After two strong defensive stands, Harvey dribbled the ball off his foot, turning it over to the Quakers and giving them a chance to tie. Junior transfer Adam Toole did just that on the next play with a nifty lay-up to equalize the score at 64 and send the game into overtime.

Toole began the bonus period just as he had ended the second half, hitting a big shot—a three-pointer from the left wing—to advance the Quakers out to a quick 67-64 lead.

Gellert, who had struggled from beyond the arc all season, surprisingly pulled up for a three-pointer on the next possession and drained it to pull Harvard even.

But perhaps the biggest turning point of the overtime period occurred when Klatsky was fouled with just over two minutes remaining and Penn down 72-69. The diminutive guard missed both of his free throws and Harvard was able to score off the defensive rebound to extend the lead to 74-69.

Klatsky’s pivotal missed free throws were the only ones that Penn did not convert all night. The Quakers finished an impressive 20-for-22 from the line.

Harvey was again unstoppable over the final three minutes as he scored seven points, including converting all four of his pressure-packed free throws.

After Harvey’s final two free throws put the Crimson up 78-75 with 6.2 seconds left, Klatsky again came up short as an errant three-point attempt ricocheted off the back of the rim.

The boisterous sellout crowd at Lavietes roundly applauded the Crimson players as they celebrated another improbable win over the best team in the league.

“It was a great atmosphere to play in,” Harvey said. “If you’re not ready to play Penn in front of that crowd, you shouldn’t be out there.”

Harvey’s career-high 28 points led all scorers and he was joined in double figures by Gellert (15) and Winter (12). Penn was paced by junior forward Ugonna Onyekwe (22) and received solid 13-point performances from Archibong and Toole.

The Crimson scored on 48 percent of its shots from the field, including a gawdy 58 percent on three-pointers. Harvard’s tenacious defense held Penn under 40 percent shooting, marking the seventh time this season it has been able to accomplish such a feat.

“It worked out well for us,” said Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan. “We went into the game worried about being deflated emotionally and being fatigued physically. We got over both bumps.”

Princeton 50, Harvard 48

Princeton coach John Thompson is apparently a superstitious man.

After another thrilling, two-point escape on Harvard’s home court, Thompson asked an Associated Press reporter to move so he could sit at the same chair he used for last year’s press conference.