But judging by the way the game began, few could have predicted that it would take two overtimes to determine the outcome.

Thanks to 11 first-half points from Wright and Penn’s 1-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, the Crimson went into halftime boasting a 10-point lead. And coming out of the break, Harvard extended its advantage to as many as 18.

Fueled by a pair of Wright layups and a Webster trey, Harvard opened the half on a 12-5 run to grab the 47-29 advantage with 15:43 left in regulation.

But on the backs of Eggleston and Rosen, Penn fought its way back into the game. The duo combined for 16 of the Quakers’ final 23 points in regulation, leading the team on a 23-10 run over the final 8:22 of the second half to force overtime. “I thought that they showed a great deal of determination and character and fight,” Amaker said. “They inched their way back in it.”

Tyler Bernardini cut Harvard’s lead to single digits off a pair of free throws, and Eggleston followed with a triple from the right corner to make it 56-51 with 5:53 remaining.

A Webster three-pointer and a Curry free throw put the Crimson back up by nine, but Eggleston answered with another three. Penn freshman Miles Cartwright scored a layup, and Rosen drilled a triple off the dribble to bring the Quakers within one.

Casey answered with a pair of free throws, but a three from Bernardini with 45 ticks on the clock evened the score for the first time since the opening tap. Coming out of a timeout, Curry found Casey open on the left baseline. Casey sank the jumper with 19 seconds left, putting the visitor up by a deuce.

On the other end, Rosen attacked the basket, drawing a foul on Curry with 11 seconds to go. Rosen sank both attempts, knotting the score at 64.

On the final possession of regulation, Harvard put the ball in the hands of freshman sharpshooter Laurent Rivard, but Rivard’s mid-range attempt with one second left was off its mark.

Curry swooped in for the offensive rebound and was fouled on a last-second put-back attempt. But after huddling at midcourt, the referees ruled that Curry’s final attempt came after the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

In the first overtime, the Crimson built a five-point lead with 1:01 to play, but, once again, the Quakers fought back. Rosen scored eight points in the final minute of the first overtime, leading Penn on a late 8-3 run to put another five minutes on the clock.

But in the second overtime, Harvard managed to squeak out the one-point win, sending the squad back to Cambridge on a high note.

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.