TJ Power scored 44 points on March 15, 2026, setting an Ivy Madness scoring record as the Penn Quakers outlasted the Yale Bulldogs 88-84 in overtime to win the Ivy League men’s basketball championship at Newman Arena in Ithaca, New York. The result sent Penn to the NCAA Tournament for the 25th time in program history and capped a wild afternoon that included a Penn rally from nine points down in regulation.
This Penn Quakers vs Yale basketball match player stats breakdown covers the full box score from the Ivy League title game, including shooting splits, rebounding totals, and the individual numbers that decided who advanced to March Madness. Readers researching the game after the fact, filling out bracket notes, or comparing Ivy League scoring records will find every relevant figure here in one place.
What separates this recap from a bare box score dump is context: how Power’s 44 points stack up historically, why Yale’s bench thinned out late, and what the shooting numbers reveal about how a nine-point deficit turned into a five-point overtime win. Every stat below is pulled directly from the official game box score, not estimated or rounded for convenience.
Final Score and Game Snapshot
Penn beat Yale 88-84 in overtime to win the 2026 Ivy League tournament championship, with the Quakers trailing by as many as nine points in the second half before forcing extra time. Yale led 41-39 at halftime and stretched the margin to 61-58 in the second half on a Devon Arlington three-pointer, but Penn closed regulation on a Power-fueled run that included back-to-back threes in the final seven seconds to force a 75-75 tie.
In overtime, Cam Thrower’s three-pointer and putback layup pushed Penn ahead for good, and Michael Zanoni closed the game with two free throws after Yale’s Riley Fox had cut the lead to two points. The win improved Penn to 18-11 on the season while Yale finished 24-6, a reminder that Ivy League tournament seeding does not always predict the outcome of a single elimination game.
The five-minute overtime period was tightly contested from the opening possession. Penn scored 13 points to Yale’s 9, with three different Quakers, Levine, Power, and Zanoni, converting free throws in the final minute to protect a lead that shrank to two points on Riley Fox’s three-pointer with 11 seconds left. Yale’s last possession ended in a missed three from Trevor Mullin, closing out a game that featured 11 lead changes and four ties across regulation and overtime combined.
TJ Power’s Record-Setting Performance
TJ Power finished with 44 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 assists on 14-of-26 shooting, including 7 of 14 from three-point range and a perfect 9 of 9 at the free-throw line in 43 minutes played. That line set the Ivy Madness tournament scoring record, and the way he built it mattered as much as the total: 23 of his 44 points came in the first half alone, and his two threes in the closing seconds of regulation were what forced overtime in the first place.
The forward previously played at Duke and Virginia before transferring to Penn, and his 43 minutes on the floor meant he played every second of a game that went to overtime. Readers who enjoy this level of box-score detail across other sports can find a similar breakdown in this NMSU vs Liberty football match player stats recap. Nine made free throws without a miss, in the highest-pressure game of the season, is the kind of detail that a simple final score cannot convey.
Cam Thrower and Penn’s Supporting Cast
Cam Thrower was Penn’s only other double-digit scorer, finishing with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 4 of 6 from three-point range, to go with 3 of 3 free throws in 28 minutes. His overtime sequence, a three-pointer followed by an offensive rebound and putback on the next possession, supplied the four-point swing that ultimately decided the game.
AJ Levine added 9 points and a team-high 6 assists while also collecting 4 steals, and Michael Zanoni contributed 8 points that included the two free throws that sealed the win with seven seconds left. Augustus Gerhart chipped in 4 points and 3 rebounds off a starting lineup that combined to shoot 45.3 percent from the field as a team, well above their season average. Fans who compared the Michigan vs USC women’s basketball box score earlier this season saw a similarly balanced scoring distribution decide a close game, and the same pattern showed up again here.
Yale’s Balanced Attack Falls Just Short
Yale countered with four players in double figures, led by Trevor Mullin’s 22 points on 6-of-17 shooting with 4 assists, though he needed 17 field-goal attempts and made only 2 of 9 threes to get there. Isaac Celiscar posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds on efficient 6-of-13 shooting, adding 5 assists and a block. Nick Townsend matched Celiscar’s 17 points while grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing 6 assists, and Casey Simmons scored 17 points on a tidy 8-of-10 shooting night.
Our take: Yale’s four-way scoring balance is genuinely impressive on paper, but it also worked against the Bulldogs in crunch time. When four different players are your top options, there is no clear go-to scorer to lean on in overtime, and Penn’s staff was able to key on Mullin and Celiscar down the stretch while Yale’s other scorers went comparatively quiet.
Team Stat Comparison: Shooting, Rebounding, and Turnovers
Penn shot 45.3 percent from the field and a scorching 50.0 percent from three-point range, going 14 of 28 beyond the arc as a team. Yale shot 43.7 percent overall and 37.5 percent from three, out-rebounding Penn 41-37 but also turning the ball over eight times compared to Penn’s 13. The gap in three-point efficiency, 12.5 percentage points in Penn’s favor, was the single biggest statistical separator in a game decided by four points.
| Team Stat | Penn Quakers | Yale Bulldogs |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 88 | 84 |
| Field Goals | 29-64 (45.3%) | 31-71 (43.7%) |
| 3-Pointers | 14-28 (50.0%) | 9-24 (37.5%) |
| Free Throws | 16-16 (100.0%) | 13-17 (76.5%) |
| Total Rebounds | 37 | 41 |
| Assists | 17 | 23 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 8 |
Penn’s perfect 16-of-16 night at the free-throw line deserves attention on its own. A team that does not miss a single free throw across 16 attempts in a four-point overtime win has effectively removed one entire category of risk from a close game, and that discipline showed up most clearly when TJ Power went 9 for 9 and Cam Thrower went 3 for 3 in the sport’s most pressure-filled possessions.
What This Win Means for Penn’s NCAA Tournament Path
The Ivy League championship win locked in Penn’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the program’s 25th appearance in tournament history. First-year head coach Fran McCaffery, a Penn alum, took the Quakers to the tournament in his debut season after previous head coaching stops that included multiple NCAA Tournament trips at other programs. According to the Associated Press, Power’s 44-point performance was an Ivy Madness tournament record, surpassing previous single-game scoring marks in the event’s history.
Yale’s season ended at 24-6 despite the loss, a record that on most nights would be enough to win a one-bid conference. According to the box score data recorded by CBS Sports, Yale actually out-rebounded and out-assisted Penn on the night, which underscores how much of the outcome came down to three-point variance and free-throw execution rather than a broad talent gap. Readers who want to see how box-score reading translates across sports can check the LG Twins vs Hanwha Eagles match player stats breakdown from this year’s KBO season, and basketball fans following international leagues can compare this game’s pace to the Illawarra Hawks vs Melbourne United match player stats from the NBL.
This doesn’t apply if you’re only interested in regular-season Ivy League standings rather than the single-elimination tournament, since Yale’s stronger overall body of work during the year would tell a different story than this one box score. For that broader context, the conference’s official site and outlets like ESPN carry the full regular-season standings alongside tournament results.
Penn’s bench barely factored into the scoring column, with Lucas Lueth, Jay Jones, Niklas Polonowski, and Dalton Scantlebury combining for just 4 points on 2-of-8 shooting in a combined 51 minutes. Yale’s reserves were similarly limited outside of Riley Fox’s 5-point overtime cameo, which means both coaching staffs leaned almost entirely on their starting units to survive a five-overtime-quality grind that went the full 45 minutes. That kind of bench inactivity is common in single-elimination conference tournament games, where rotations tighten and starters play heavier minutes than they would during the regular season.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many points did TJ Power score against Yale?
TJ Power scored 44 points on 14-of-26 shooting, including 7 of 14 from three-point range and 9 of 9 at the free-throw line, in Penn’s 88-84 overtime win over Yale on March 15, 2026. His 44 points set an Ivy Madness tournament scoring record and included 23 points in the first half alone.
Where was the Penn vs Yale Ivy League championship game played?
The game was played at Newman Arena at Bartels Hall in Ithaca, New York, the home court of Cornell, which hosted the 2026 Ivy Madness championship as a neutral-site venue. Both teams traveled to Ithaca for the tournament’s final round after advancing through the earlier rounds at the same site.
Did Yale have a player with a double-double?
Isaac Celiscar recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, adding 5 assists and a block in 35 minutes, and his 11 boards led all Yale players. Nick Townsend also had a strong all-around game with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, just short of a double-double himself.
How did Penn’s three-point shooting compare to Yale’s?
Penn shot 50.0 percent from three-point range (14 of 28) compared to Yale’s 37.5 percent (9 of 24), a 12.5-percentage-point gap that was the deciding statistical factor in a four-point overtime win. Cam Thrower’s 4-of-6 night and Power’s 7-of-14 night carried Penn’s outside shooting.
Is a 44-point game unusual in Ivy League tournament history?
Yes, TJ Power’s 44 points set a new Ivy Madness scoring record, meaning no player in the tournament’s history had previously scored more in a single game. Scoring outputs above 30 points are uncommon in Ivy League tournament play, which makes a 44-point performance in a championship game especially rare.
Did Penn make the NCAA Tournament after beating Yale?
Yes, the win over Yale gave Penn the Ivy League’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid, marking the 25th tournament appearance in program history. It was also the first NCAA Tournament trip for first-year head coach Fran McCaffery at Penn specifically, though he had taken other programs to the tournament previously in his career.
What was the biggest mistake Yale made in the loss?
Yale shot only 76.5 percent from the free-throw line compared to Penn’s perfect 100 percent, missing 4 of 17 attempts in a game ultimately decided by four points. Given how close the final margin was, those missed free throws represent the clearest correctable factor in Yale’s loss, more than any single shot selection issue.
Final Thoughts
The headline number from this Penn Quakers vs Yale basketball match player stats sheet is TJ Power’s record-setting 44 points, but the free-throw and three-point shooting splits explain why Penn survived a game Yale led for most of the second half. Penn’s perfect night at the line and its 50 percent clip from three overcame a rebounding deficit and a lower assist total, proof that shooting efficiency mattered more than volume stats in this particular box score.
If you’re building out your own tournament notes or comparing this game to other Ivy League title matchups, start with the free-throw and three-point percentage columns before anything else, since those two numbers carried more predictive weight in this result than rebounds or turnovers did.
I am Clark, a passionate blogger based in California. I write about everything that inspires everyday life — from fashion and lifestyle. Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas, useful tips, or simply a good read, you’ve found the right place.