Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
Postgame audio - Zach Finley, Marcus Schroeder, Nick Lake & Pawel Buczak:
Princeton Coach Sydney Johnson had to pause and compose himself.
Asked about his senior class after the conclusion of the Tigers' final regular season game, a 68-56 win versus Penn in which his team built a large enough halftime lead that they were able to cushion a considerable Quaker comeback for the program's 100th victory over their rival, Johnson's voice broke momentarily.
"These four seniors, they've gone through a lot. They've gone though a lot," an emotional Johnson said of Zach Finley, Marcus Schroeder, Nick Lake and Pawel Buczak. "I don't know if you ever win enough games to fill your heart up. I don't know if it is 20 wins, 21 wins...it's seeing them succeed in the face of adversity. It makes me happy. It makes me really happy."
The first half gave Johnson cause for elation. Scoring 23 straight eight minutes in, the orange and black opened up a 35-8 lead and held a 40-14 advantage at the break.
The second half was another story. Penn ran off nine in a row after intermission and kept shaving the Princeton lead down point by point, eventually drawing to 58-51 on a Jack Eggleston breakaway dunk with 2:16 to play.
As the Quakers pulled closer and closer still, with Princeton recording just five second half field goals, Johnson refused to call a time out.
On a night when the school honored four seniors playing their final regular season game, there wasn't much he could tell them that they hadn't already learned.
"They know the guys in our league. They know the other teams. Nothing's being thrown at them that is a surprise," Johnson said. I'm not going to call time out to give them a pep talk. That's just not how we coach and they understand that. It showed a lot of guts on their part and that's what we expect for them to try and figure it out."
Making 10-12 at the line in the waning moments, Princeton could exhale with their 20th win of the season and send the senior class off the floor with one last home win, sweeping Penn for the first time since 2001.
Sophomore guard Douglas Davis, who was held without a point for the first time in his collegiate career the other time these two teams met this season, scored 16 of his game high 21 in the first half.
Starting all four seniors alongside junior Dan Mavraides, Princeton's first change to their starting five since a home loss to Army in the third game of the season, the Tigers raced to an 8-2 edge.
Playing alongside his three classmates was "an exclamation point on our careers" according to Schroeder.
Finley spun to his left from the right block and scored on Mike Howlett. Penn's Jack Eggleston answered with a short hook of his own.
Zack Rosen was unable to convert a jumper and Schroeder pushed the ball at his coach's insistence, Davis trailing the play for a three from the top of the key.
As soon as the Quakers went zone two possessions later, Davis found a window on the right side for his second triple.
An inbounds to Dan Monckton drew Penn within 8-4, before dribbling from Davis drew both Rosen and Patrick Saunders' man. Saunders stepped out on the right side for a soft three to take the lead to seven.
Davis could not connect from the top of the arc, but Kareem Maddox leapt high to rebound between Monckton and Justin Reilly for an offensive board, fouled as he tried to place the ball home. Maddox made one of two and the Tigers had a 12-5 advantage.
When Eggleston drove and kicked to Monckton at the top of the circle for three with 11:54 showing, I doubt anyone in attendance expected the game's next 23 points to go Princeton's way.
Fantastic offensive execution (the Tigers scored over 1.4 points-per-possession in the opening frame) and defensive suffocation (Penn shot 5-21 with 10 turnovers across the first half) was the recipe for the run.
Buczak faked a pass in the post, tried a hook, grabbed his own miss and started a possession that ended with Davis connecting on the left wing.
"He probably got some looks tonight that he didn't get [at the Palestra]," said Johnson of Davis' offensive output.
Rosen came up front rim over Buczak and as Princeton inbounded under their own basket, Maddox found Ian Hummer, just off the bench, for a basket and the harm from Reilly. Hummer had missed all three of attempts at the line in the last two games, but his first try was true.
Maddox went to his left, attempted a short jumper, grabbed the rebound and went back up. The ball hit off the rim, teased going down and then sat lonely on the flat section of the back iron, creating a jump ball that favored Penn. Princeton had an 18-8 lead, but the run was just beginning.
Davis blocked a three try from Penn's Drew Godwin, then connected as he fell backwards at the top of the arc.
Rosen tried a jumper, not expecting Maddox to come from his left side and block it straight into the ground. Maddox frustrated Rosen, the Ivy League's leading scorer, into a miserable one point half on 0-5 shooting.
Davis, who had already hit four times on the perimeter - giving him 66 threes for the year - drove from the arc, switched hands and stopped to bank off the glass.
Maddox drove laterally and drew the defense, finding Finley alone underneath for an easy bucket. Then at the other end Finley returned the favor. Rosen got past Maddox, but Finley slid to the baseline and took the charge, Rosen's second personal.
Penn subbed out its entire lineup for five players from deep in their bench. This quintet was promptly greeted by backdoor pass by Buczak to Hummer for the two-handed slam as Hummer cut behind the mohawked Sean Mullan.
A pair of perfect trips to the line from Hummer sandwiched an easy Buczak layup as Hummer controlled the ball in time to pass down the baseline to his teammate made it 33-8.
When Mavraides picked up a steal and tried to scoop a shot home over Zack Gordon, fouled and converting both attempts in the process, Penn coach Jerome Allen had no choice but to bring Rosen back in, his team trailing by 27.
Eggleston ended the 7:51 scoreless stretch with a basket inside, fouled by Finley on the play.
The lead had extended to such unexpected heights that Johnson could get freshmen Will Barrett and Brendan Connolly some unexpected minutes. A Connolly push shot in the post built a 28 point bulge with less than two minutes remaining.
As Princeton held for the final shot of the half, a Connolly pass was stolen by Monckon, fouled by Connolly with :02.6 to go. Monckton made one of two and Penn was down 40-14 after twenty minutes.
Princeton was 13-23 from the field (56.5%), 5-10 from deep (50.0%) and 9-11 at the line (81.8%) in the first half. Davis' 16 led all scorers. Because Lake and Finley were in the starting lineup replacing Davis and Saunders, the Tigers' bench outscored Penn's 32-0.
Penn shot 5-21 (23.8%), 1-7 outside (14.3%) and 3-5 from the line. The Quakers had two assists and 10 turnovers.
You couldn't have asked for a better pass than the one Finley bounced to a cutting Mavraides backdoor early in the second half. Mavraides lost the ball out of his hands as he tried to grasp it with two hands onto the sideline going up and slammed the basketball on the floor in frustration, unable to believe he let an easy hoop get away.
To Penn's considerable credit, they did not end their season in their locker room at the half. Rosen rose up on the right wing over Schroeder as he caught an inbounds pass from Belcore and hit his first field goal of the night.
Mavraides had another good idea, posting Rosen after Rosen committed his third foul, but Mavraides was called for a hook as he tried to go to the hole.
A long deuce from Monckton and a banker off glass from Eggleston drew Penn within 19. When Maddox lost the ball and Rosen scored in transition it was 40-23.
A bit of order was restored when Finley spotted Maddox sealing off Eggleston and Maddox took the pass, turned to the hoop and went up for the throwdown.
Eggleston threw a pass away and at the other side of Jadwin Maddox soared left and scored under Eggleston to make it 44-23.
A three point shot from Mavraides, set up out of the post by Hummer had the Tigers up 20 with 12:32 remaining.
The lead was a similar size two minutes later when Finley took a zip pass from Maddox inside and went up as Belcore fouled him. Maddox made his first try and missed his second, but swiftly moved left to the point where the ball was deflecting for an offensive board and took his momentum with him to the basket, where Howlett committed the foul. This time both attempts were true.
A great Maddox skip pass set up Davis on the left side for three, but the jumper was off the mark. Rosen found Eggleston for the left-handed dunk and Penn pulled back within 20, a place they would live for the last third of the game.
While Princeton did not take terrible care of the ball (save for two plays I've yet to document) in the second half, they allowed Penn to inch towards them with uneven trades.
Mavraides' line drive three went out of bounds to Penn. The Quakers' Belcore was set up by Rosen on the right wing for a triple. +3 Penn.
The Tigers looked sure to give the ball back to Penn when a Schroeder jumper was blocked by Eggleston and out of bounds off the referee's body with one on the shot clock. Schroeder inbounded to Davis going up on the opposite side of the rim. His first try was short but he stayed with the play for two off glass.
Eggleston answered with a three on the left side before Davis used a spin dribble to create some space, went into the lane and scored as Belcore fouled him. The free throw made it 56-40 with 6:47 showing.
Howlett picked up a deflection at the free throw line and canned a jumper.
Maddox, 1-14 from three this season, tried to double his success from the right corner but came up short.
Maddox had a long drive from the right corner, fouled by Eggleston on his way to the basket. Uncharacteristically Maddox, an 83.3% free throw shooter entering Tuesday, came up short on both attempts off the front rim.
Finley fouled Monckton on a driving teardrop and Monckton made one of two.
A Maddox skip pass to Mavraides was not rewarded with a pure jumper and Rosen drove at Finley high off the glass for two.
While Rosen was unable to do much more than grit his teeth and admire Maddox's palms as they danced in front of his head in the first half, the last four minutes of the game he was able to get into the lane with a running start repeatedly.
Following the final media time out, Mavraides was fouled by Howlett, and Mavraides could only split a pair.
A lead pass by Howlett to Eggleston sailed over the latter's reach and out of bounds. Not to be outdone, Schroeder fired a pass intended for the posting Maddox over the sideline.
Schroeder bumped Rosen on his way into the lane and Rosen made both sides of his one and one.
While Princeton had handled Penn's attempts to pressure in the backcourt quite well, Mavraides was called for a push off that gave the ball right back to the Quakers with just eight seconds coming off the clock, his sixth turnover of the game.
Belcore had a great look from up top, set up by a Rosen drive, but his shot clanged off the rim instead of pulling Penn within seven.
Fouled by Eggleston, Hummer made one of two at the line, part of a much improved five for six effort at the stripe for the freshman.
Again Rosen drove at Finley and drew contact and again Rosen made both of his free throws. The lead was down to single digits for the first time since the score was 17-8.
Over midcourt but under pressure, Mavraides threw an unwise pass that Eggleston timed and intercepted, on his way for a big breakout dunk as Allen called time with 2:16 showing.
Mavraides made one of two at the line as Penn began to foul, but Rosen could not score inside and Howlett's follow was also off the mark.
Kareem Maddox made three of four from the line to rebuild a 62-51 advantage and when a baseball pass over the Penn pressure to Saunders resulted in Howlett giving Saunders a less than friendly bear hug from behind, the Quakers were called for the intentional foul.
Saunders made both attempts, Mavraides was fouled by Monckton and made both of his tries to avoid disaster and sew up the result.
The final regular season game at Jadwin Gym for 2009-10 ended with Hummer's well-timed block of a Mullan layup and Schroeder rebounding, dribbling out the clock and flipping the ball to the referee as time expired.
Princeton was 5-20 (25.0%) in the second half from the floor, but saved themselves by getting to the free throw line 25 times.
Penn flipped the script on the Tigers, shooting 14-26 in the second half (53.8%), 4-7 from deep (57.1%) and 10-11 (90.9%) on the line.
Finley walked off the floor with his arm around Schroeder, both unsure if this was going to be their final college basketball game.
"There's a lot of emotions going on, maybe our last time in Jadwin," Finley said. "We felt lucky to get out of there with a win tonight. The second half was a little sloppy. It is nice to end our Ivy careers on a win, especially against Penn."
While no Princeton team with 20 victories has ever been shut out of postseason basketball and last year's CBI took a team with an RPI of 175 (Princeton currently sits at 125), it is anyone's guess if the Tigers will play again before November 2010.
Johnson and his staff will continue to prepare as if there's bonus basketball for Princeton on the immediate horizon.
"We've won 11 of our last 14 games. We want to keep this thing going. We need to stay in the moment, keep our groove, work on what we have to do defensively, offensively," said Johnson. "We don't want to take too much time off and get out of our rhythm."
As the senior class fielded questions from the media after the game, Schroeder took an opportunity to reflect on a collegiate career in limbo. "The first two years and even a little bit of last year was very difficult," Schroeder stated. "It was sometimes hard to go to practice but all four of us stuck it out. Just to have 20 wins this season means a lot."
What was once laborious has become something Princeton's senior class hopes hasn't already come to an end.
Notes:
-The Tigers shot 18-43 on the night (41.9%), 6-17 outside the arc (35.3%) and 26-36 at the line (72.2%). Penn went 19-47 (40.4%), 5-14 (35.7%) and 13-16 (81.3%).
-Princeton's bench ended the evening outscoring Penn's 47-0.
-Rosen finished with 18 for the Quakers, all but one in the second half.
-Mavraides had 11 and Hummer chipped in 10 for the Tigers.
-Princeton won the battle of the boards 33-27 and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds. Kareem Maddox snatched nine total to go nicely alongside nine points.
-The Tigers did not trail over 80 minutes of play versus Penn this season and have defeated the Quakers three straight times.
-Penn's 42 second half points matched Cal for most against the Tigers this year.
-The Tigers join Cornell and Harvard with 20 or more wins. For the first time the Ivy League has had three 20 win teams in a season. Princeton reached the 20 win benchmark for the first time since 2004.
