Pennsylvania Beats Harvard to Put Ivy League Basketball Title Up for Grabs

Zack Rosen hit two foul shots in the final 23.2 seconds to give the University of Pennsylvania a 55-54 win over Harvard University and throw the Ivy League Conference title up for grabs.

A win by Harvard last night would have guaranteed the Crimson at least a share of the men’s college basketball conference title.

Rosen, who had 20 points, scored the final nine for the Quakers, who overcame a 30-24 halftime deficit at Lavietes Pavilion in Boston.

“It’s been a season of heart so far, and it’s going to be a season of heart for three more games,” Rosen told reporters. “We want this thing.”

Pennsylvania (17-11, 9-2 Ivy), which last won the Ivy League title in 2007, ended Harvard’s 28-game home winning streak.

Kyle Casey, who scored 12 points for Harvard, got his basket pulled back with four seconds left in the game by a charging call.

Harvard (24-4, 10-2 Ivy) is seeking its first National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament spot since 1946.

“It’s a devastating loss,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker told reporters. “It’s a disappointing loss.”

Harvard finishes the season with games against Columbia on March 2 and Cornell on March 3. Pennsylvania faces Brown on March 2, Yale on March 3 and Princeton on March 6 before the regular season ends.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nancy Kercheval in Washington at nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net