance	Grandieri overcame a painful Achilles injury that had kept him out of practice for much of the week to tie a career high with 19 points in 28 minutes. He didn’t start, but came off the bench, scoring 17 of his 19 points after halftime. Grandieri added five rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers, and his fingerprints were all over Penn’s big run.
Key statistic	Penn attempted 36 free throws, compared to 22 for UIC. The Quakers outscored their guests 24-16 at the line. During an extended stretch on both sides of halftime, getting to the line was the only way Penn was able to score consistently, which kept it in the game.
Key coaching move	Penn’s game-changing run coincided with Glen Miller switching to a 2-3 zone. The Flames had been carving up the Quaker defense with easy post feeds leading to great looks inside, but after the change in defensive strategy, UIC missed 16 of its next 17 shots.

Notes

– Jeffers was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points. The slashing wing also collected 14 rebounds — with eight coming at the offensive end.

– Zoller was the leading scorer for Penn with 21 points, and added 13 rebounds — six of which were offensive.

– The Flames wreaked havoc on the offensive glass, grabbing 22 offensive boards (48.9 percent). The Quakers rebounded decently at their offensive end (35.0 percent), but UIC dominated the second-chance points, 24-10.

– With Grandieri hurting and Mike Kach sidelined, Egee got his first collegiate start, scoring nine points in 22 minutes.

– Jaaber broke Drew Gellert’s Ivy League career steals mark, ending the game with 248 thefts as a Quaker.

– After Steve Danley was whistled for a personal foul, McMahon received a deadball technical foul for an elbow to a UIC player in the opening minute of the second half. The Flames hit three of four free throws, but Jaaber came up with a steal on the ensuing possession to limit the damage.

– The Quakers committed a season-low seven turnovers, which was a big part of their season-best offensive efficiency of 1.25 points per possession.

– With Penn students on break, the game was played before a mostly empty Palestra. The announced crowd was just 2,218.

– The Quakers will head to the Meadowlands to face Seton Hall (6-2) on Saturday, December 23 at 1:00 pm ET.

Basketball U.

Gamecenter: Illinois-Chicago 78, Penn 90

Jake Wilson

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Basketball U.

Basketball U.

Jake Wilson

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Basketball U.