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| Matt Knowles poured in a career high on the court where several basketball legends have had similar performances. David Morgan/Stylish Images for Ursinus Athletics |
By Ryan Scott
D3hoops.com
Ursinus first played the University of Pennsylvania in a men's basketball game 100 years ago. Ninety years ago Ursinus beat Penn for its only victory in the series. A month after that, January 1, 1927, Penn opened the Palestra, soon to become the most storied venue in college basketball. This was 27 years before Kansas debuted Allen Fieldhouse, 13 years before Cameron Indoor Stadium, a decade before Gallagher-Iba Arena, even a full 18 months before the first tip at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Calvin Coolidge was President and the New York Yankees had only one World Series title. Basketball itself was only 26 years old, but Penn thought highly enough to invest in its future.
At the time of its construction, the Palestra was the largest indoor venue of any kind in the world without obstructed views – 10,000 seats, each one the best in the house. It is the third oldest NCAA basketball facility still in use today and it's hosted more games and more fans than any other venue on earth. This is true largely because the city of Philadelphia adopted the Palestra as its home court. Colleges and universities from across the city used it for home games for decades; the city catholic high school league still plays its championship weekend there.
Oscar Robertson. Rick Barry. Jerry West. Wilt Chamberlain. Julius Erving. Senator Bill Bradley. Each of these Hall of Famers had spotlight performances at the Palestra. On December 19, Ursinus junior Matt Knowles added his name to this prestigious list with a career high 26 points, leading the Bears as they fell just short of victory against the D-I Quakers, losing 73-66. It was the fourteenth meeting between the schools, but the first since 1945.
The historic game arose after Ursinus alum Steve Donahue became Penn head coach this spring. He wanted a non-conference game after finals to get the team focused for a tough Ivy League campaign and looked no further than his alma mater.
"I have a lot of respect for the program and what [head coach] Kevin [Small] has done there."
Ursinus was also able to use the event as a celebration of the 1981 Final Four squad, of which Donahue was a member.
D-III men's basketball teams have beaten D-I foes just 20 times in the last 20 years, but Ursinus, which had started the season 1-4, gave the Quakers all they could handle from the tip, leading for most of the first half and tied at the break. If the Penn players were unaware of what a D-III opponent might mean, Donahue was not.
"I have a unique perspective," Donahue said in his post-game press conference, "because I was one of those players. I understand how locked in you are to play this team in this arena – we weren't ready for that."
Even with leading scorer sophomore Remi Janicot in foul trouble, Ursinus stuck to the game plan, clogging the middle and forcing Penn to play from the outside.
Penn shot 33 three pointers. Ursinus wanted them to shoot more.
"What if they shot 38?" asked Small. "Our guys did a great job of sticking to the scouting report. I don't know that we ever imagined being in this game late."
In it they were. After weathering an early second half run that had the Bears down 14, this young Ursinus team battled back, getting the lead to single digits with just two minutes to play. A late Knowles three cut it to seven, but time ran out on the miracle comeback.
Still, Ursinus earned respect all around for their ability to remain focused and attack on both ends of the floor, limiting Penn's 6'11", 265-pound center Darien Nelson-Henry to just five points.
"I don't know if this was a good loss," said Knowles, "but we are going to take a lot of positives away from this experience."
With much of the team from eastern Pennsylvania, the history and honor of the experience wasn't lost on Ursinus.
Said Knowles, "It means a lot to me. I grew up two hours away from here. I've been coming to the Palestra since second grade. To be able to come and play well and compete against a good Division I team, it's something I'm going to remember forever."
Janicot, from France, and a few other non-local Bears, got an introduction to the history of the Palestra before the game. The team toured the concourse together. Surrounding the below-street-level court, the concourse serves as a museum of basketball greatness.
Knowles said, "We stopped at each piece of history – to know that all those people played on this floor that you're about to play on, it's really special – kind of a surreal feeling."
This game, however, was not just a history lesson or an exhibition. Ursinus has dug themselves a deep hole, starting the Centennial Conference season 0-3. Each and every loss has been close, but there is a lot of ground to make up if they want to contend.
"I like the bones of this team," said Small. "We're not particularly deep, but I think we're the kind of team that's starting to come into our own. We're going to play as tough a non-conference schedule as we possibly can. We don't care about our record; we care about the kind of basketball we're going to play."
Hanging tough in a game against Penn, at the Palestra, certainly provides the experience and confidence needed to attack the goals for the upcoming season.
"Our team has grit," said Small. "I like the way our kids responded to a big muscle-flex from a Division I team. You're not gonna shake us. We're a young team that makes lots of mistakes, but we're coming along."
While the season is serious business, Ursinus really found a way to enjoy the moment.
"I grew up coming here," said Small. "Anyone who knows Philly basketball will tell you, you don't hear the Palestra, you feel it."
Just about everybody who touched the ball for Ursinus was feeling it.
Knowles noted, "We just wanted to have a lot of fun. The way we approached the game really helped me get comfortable, to be in the moment."
"At the end of the day," said Small, "this was a wow-factor for us. We know we don't just get to play at the Palestra. This was amazing. We know it's not likely [to happen again] any time soon, but it was a lot of fun today."
Knowles added, "I wouldn't mind coming back again next year."
After that performance, though, it might take another 70 years for Penn to risk an invitation.
York on top of the CAC
No one really expected York to be here right now. It's still early in the conference season, but the Spartans are 4-0 in conference and 10-1 overall with wins over Mary Washington, McDaniel, and William Patterson already. After posting a losing season last year, they were picked fourth in the Capital Athletic Conference preseason poll. The only blemish on the record is a two-point road loss at Lycoming.
Betsy Witman's squad boasts just one senior and a multitude of scoring options, routinely going ten deep. But the real weapon is on defense. York is holding opponents to just 33% shooting on the year with an even better mark in conference games. The CAC is a real gauntlet this year and the Spartans travel to Salisbury on Wednesday.
Games to watch
Conference games are in full swing this week. Christopher Newport and Penn State-Harrisburg battle for CAC control on the men's side January 6, while York and Marymount do the same on the women's side January 9. In the Centennial, Swarthmore's men take on Gettysburg and Franklin and Marshall this week; all three teams are thus far undefeated in conference. Also on Thursday, Susquehanna puts its undefeated record on the line, traveling to Scranton, who will have just played a surging Drew squad two days before.
Region women on the rise
What a difference some games make! The Mid-Atlantic region had just one team in the d3hoops.com preseason Top 25 poll, but in the most recent edition, three teams made the list – Scranton at No. 8, Muhlenberg at No. 10, and Albright at No. 15 – with three more squads receiving votes. Scranton and the Mules are undefeated; Albright suffered its first loss of the season to No. 2 Amherst. Those receiving votes, York (PA), Mary Washington, and Moravian, have only four losses between them and contribute to what is a very strong region this year.
Milestones
Alexis Wright of Moravian went over 1,500 career points this week. Courtney Stephens of Drew and Rachel Forjan of Elizabethtown both hit 1,000. Brendan Boken of Scranton hit 1,500 points, while Chris Moran of Delaware Valley and Malik Draper of Ursinus reached 1,000 each. Bryson Fonville of Catholic dished out his 500th assist this week as well. Finally, Kievanna Lacey of Marymount hit 200 career steals. Congratulations to all these milestone athletes.
Chime in
We are always on the lookout for good Mid-Atlantic region stories. I'm especially interested in statistical milestones and behind the scenes successes – these aren't always as easy to find in headlines and box scores. Contact me at ryan.scott@d3sports.com or @ryanalanscott on twitter.
Around the Mid-Atlantic was written by Ryan Scott during the 2015-16 season. He now writes Around the Nation.
