Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
Ian Hummer’s career best 17 points on 9-11 shooting from the free throw line will stand out after an initial skim of the final box score following Princeton’s second straight win, a 65-50 victory over UNC Greensboro, but it was the steady, heady play of Marcus Schroeder that was essential to the Tigers’ success.
Schroeder scored five points, grabbed a team-best seven rebounds, handed out five assists and pocketed three steals in 36 minutes of play, all without a turnover.
"He's a helper," said Princeton coach Sydney Johnson about his senior co-captain. "That's kind of a term we use for him. He helps his teammates, he helps the team and its really showing up. We're just trying to bottle up the positive things that we're doing and hopefully carry them on to the next game."
The Tigers finished the first half on a 15-4 run to take a 35-22 lead at the break. Princeton built a early 16 point advantage in the opening moments of the second half, only to see their edge slowly widdled down to seven in the final six minutes.
Douglas Davis ended a Tiger drought with a bucket in traffic, bouncing a floater home after losing control in the lane and Hummer made both ends of consecutive one-and-one chances at the stripe to create some distance. 11 of Hummer’s points came in the final six minutes.
Princeton had a season high 19 assists on 25 baskets and turned the ball over a season low nine times while shooting an even 50% on the day.
"The guys really trusted themselves," Johnson said of his team's passing against the Spartans. "I think that's a product of that as much as anything."
Dan Mavraides added 13 points, 11 of which came in the first half.
Brandon Evans and Ben Stywall evenly split 28 for the Spartans in defeat.
Pete Brown's dunk opened the scoring. That basket was answered by a wild right-handed push from Davis, who somehow got his creative variation on a traditional free throw distance jumper to go in.
The two teams traded baskets in the early going, with a scoop off glass by Korey Van Dusseen putting the homestanding UNC Greensboro squad up 10-7.
Will Barrett, in off the bench to provide extra length on defense, fired up his first successful three point shot as a Tiger off the left wing to even the scoreboard. Barrett, who missed the first eight threes of his collegiate career, was smooth from well behind the arc.
Brian Cole banked inside to send UNCG back in front, and Ian Hummer answered with a short post jumper to make it 12-12.
Rebounding was a potential concern heading into Sunday's game, given the domination on the glass by the Spartans in their previous two games (+20 versus College of Charleston, +18 versus Samford), but the decision to use junior forward Kareem Maddox off the bench in tandem with Barrett and Hummer helped limit UNCG's second chances the rest of the half. These three long, quick players were able to rebound out of position and jump in front of Spartan players. Princeton outrebounded Greensboro 20-12 in the opening frame.
"We got great contributions from a number of guys," Johnson said. "[Forward] is a position that we have a lot of depth in, we're just hopeful that that will continue."
A posting Pawel Buczak spotted Hummer for a basket and foul from Mikko Koivisto, but Hummer could not complete the three point play.
Buczak found Davis off the elbow and Davis' long jumper made it a four point Tiger advantage.
The run ended with a dunk from Hummer. Buczak tapped out a loose ball after a missed three by Schroeder and Davis spotted Hummer unguarded under the basket from the top of the key. Hummer threw the ball down with both hands and Greensboro called time trailing by six midway through the half.
It was a 20-18 Princeton lead when Pete Brown scored inside, but that was the closest UNCG would hang with the Tigers. Dan Mavraides scored nine straight for Princeton as the visitors from Mercer County took control.
The 15-4 run began with a Schroeder jumper, which was followed by Schroeder finding Mavraides diving to the iron and flicking a leading bounce pass his way into the paint.
Down six, Greensboro tried to implement a press, which Mavriades beat easily over the top for a layup.
Stywall's fallaway jumper cut the lead down to 26-20, but Schroeder's hand-off screen to Mavraides freed the latter for an on target three and moments later Schroeder picked up an Evans turnover and pushed the ball forward to Mavraides for a third drive.
Kyle Randall cut it to 31-22 Tigers with an elbow jumper, but Princeton closed the half out strong.
Maddox's 15 foot jumper with three on the shot clock made it an 11 point lead again, and Greensboro did not hold for the final look despite the shot clock having been turned off. DeAngelo Jackson's errant jumper came with 20 seconds left and Mavraides rebounded. Given time to set up on offense, Princeton's final possession of the opening half ended with a step back jumper from Davis that gave the Tigers their biggest lead of the game as time expired.
The lead continued to grow when play resumed. While Kyle Randall opened the second half scoring by rattling a jumper home, Patrick Saunders quickly responded with five straight. Mavraides spotted an open Saunders for a left corner three and it was Schroeder going diagonal to Saunders next to the basket for an easy layup that made it 40-24 Tigers.
Princeton led 46-32 with 12:15 to play on a lay-in by Saunders, the assist to Buczak.
Evans' three, just the Spartans' second of the game, drew UNCG within 11. A posting Saunders slipped the ball for a cutting Buczak soaring to the rim, but Princeton did not have another field goal across the next 4:30+ of action.
Stywall got his team's third try to go inside and the next time the Spartans had possession Davis fouled Koivisto attempting a three point shot. All three free throws were on the mark and Greensboro trailed 48-40.
A hold by Saunders of Stywall sent UNCG's leading scorer to the line for a one-and-one. Stywall's first attempt was good, the second off target, rebounded by Van Dussen. Davis stole the ball from Randall at one end and scored in the paint at the other end to push the lead to 50-41 with 6:03 left.
"That was a lucky play for us," confessed Johnson after the game. "Who knows how the game would have played out if Doug didn't get that basket."
The drought over, the points began to come with regularity again for Princeton.
Hummer was fouled by Brown and made both free throws.
Hummer tipped an entry pass to Brown away from behind and was fouled after picking up the loose ball. Another one-and-one, another two free throws for the Tiger freshman.
A drive by Hummer and a Maddox reverse rebuilt the lead to its original high water mark of 16 and two more free throws by Hummer in the final minute gave Princeton their biggest edge of the afternoon, 63-46.
While Princeton made at least half of their field goals for the second time this year, it was the defense that carried them during a critical second half stretch where points were a premium, led by their diverse assortment of forwards. "We're not going to have the type of season that we would like to have if we're not good defensively," concluded Johnson. "We weren't making shots and we weren't executing quite the way we could [in the second half], but we were pretty solid defensively."
"If that continues, then we have a chance to do something this year."
Notes:
-Princeton shot 25-50 for the game (50.0%), 4-19 from three (21.1%) but 21-31 inside the arc (67.7%). The Tigers were 11-13 at the stripe (84.6%). Greensboro shot 21-54 (38.9%), 2-14 from three (14.3%) and 6-10 from the line (60.0%).
-UNC Greensboro had a slight rebounding advantage, 33-29, but second chance points were not a huge factor.
-Pawel Buczak had a season best six assists and one turnover.
-Maddox played a season high 15 minutes and grabbed six rebounds.
-Brendan Connolly scored his first basket as a Tiger on a point blank banker in the final minute, found alone next to the rim by Will Barrett.
