OSAKA, Japan, Jan. 8 -- Columbia tight end Brian Bassett earned MVP honors with 7 catches for 124 yards, leading the Ivy League All- Stars to a 20-10 win over the Japan All-Stars in the fifth annual Ivy Bowl. Bill Jordan scored on a 1-yard touchdown run 5:54 into the first quarter, putting the Ivy League ahead to stay.
Japan's Masaharu Sato booted a 21-yard field goal 2:04 into the second quarter, but Jamie Daniels of Penn returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown, giving a the Ivy a 13-3 lead at the 7:16 mark of the second quarter. A 60-yard fumble return for a touchdown by defensive end Takamasa Suzuki 2:19 into the third quarter brought Japan within 13-10. But Penn's Terrance Stokes capped the scoring 5:54 into the fourth with an 18-yard touchdown scamper. Ivy quarterback Jamie Schwalbe completed 11 of 19 passes for 165 yards, setting Ivy records for completions and yardage in the bowl's five-year history. The stifling Ivy defense set records as well, holding Japan to just 190 total yards of offense while shutting down the ground game completely. The Ivy All-Stars threw Japan for minus-2 yards in losses on the ground despite 44 carries. The Ivy League has won all five Ivy Bowls, with this year's contest being the tightest. The Ivy League won the previous four by margins of 37, 24, 65 and 17 points.
