The University of Pennsylvania kept its hopes for an Ivy League men’s basketball title alive, trashing Princeton 62-38 Tuesday night in Princeton, N.J. In the process, the Quakers did Yale a favor, putting the Bulldogs alone in first place in the league.

In a must-win game to maintain any chance at the title, the Quakers (17-6, 4-3 Ivy) sprinted out to a 24-3 lead en route to a 24-point blowout of the Tigers (11-8, 5-2) at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym. It was the second consecutive league loss for the Tigers, who dropped a game behind Yale (15-7, 7-1) in the loss column.

Three Penn players, Andy Toole, Ugonna Onyekwe and Koko Archibong, all had 17 points in the victory.

Penn and Princeton, who both lost at the hands of the Elis in New Haven this past weekend, are Yale’s top competitors for the Ivy championship. At 7-1 in league play, the Bulldogs are now a game and half ahead of Princeton, which stands at 5-2. Harvard is in third at 5-3 and Penn is in fourth at 4-3.

Last night’s result means that the Elis are the only team that controls its own destiny in the quest for an outright Ancient Eight championship. The Tigers, though, are assured at least a tie for the title if they win all seven of their remaining games.

As for the Quakers, they would need to win the rest of their games and hope Yale loses at least two of its last six contests in order to earn at least a tie for the league championship. After losing three of their first five Ivy contests, the Quakers have rebounded with two straight road wins, at Brown and at Princeton, to remain a contender.

Yale returns to action at Cornell and Columbia this Friday and Saturday. While the Bulldogs tour the Empire State, Princeton and Penn host Harvard and Dartmouth. Yale will travel to Princeton and Penn the following weekend, Feb. 22 and Feb. 23.

–Jeremy Licht