Penn defeated George Mason 72-71 on Tuesday evening in Fairfax, Va.
Senior guard Antonio Woods scored all of his 10 points in the final five minutes of the game.
The reigning Ivy League champion men’s basketball team opened the 2018-19 season on Tuesday with a 72-71 victory in Virginia over George Mason of the A-10.
Junior guard Ryan Betley nailed a 3-pointer on Penn’s first possession, but then left the game with a knee injury and did not return.
Freshman forward Michael Wang showed no signs of any first-game jitters, scoring a team-high 14 points in the first half on 5 of 8 shooting, including 4 for 5 from deep.
George Mason led at halftime 37-33.
The Patriots held the lead for most of the second half—until the Red & Blue came roaring back in the final minutes.
Down 68-63 with 4:14 left in the game, senior guard Antonio Woods drained a jumper to cut the lead to 68-65. Woods scored again with 3:07 remaining to make it a one-point, 68-67 game. A layup by junior forward A.J. Brodeur gave Penn a 69-68 advantage, their first since the first half.
Junior forward A.J. Brodeur had a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.
George Mason scored to retake the lead at 70-69 with 1:49 to play. A free throw increased their lead to 71-69.
With a minute left, a baseline drive by Woods tied the game at 71-71. Brodeur was fouled with 20 seconds remaining, and hit one of two free throws to put Penn ahead 72-71. A last-second shot by the Patriots was unsuccessful.
Brodeur had a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, and also chipped in 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.
Woods finished with 10 points and 3 rebounds, and scored all of his 10 points in the final 5:22. Wang had 14 points and 4 rebounds.
Penn shot 61.8 percent (21-34) from the floor and 40 percent percent from the three-point line (8-20). They struggled from the foul line, making only 6 out of 18 attempts (33.3 percent).
The Quakers play their home opener on Friday versus Rice at 8 p.m. at The Palestra. The team will unveil their 2017-18 Ivy League championship banner before tipoff.
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