December 15, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
"One less turnover.
One more block.
One more rebound and we have a totally different record.
Our record is what it is and we're playing the way we are but we need to change it."
- Ian Hummer
Unfortunately, a nagging feeling will pervade Princeton basketball games for the remainder of 2012-13 until there is a reason for it not to.
Like an increasingly uncomfortable itch on the back of your head that no amount of scratching can rectify, the prevailing sense that a lead of any size at any juncture could dissipate will loom.
A season that has already seen the 3-6 Tigers let an 18 point advantage with 13 minutes to go versus Northeastern get away, a 38-31 edge in the final 5:10 at Wagner disintegrate into overtime and a contest they led for 32 minutes of by as many as 13 turn Drexel’s way late found a new manner to deliver agony as a one win Fordham squad came from 10 points down in the final three minutes to further traumatize Princeton, 63-60.
“I am very surprised at this group and what happens to us at the end of games,” admitted head coach Mitch Henderson. “It is concerning and it starts from within. We have to change it.”
What made this loss especially agonizing was that a second half tactical decision on Henderson’s part started a 12-0 run that seemed to have provided Princeton with what should have been enough to secure the victory.
The rest of this recap plus postgame audio from Henderson, Hans Brase & Ian Hummer can be found after the jump.
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December 11, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Howie Levy, MCCC, Princeton, Video
Howie Levy jokingly called it "getting the monkey off his back," but for the first time in five meetings over the past five years the Mercer County Community College finally defeated Princeton' J.V.
Leading 33-32 in the second half, the Vikings (6-3) went on a 12-0 run sparked by the play of sophomore center Filip Sekulic, who recently accepted a full scholarship at Chestnut Hill College.
Sekulic had eight straight during this stretch, including a soft baseline jumper, a two-handed slam and a wild finish after bumping off of Princeton's Bobby Garbade in mid-air.
While some late three point shooting from the Tigers' Ameer Elbuluk helped his team close the deficit in the final minutes, MCCC held on at the free throw line.
Princeton's best chance came on a contested three from Mike Washington, Jr. at the top of the arc with the score favoring Mercer 49-46 with less than 2:45 remaining.
Postgame audio from Howie Levy, a scoring breakdown for the Tigers, some additional notes and even a video montage can all be found after the jump.
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December 9, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Fairfield
Box Score : HD Box Score
If you were to just glance past the final score of Fairfield's 65-52 victory at Rider, you would have no idea what a ridiculous basketball game this was, full of impossible to comprehend statistical oddities.
Read on for a series of bullet point observations on the Stags as well as a few details about the Broncs, who Princeton shall face at Jadwin Gym in 11 days.
Postgame audio from Sydney Johnson can also be found after the jump.
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December 8, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
It is a football cliché, but it is still applicable in Princeton’s 64-57 loss to Drexel on Saturday afternoon at Jadwin Gym.
When Drexel was on offense during the second half, the Tigers’ defense could not get off the field.
A paucity of stops, a lack of defensive rebounding, a series of turnovers before moving the ball over half court and some possession-continuing fouls all led to Princeton’s fifth defeat in eight games.
It was a contest that the Tigers held the lead for the center 32 minutes of, but Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint implemented what he admitted was a rarely-used pressing, trapping defense to turn a 13 point first half deficit into his squad's third victory of the season.
Drexel scored the day’s final seven points, which broke the game’s second tie.
After pulling even on a pair of Will Barrett free throws with 2:32 to go, the Tigers would not score again.
Damion Lee - who paced the Dragons with a game-high 21 points - took advantage of a defensive lapse to convert a three point shot from the top of the arc and send his team in front on the visitors' next possession.
“We lost our way once again at the end of the game,” head coach Mitch Henderson said.
Ian Hummer had 14 of his 19 in the first 20 minutes. Clay Wilson added 12 off the bench and Will Barrett totaled 10.
The Dragons shot 12-19 after intermission (63.2%) and grabbed offensive rebounds on five of their seven misses. This led to a remarkable 19-4 differential on the glass.
A full recap and postgame audio from Henderson and Hummer can be found after the jump.
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December 5, 2012 at 12:48 am
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Georgetown
Box Score : HD Box Score
I took the train up to Madison Square Garden for the opening game of this evening's Jimmy V Classic, which saw Georgetown handle Texas by 23. Read on for some bullet point observations I jotted down while viewing the Hoyas in person for the first time this season.
Postgame audio from John Thompson III and select players can also be found after the jump.
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December 1, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
Every time you might pause for a second and think you've got this year's Princeton team figured out, something like tonight happens.
The Tigers built a 16-2 lead in the first nine minutes despite only one bucket from leading scorer Ian Hummer and undeterred by a pair of rough patches at the end of the first half and the middle of the second were able to record a convincing road result at Kent State.
Contributions were numerous up and down the Princeton roster, from Clay Wilson's three first half three pointers off the bench to Denton Koon's 5-5 shooting the final 20 minutes including a pair of emphatic dunks to T.J. Bray's steady team-best 15 points and six assists versus one turnover. That doesn't even include Brendan Connolly continuing to perform nicely in the post with 11.
Also surprising was a 33-27 advantage on the glass for the Tigers, who shot 11-20 from the field on either side of intermission.
“I thought the rebounding was great and the execution was great too,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson.
The Golden Flashes' star senior Chris Evans did score 18 points but he needed 16 shots to get there, was 0-3 from three point range and had five turnovers.
Postgame audio and the rest of this recap can be found after the jump.
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November 28, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
There's a lot to digest and unfortunately what happened on Staten Island this evening is not going to taste very good for Princeton fans.
Wagner won a game they never led in regulation. Wagner won a game where they scored 14 points in the first half and Wagner won a game where they committed 21 turnovers.
Leading 38-31 with 5:10 left in a turgid contest, the Tigers were uncharacteristically unsettled against extended Seahawk pressure and when Princeton could get into offensive sets they were unable to work out what were once clean looks versus a dwindling shot clock.
A duo of backcourt turnovers by T.J. Bray resulted in four quick Wagner points and while Mack Darrow responded with two conversions at the line the Tigers would go scoreless until the final horn as Jonathon Williams' extended layup off the glass to his left was the only score on either side during the last two minutes.
Ian Hummer missed a pair of free throws with the game tied and :56.2 remaining.
Hummer admitted he tried to do too much to pull the result out for his team, scoring 11 points on an inefficient 5-20 shooting.
While Bray's scoop shot got Princeton back up early into the extra frame, Wagner scored the final eight points starting with an Orlando Parker layup and the rest coming off the line.
Down one with :49.3 remaining after the Seahawks took their long-delayed first lead of the night, Princeton went two-for-one with the ball and the results were an appropriate conclusion to the undoing.
Hummer traveled on a spin in traffic and following a second Wagner free throw an excellent, strong move by Hummer to separate from the defense concluded with an open, potentially-tying layup being left short at the rim.
The Seahawks closed out their home opener with four consecutive free throws.
“We talk a lot about making winning plays and we just couldn’t do it tonight,” said Tiger head coach Mitch Henderson. “I thought there were several moments where either a free throw or a made three – our defense was good enough – would have put us over the top.”
Princeton shot 7-29 from the field in the second half and OT (24.1%), 0-8 from three point range. A 6-13 performance at the free throw line was exceptionally costly.
Williams' 20 led all scorers.
Postgame audio and a full recap can be found after the jump.
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November 24, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
After facing Syracuse's long and active zone defense on Wednesday, Princeton made their delight in going up against Lafayette's less-fearful man-to-man four days later apparent by opening today's game on a 19-4 run and only let their advantage drop under nine once the remaining 75%+ of the contest.
The modus operandi was to go inside, inside and inside with the ball and the Tigers scored 44 of their points in the paint with Ian Hummer recording a career high 28 on 12-16 shooting.
This gameplan also benefitted guard T.J. Bray, who continued his steady ascent to expected form with a personal best of 17 on 7-9 tries and was able to turn a number of cuts into posting opportunities versus smaller defenders. Bray also had four assists against a single turnover.
“I thought it was contagious all night,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson of his team's interior focus. “The ball kept going in there.”
The Leopards entered Saturday's game shooting 40.9% from three point range and averaging over 25 attempts. Versus a stingy and composed Tiger defense the home team opened 1-9 outside and hit a mere 20% of their 15 tries.
Will Barrett also had 13 for Princeton, who shot a season-best 58.0% from the floor. Sophomore Denton Koon recorded his first start of both the season and his career, replacing Chris Clement in the backcourt.
Playing his first game in eight days since injuring his ankle warming up at Kentucky, Australian big man Dan Trist had 10 for Lafayette - as did Tony Johnson.
The Tiger advantage apexed at 58-36 with 8:09 left to play. Princeton never trailed.
Postgame audio and the rest of this recap can be found after the jump.
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November 21, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
It was an admirable yet error-filled performance for Princeton in front of 17,881 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse on Tuesday night.
Facing a formidable foe and a daunting zone, the Tigers fell behind 10-2 in the first four minutes as the sixth-ranked Orangemen grabbed five offensive boards. While the visitors from New Jersey trailed from pillar to post there were actually a good number of positives to take away from the lone regular season contest versus a Top 10 foe this season.
Once the ship was steadied, Princeton hung within hailing range of Syracuse, despite 14 first frame turnovers.
Down 36-25 at intermission and minus 14 with 16:45 to go, the Tigers countered with an 8-0 run to close within 45-39 on a Clay Wilson three pointer. Wilson was the perfect antidote to the SU zone, knocking in five threes on the game.
However, Syracuse quickly responded with a dunk, two layups and a put-back in the two minutes that followed to extend their lead back up to two touchdowns.
Princeton would not see a single digit deficit again and a game-closing 12-3 run over the last 5:45 generated the final score. Wilson's fifth three dropped before this spurt and was the Tigers' ultimate field goal.
In addition to Wilson, Brendan Connolly had 11 and Ian Hummer 10 for the orange and black who committed 24 turnovers. Eight of those were charged to Hummer.
“I thought at times we were OK, but there were just so many turnovers,” said Tiger head coach Mitch Henderson. “They got 19 more shots than we did. We have to be able to take better care of the ball.”
James Southerland's 22 off the bench led five Orange men with double digits. Southerland connected four times from behind the arc.
42 of Syracuse's points came in the paint and 25 of their 73 were generated via turnovers.
Postgame audio can be found after the jump.
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November 16, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
Despite being out-worked on the glass and frequently out-efforted for 50/50 balls, Princeton still stood within a four point shadow of Rutgers in the final six minutes of a true grind-it-out basketball game at Jadwin Gym.
On three straight possessions the Tiger defense rose to the occasion and recorded stops but the offense was unable to capitalize on the corresponding trio of trips down the floor.
“Our defense down the stretch, I was very proud of the guys and I thought we were playing hard but we just couldn’t buy a hoop,” said head coach Mitch Henderson. “We missed a couple easy shots that would have really helped.”
Just over two minutes of scoreless activity came to the close on a pair of free throws by the Scarlet Knights' Austin Johnson and in a fitting verdict-sealer Johnson won away an offensive rebound inside of a wild three point miss by Jerome Seagears and started a three point play with a layup follow.
It was shocking how dominant Rutgers stood on the glass, out-rebounding Princeton by a palindromic 42-24 margin while grabbing 11 second chances.
“It is concerning, because that’s what we want to hang our hat on this year,” Henderson acknowledged. “It is disappointing.”
Eli Carter led the way with 22 points and was the catalyst off the bench for the victors, canning four straight first half three pointers once he entered to see his squad down 10-2 early. Myles Mack added 16, also on 6-9 shooting.
For Princeton Will Barrett had 13 and Ian Hummer 10 along with six assists, four rebounds and zero turnovers. Hummer scored one point in the second half against the Rutgers zone but the Tigers had no outside support to aid Hummer's cause.
While T.J. Bray finally hit from behind the arc he remains 1-19 from deep on the season. Princeton guards combined to shoot 4-20 from the floor as a unit.
Postgame audio can be found after the jump.
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November 13, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
From a designed play for an Ian Hummer dunk off the opening tip onwards, Princeton was in comprehensive control of Tuesday night's home opener against Northeastern, building a lead that would extend to as large as 18 points with 13 minutes remaining in the second half.
What followed was a baffling unraveling. Unable to consistently solve the Huskies' zone defense and standing still when they would have found better opportunities via cutting, the Tigers saw their opponent slowly and surely cut tiny pieces out of their advantage as time ticked down.
Still, the margin stood a bearable three possessions with three minutes left on a free throw by Princeton's Chris Clement.
It would be the Tigers' final point of the night.
A missed bunny layup, a turnover with the shot clock about to expire, a bad foul by Will Barrett leaving his feet and the advantage was but one.
Mack Darrow missed the front end of a one-and-one with 11 seconds to go and on a drive to his left by Zach Stahl that seemed to draw the entire Princeton backline of defense, Reggie Spencer was all alone on the other side of the basket for the game-winner.
A half court fling from T.J. Bray landed well short of its destination and Northeastern had improbably won the game after trailing for the previous 39:58.
"[Northeastern] did everything that they needed to do to come back and win that game and we didn't,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson succinctly.
Hummer was un-defendable in the first half, scoring 21 points on 8-10 shooting. Hummer equaled his career high of 25 on the night but his touches were absent late against the Huskies' 3-2 zone.
Clay Wilson tossed in four three pointers, then went scoreless after intermission.
Quincy Ford had a career best 27 to lead the comeback including 5-6 from three point range and Spencer's 16 included the deciding bucket.
As a team Northeastern shot 57.5% on the night, 23-40 from the field.
Postgame audio can be found after the jump.
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November 10, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Filed under 12-13, Audio, Basketball, Princeton
Box Score : HD Box Score
Welcome back, Will Barrett.
The junior forward's first college basketball game in almost a year was also his finest as a Tiger. Barrett grabbed a career high nine rebounds to go alongside a career high 20 points including the victory-clinching three point shot with eight seconds left.
Holding on by one with 23 ticks to go and 17 on the shot clock, Princeton's Mack Darrow dribbled down the clock under pressure on the perimeter, got into the lane and found Barrett on the right wing for a four point lead, silencing a rabid Buffalo student section that made up the majority of the 4,450 in attendance and sealing the result.
“Mack did a great job coming to get the ball, being strong with it and it just happened that, I don’t know, they left me wide open,” Barrett recounted. “Mack gave me a perfect pass and [I] knocked it down.”
Barrett was an exemplary 9-10 at the free throw line and perhaps most impressively did not commit a turnover.
Support came from suspects both usual and unexpected. Ian Hummer fought his way to 12 points on 5-14 shooting and matched his career high with seven assists while sophomore Clay Wilson hit three times off the bench from long distance - including a possession-saving three launched just inside half court - and added a personal best 11.
Scoreless in the first half, Buffalo's Javon McCrea was unstoppable the final 20 minutes. He had all 22 of his points after intermission and was 10-12 at the line but was unable to tie the game at the stripe with :42.2 showing.
Princeton did not trail in the initial 20 minutes and after regaining the lead with 11:48 left did not relinquish their advantage.
Postgame audio can be found after the jump.
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