PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- The Lafayette men's basketball team took host Penn to the final seconds before dropping a 74-72 final during the 2023 Cathedral of College Basketball Classic on Friday evening at the Palestra.

Lafayette's top performance came through junior center Justin Vander Baan, who scored a career-high 28 points. The Northbridge, Mass. native also grabbed seven rebounds, dished two assists and blocked two shots.

The Leopards shot 50 percent from the floor and 38 percent from 3-point range overall.

Vander Baan netted all six of the Leopards' points by the 16-minute media timeout, trailing the Quakers 7-6.

Kyle Jenkins and Ryan Pettit each added a bucket from beyond the arc prior to Penn's trio of free throws and a 3-pointer to hold on to its lead, 20-12 at 11:20.

Lafayette got as close as 26-25 at the six-minute mark with tallies from Vander Baan, Devin Hines and Chris Rubayo.

Hines picked up an offensive rebound to secure the Leopards' last basket of the first half. The Quakers shot 54.5 percent on 11 attempts from the 3-point range in the first 20 minutes of play for a 35-32 advantage going into the break.

Vander Baan began the second half by continuing his offensive barrage, aided by Sondberg and Hines, combining for 13 points to lead the Quakers, 45-42 at 15:16.

Both programs traded scores over the next five minutes with the Leopards getting the upper hand in a 9-7 run to 10:22, 54-49. Vander Baan's jumper in the paint at 8:01 signaled a new career-high 25 points in his time on College Hill.

Jenkins netted a three-pointer and a layup to help push Lafayette even further, leading by seven, 63-56, at the five-minute mark.

The Quakers tied the game at 68 apiece with a 14-5 run to 2:14, fueled by Clark Slajchert's seven points. Freshman Luke Rasmussen stole the lead back using one free throw before Penn's George Smith hit a deep 3-pointer to take one last advantage, 71-69 at 0:59.

In a last-ditch Lafayette effort, Vander Baan fouled Cam Thrower to regain possession with nine seconds on the clock, costing two free throws. Vander Baan immediately recovered the ball to sink his own 3-pointer, trailing 73-72.

Freshman Luke Rasmussen followed suit at the two-second mark, fouling Sam Brown, who made one free throw. The Quakers last-second flurry from the charity stripe concluded the 74-72 final.

Slajchert led the Penn with 18 points, five rebounds and an assist. The Quakers out-rebounded the Maroon and White 35-30, including an 11-8 margin on the offensive glass.

The Leopards face Monmouth in Lafayette's second game of the Cathedral Classic tomorrow afternoon. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. Keep up with the tournament on X @CathClassic.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on X @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.