Morning Sports Update
T.J. Power, a former Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, scored 44 points as Penn upset Yale.
T.J. Power as a player for Worcester Academy in 2023. Power recently led Penn to the NCAA Tournament. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
March 16, 2026 | 11:29 AM
3 minutes to read
Mass. native leads Penn through early March Madness: The University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team is heading to the NCAA Tournament thanks in large part to the efforts of Shrewsbury, Mass. native T.J. Power.
Having also played college basketball for Duke and Virginia, Power transferred to Penn this season and proceeded to score an Ivy League conference tournament record 44 points as the Quakers upset top-seeded Yale in overtime on Sunday, 88-84. The win in the Ivy League final handed Penn an automatic tourney bid.
Power, the 2021-22 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year while at Worcester Academy, nailed an off-balance three-pointer with one second remaining to tie the game in the second half (Yale then barely missed a buzzer-beater toss of their own).
TJ Power forces overtime ‼️
He leads Penn with 40 points and 12 rebounds 🍿 pic.twitter.com/4ZscKOgr1X
— ESPN (@espn) March 15, 2026
From there, teammate Cam Thrower poured in five clutch overtime points, and the lower ranked Penn team stayed the course to complete the unexpected win over Yale.
Now a 14-seed in the NCAA Tournament, Penn will face third-seeded Illinois in the first round at 9:25 p.m. on Thursday.
Trivia: What is the only New England school aside from UConn to win a men’s NCAA basketball championship?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Bob Cousy
Scores and schedules:
On Sunday, the Boston Fleet defeated the Montreal Victoire 4-3, while the Revolution demolished FC Cincinnati 6-1.
Tonight, the Bruins face the Devils in New Jersey at 7 p.m., while the Celtics host the Suns at 7:30 p.m.
Also tonight at 8 p.m., Venezuela plays Italy to decide which team will face the United States in the World Baseball Classic final on Tuesday.
More from Boston.com:
WBC highlights: Roman Anthony played the hero for Team USA, swatting the decisive home run in a 2-1 semifinal victory over the Dominican Republic.
An update on the Patriots’ facility: New England’s newly-built training facility will be called the New Balance Athletics Center.
A new partner in New England: Boston-based New Balance has secured the naming rights to the Patriots’ new training facility, which now will be called the New Balance Athletics Center, and will serve as the team’s official athletic footwear and apparel provider. pic.twitter.com/DNRBnUqdAL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2026
On this day: In 1990, amid local hockey news and MLB labor talks, Larry Bird led the Celtics to a 130-127 win over the Magic with 46 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.
Daily highlight: From over the weekend, Real Madrid’s Arda Guler scored from his own half of the field in a 4-1 win over Elche.
ARDA GÜLER, ARE YOU SERIOUS???
A GOAL FROM BEYOND THE HALFWAY LINE 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZLg1Cj9VJi
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 14, 2026
Trivia answer: Holy Cross
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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