PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Lafayette took Penn to the wire in a 74-72 loss on Monday evening at the Palestra.

Caleb Williams paced the Maroon and White with his second-consecutive game above 20 points (21) and third-consecutive game with at least four 3-pointers. Andrew Phillips (16) and Mark Butler (14) rounded out the Leopards in double figures.

The Quakers knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game on top, 8-4, by 16:08. Dalton Scantlebury single-handedly extended the hosts' lead to nine, 15-6, over the next two minutes.

Penn continued to hold the Leopards scoreless through the 10-minute mark with a game-high 14-0 run that began at 15:03. Williams was credited with the shot beyond the arc to make it 22-9.

Freshman Luke Bevilacqua added three layups to close the gap to eight, 23-15, at 8:37.

A steal by Butler led to a layup and-one for Williams, shortening the deficit to 25-20 just one minute later. The Quakers retaliated with four buckets by Augustus Gerheart to remain out front, 33-25 at 4:29.

Phillips and Williams each tallied a 3-pointer to get as close as 41-33 at halftime.

Lafayette burst out of the second period with scores on two possessions and a block by Shareef Jackson to trail 41-38 (19:30). Butler (4) and Phillips (2) combined for six points to remain within one, 45-44, at the 17-minute mark.

Freshman Christian Humphrey-Rembert was awarded a pair of free throws to take the lead, 46-45, by 15:50. Penn resumed its advantage at 14:31 with a 6-0 run, which was put to a stop by Williams beyond the arc, 51-49.

The Quakers put together a 15-9 stretch from 12:14 to 6:58 to go ahead 66-58.

Williams helped Lafayette stay in contention, 72-69, before the defense made a stop which led to a Humphrey-Rembert 3-pointer at the four-minute mark.

Both squads played defensively with only one bucket by Butler (2:16) in the following three minutes for a 72-71 Penn lead.

With less than a minute on the clock, the Leopards looked to hold the Quakers off, but ultimately gave up two separate free throws in the 74-72 final. Lafayette gave the ball to Butler for the last shot, which hit the front left glass with three seconds remaining in regulation.

Overall, Penn recorded a 42.4 percent performance from the floor while keeping to nine turnovers. Gerhart led three opponents in double figures with 15 points and six rebounds.

Next up, the Leopards have an eight-day break for finals week before the team heads south on Dec. 18 to play UNC Charlotte at 7 p.m.

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