Sunday was an island between two distinct epochs, a two week exam period without a game behind it and a run of 13 contests in 40 days that will decide this year’s Ivy League title immediately in front of it.
Princeton did not shoot the ball particularly well in their return to action but had enough size at both ends and got to the line frequently enough to dispatch The College of New Jersey without incident or, perhaps more importantly, injury.
Tiger starters scored the game's first nine points and following TCNJ’s brief halving of a double digit deficit to five versus an early lineup heavy on reserves, returned to the floor to promptly convert back-to-back three point shots and build an 11 point advantage that would only increase for the remaining 28:32 of the afternoon.
Outrebounding an undersized foe 29-17 in the first half, with freshman Hans Brase grabbing 11 of those boards, Princeton extended a 39-17 halftime lead as most of their work was done at the foul line, where the Tigers shot 14-18.
The final buzzer could not come quickly enough after intermission as Denton Koon (12 points in 22 minutes) and Brase (11 points and 15 rebounds in 26 minutes) remained on the floor to anchor the rotation. The lead went from 20 to 30 to 40 as the visiting Lions suffered through a near-10 minute stretch wherein they recorded just a single field goal.
Clay Wilson played a team-high 28 minutes, 2-10 from three point range as his 0-10 marksmanship behind the arc the prior four games finally found the target.
All 13 Princeton players in uniform saw at least six minutes of action. The Tigers were 21-58 (36.2%) as a unit but 22-29 at the line (75.9%) with a ridiculous 60-30 edge on the glass boosted by 21 offensive rebounds.
Emmanuel Matlock and Ryan Keegan each had 10 for TCNJ, which went 0-14 from three on the day.
A full recap plus postgame audio from Coach Mitch Henderson, Denton Koon & Hans Brase can be found after the jump.
Today's Game:TCNJ (5-14 / 3-10) vs. Princeton (7-7 / 1-0) Location: Jadwin Gym - Princeton, NJ Time: 2:00 pm ET Radio: 103.3 fm WPRB TV: N/A Internet: goprincetontigers.com Series History: Princeton leads 4-0. Last meeting:Princeton 79 TCNJ 68 - 1/8/12.
TCNJ
Princeton
2-7
Home Record
3-3
3-7
Away Record
4-3
0-0
Neutral Record
0-1
N/A
RPI
127
N/A
Sagarin
94
N/A
Pomeroy
90
62.6
Points / Game
61.4
69.4
Points Allowed / Game
58.6
.401
FG%
.452
.663
FT%
.686
.332
3PT FG%
.364
30.8
Rebounds / Game
30.5
10.6
Off. Rebounds / Game
8.4
-6.1
Rebounding Margin
+0.5
11.7
Assists / Game
14.6
13.9
Turnovers / Game
12.9
1.6
Blocks / Game
2.4
Johnson: 12.1
Points
Hummer: 16.0
Fox: 4.0
Rebounds
Hummer: 6.6
Johnson: 3.1
Assists
Hummer: 4.6
Johnson: 1.6
Steals
Bray: 1.8
Kane: 0.4
Blocks
Hummer: 1.0
Fox: .433
FG% (Min: 10 FGA)
Connolly: .521
Keegan: .818
FT% (Min: 10 FTA)
Bray, Koon: .806
Rista: .346
3PT FG% (Min: 10 3PTA)
Barrett: .511
Richmond vs. UMass - 2:00 pm ET
Fairfield vs. St. Peter's - 2:00 pm ET
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Yesterday TCNJ lost a 73-72 game versus #11 Ramapo.
They'll be honoring Mason Rocca in Milan on Sunday.
Kareem Maddox wants Newcastle to take a "business-like" approach leading up to the team's BBL Trophy game.
Richmond coach Chris Mooney was a guest on College Sports Today after Spiders' victory over VCU.
There's more on East Brunswick's win at The Hun School here.
Mercer (15-6) ended a two game losing streak with a 63-57 win at Essex. Mustafa El-Amin scored 19 and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Vikings.
Shooting 32.1% as a team, Northwestern (12-9) lost 64-49 at Nebraska.
Washington State tripped up Oregon State (11-9) in Corvallis, 71-68.
Fairfield faces St. Peter's in Jersey City while Richmond looks for a third straight at UMass.
Around the Ivy League: Oh, Dartmouth (4-12 / 0-2). The Big Green actually held a 10 point lead with the ball in the final two minutes at Harvard (10-6 / 2-0) before the Crimson made three shots behind the arc (and were fouled on another) as they rallied to force overtime. Once they took their first lead since 2-0 on a Laurent Rivard trey, Tommy Amaker's team never trailed again. Yale (7-12 / 1-1) also required overtime, getting past Brown (7-9 / 1-1) by a 76-64 final. A three from Brian Barbour at the horn did not drop and Columbia (9-7 / 1-1) went down 66-63 at home against Cornell (9-10 / 1-1).
Less than a full day after traveling up north to watch Princeton recruit Spencer Weisz in person for the first time, I was able to make a shorter but equally rewarding trip into Princeton this afternoon to see future Tiger Amir Bell and undefeated East Brunswick face Hashim Moore and 13-4 The Hun School.
My observations and Robert Solomon's photos follow after the jump.
You may want to read the site's original profiles of Amir Bell and Hashim Moore for further information on each player plus quotes from each's coaches and many a video.
Louisville vs. Georgetown - 12:00 pm ET - ESPN
MCCC vs. Salem - 2:00 pm ET
Northwestern vs. Nebraska - 3:00 pm ET - ESPNU
Washington State vs. Oregon State - 5:00 pm ET - Pac-12 Network
Dartmouth vs. Harvard - 2:00 pm ET - NBCSN
Brown vs. Yale - 2:00 pm ET
Cornell vs. Columbia - 7:00 pm ET
East Brunswick is undefeated and ranked third in the state of New Jersey. Their coach credits Princeton recruit Amir Bell and teammate Rob Ukawuba for staying at a public school.
Craig Robinson thought his photo that went viral earlier in the week was pretty funny.
For the first time since when Tom Noonan was a senior in high school, I had a chance to catch a game featuring a current Princeton recruit in person.
Choosing Shabazz over Shabbat, I took the train up to Essex County on Friday night in order to watch Spencer Weisz and Seton Hall Prep host Newark's Malcolm X Shabazz.
My observations and Robert Solomon's photos follow after the jump.
The site's original recruiting profile of Weisz can be found here.
Bragging rights in Hoopstown USA went dramatically to Richmond (13-7) last night. The Spiders rallied from down seven with :39 left in regulation, including a three pointer right before the buzzer that sent their game against #16 VCU into overtime. Chris Mooney's team then outscored the Rams 17-5 during the extra frame.
Sydney Johnson picked up his 99th career victory as Fairfield (11-10) easily defeated Marist, 71-37.
Princeton recruit Steven Cook was named MVP of the J-Hawk Martin Luther King Shootout.
VCU vs. Richmond - 7:00 pm ET - CBS Sports Network
Marist vs. Fairfield - 7:00 pm ET - ESPN3
Since their dismal performance against Iowa, Northwestern (12-8) has been playing some inspired basketball. Facing a third straight ranked team, the Wildcats befuddled Minnesota, taking control with an 18-4 second half run on their way to a 55-48 triumph.
Denver (11-7) did not fair well at New Mexico State, shooting 3-18 from three point range in a hard-to-watch 53-42 loss.
A 74-66 decision over Washington gave Oregon State (11-8) their first Pac-12 victory of the campaign.
Ian Hummer cracked the Top 100 in StatSheet's national player rankings.
There's a feature on Kareem Maddox in advance of Newcastle's trip to Birmingham.
Tonight it is the Black & Blue classic wherein Richmond and VCU will face off. Fairfield will also host Marist.
Around the Ivy League: Penn (3-15) led as late as the 5:25 mark of the second half versus Temple until an 11-0 Owls run sealed the Quakers' fate.
Minnesota vs. Northwestern - 9:00 pm ET - Big Ten Network
Denver vs. New Mexico State - 11:00 pm ET - ESPNU
Washington vs. Oregon State - 11:30 pm ET - Pac-12 Network
Penn vs. Temple - 7:00 pm ET
Princeton recruit Hashim Moore and Hun lost on a last second layup at The Lawrenceville School.
Mercer (14-6) fell 74-58 at Essex.
Been a bit since I checked on Dan Mavraides. Since joining Juve Caserta, Mavraides has been averaging eight points per game in these six contests, including a first start for his new squad their last time out.
Tonight Northwestern matches up against Minnesota, their third straight ranked opponent. Denver plays at New Mexico State and Oregon State hosts Washington. All three games are televised nationally if you're looking for some late evening viewing.
In case you missed it, the above screencap of Craig Robinson behind President Obama went viral yesterday. Robinson also spoke to The Grio in advance of the inauguration.
There's the "can beat anyone, can lose to anyone" cliche and then there's Georgetown (13-4). 48 hours after going down at cellar-dwelling South Florida, the Hoyas went on an 18-0 second half run to glide past Notre Dame on the Irish's floor. ND had won 47 of their prior 49 home games.
Fairfield (10-10) lost their fifth straight, 65-60 to Loyola (Md.)
Here's the latest collection of videos from various corners of the Princeton basketball family. Above, The Bucks County Bungee Jumpers doing their thing at Jadwin Gym.
15 (!!!) additional videos, including four separate Tiger recruits in action, after the jump.
Loyola (Md.) vs. Fairfield - 7:00 pm ET
Georgetown vs. Notre Dame - 7:30 pm ET - ESPN
Could the commitments of Amir Bell and Spencer Weisz mean more New Jersey player on future Princeton rosters?
Northwestern (11-7) used their 1-3-1 defense to confuse #2 Indiana in the second half as the Wildcats almost came back from 17 down before falling to the Hoosiers 67-59.
Tonight Fairfield hosts Loyola (Md.) and Georgetown continues on the road at Notre Dame.
Indiana vs. Northwestern - 1:00 pm ET - Big Ten Network
Princeton recruit Spencer Weisz had 15 points and 12 assists for Seton Hall Prep at the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge.
Darien Brothers scored a career high 39 as Richmond (12-7) recorded the victory of the day among Carril Cradle teams, 81-61 over previously 15-2 Charlotte.
Denver (11-7) continues to find their lone season in the WAC to their liking. The Pioneers won their seventh straight, 68-57 over Utah State.
Georgetown (12-4) fell short at South Florida, 61-58.
USC topped Oregon State (10-8) by one. The Beavers had the ball in the lane as time expired but could not get off a legitimate look at the basket.
Mercer (14-5) lost 66-53 to Harcum.
Before the football gets underway, Northwestern hosts #2 Indiana. Listen to an excerpt of Bill Carmody on Sirius XM College Sports Nation.
Around the Ivy League: Harvard (9-6 / 1-0) was able to overcome a 20 point deficit at Memphis but once the Crimson took the lead the Tigers closed on a 16-4 run across the final 6:40. Columbia (9-6 / 1-0) used a 13-0 second half run to create enough space between themselves and Cornell (8-10 / 0-1) in Ithaca. Penn (3-14 / 0-1) returned to their losing ways, falling 79-59 to St. Joe's at the Palestra. In a bit of a surprise, Brown (7-8 / 1-0) built as large as a 49-29 second half lead in their conference opening victory over Yale (6-12 / 0-1).
princetonbasketball.com was founded on April 28th, 1998 in an attempt to provide fans of the Princeton Tigers and Ivy League basketball with the best on-line source for up-to-date news and information. We have since expanded to launch a companion site, Georgetown Basketball News.
As these sites have continued to grow we have increased our coverage to include additional teams with Princeton connections - the Richmond Spiders, Denver Pioneers, Oregon State Beavers, Fairfield Stags and Mercer County Community College Vikings - plus former Tigers playing professional baseball and basketball all over the world. This site is not directly affiliated with the Friends of Princeton Basketball, Princeton University or the Princeton athletic department.
Sun. 11/10 vs. Florida A&M
Sat. 11/16 at Butler
Wed. 11/20 vs. Lafayette
Sat. 11/23 at Rice
Tue. 11/26 vs. George Mason
Sat. 11/30 at Bucknell
Sat. 12/7 vs. FDU
Wed. 12/11 at Rutgers
Sat. 12/14 at Penn State
Fri. 12/20 vs. Portland*
Sat. 12/21 vs. Pacific*
Tue. 12/31 vs. Kent State
Sat. 1/4 at Liberty
Sat. 1/11 at Penn
Sun. 1/26 vs. Kean
Fri. 1/31 at Harvard
Sat. 2/1 at Dartmouth
Fri. 2/7 vs. Columbia
Sat. 2/8 vs. Cornell
Fri. 2/14 at Brown
Sat. 2/15 at Yale
Fri. 2/21 vs. Dartmouth
Sat. 2/22 vs. Harvard
Fri. 2/28 vs. Yale
Sat. 3/1 vs. Brown
Fri. 3/7 at Cornell
Sat. 3/8 at Columbia
Tue. 3/11 vs. Penn
2,503 - B. Bradley, 1962-65
1,625 - I. Hummer, 2009-13
1,550 - D. Davis, 2008-12
1,546 - K. Mueller, 1987-91
1,451 - P. Campbell, 1959-62
1,441 - C. Robinson, 1979-83
1,428 - B. Earl, 1995-99
1,365 - B. Scrabis, 1985-89
1,321 - G. Petrie, 1967-70
1,292 - H. Haabestad, 1952-55
1,277 - G. Lewullis, 1995-99
1,239 - B. Taylor, 1970-72
1,207 - S. Goodrich 1994-98
1,133 - F. Sowinski, 1975-78
1,130 - R. Hielscher, 1991-95
1,122 - C. Thomforde, 1966-69
1,099 - T. Manakas, 1970-73
1,090 - J. Wallace, 2001-05
1,088 - C. Belz, 1956-59
1,079 - B. Hauptfuhrer, 1973-76
1,076 - B. Roma, 1976-79
1,071 - C. Mooney, 1990-94
1,064 - A. Hyland, Jr., 1960-63
1,062 - L. Brangan, 1957-60
1,057 - A. Hill, 1973-76
1,054 - D. Mavraides, 2007-11
1,044 - S. Johnson, 1993-1997
1,031 - J. Hummer, 1967-70
1,010 - W. Venable, 2001-05