Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Douglas Davis & Dan Mavraides:
Princeton heads into their annual 17 day exam break with a program record-tying 11th DI non-conference win after a methodical 68-57 victory over Marist.
Five Tigers hit double figures as Princeton built a 20 point first half lead.
Their advantage cut to five midway through the second half, the Tigers responded with eight straight and the buffer never returned to single digits.
Princeton converted seven of eight free throws in the last 2:21 before an unencumbered Brendan Connolly's two-handed slam with under a minute to play pushed this edge back to where it sat at halftime, 17 .
Back-to-back three point shots for the Red Foxes - after missing their first 14 attempts - made the final count a touch deceptive.
"I don't think it was pretty, but I've been around a little bit and I think I see these guys were working hard," said Tiger head coach Sydney Johnson. "I think we hit a stretch there in the second half where we weren't making shots. One or two of them I wasn't happy with, four or five of them I was. It just didn't go down."
Ian Hummer's face-up jumper from decent range over Pieter Prinsloo on the Tigers' opening possession gave them the lead they would retain throughout. Prinsloo missed badly a second time from outside the arc and Hummer found Connolly off the glass to double the score.
There was plenty more Hummer in every statistical category as the game started to unfold - blocking an Adam Kemp layup try before feeding a cutting Patrick Saunders, who was fouled by Jay Bowie and converted both free throws. The second of these free throws was Princeton's 1,000th point of the season.
These would be Saunders' only two points of the game. Last year at Marist, Saunders shot a perfect 8-8 from the field. On Wednesday night he was 0-6.
A slashing Dan Mavraides went too strong on a drive, accidentally setting up a two-on-one break for Marist. R.J. Hall facilitated Candon Rusin for a layup that got Marist into the scoring column.
Mavraides' tough pull-up midrange jumper over Bowie was followed shortly by a Douglas Davis jumper in transition after Rusin threw the ball right to Davis as he attempted to pass up top.
The lead at eight, Johnson brought Kareem Maddox, T.J. Bray and Mack Darrow in off the bench, with Will Barrett right behind them after Hall converted a pair of free throws.
Marist countered with a zone, which Darrow defeated nicely by splitting a left baseline double team and going between this wall for two off the glass.
Hummer kept the lead at eight with another high-arcing jumper from increased distance, this from the opposite side. Sam Prescott lost the ball off his foot, but regained in time to pull up on a drive for two. The score was 14-8 Princeton with 11:15 remaining in the half.
Darrow's extra pass set up Mavraides from deep behind the line on the right side. As the ball sailed to the rim, a whistle sounded and Alexis Anell was called for a foul. Mavraides made all three chances at the line, the start of a 16-2 Princeton run.
Kemp wrapped a pass around to Korey Bauer inside to draw the Red Foxes within seven, but the game's next 13 points belonged to the Tigers.
Off a Darrow rebound of a Bauer miss from outside, Davis pushed the issue and was fouled by DeJuan Goodwin, making both attempts.
As Princeton broke the next time down the floor, Mavraides pulled up for three up top and the lead was 12. The shot was a rare trey for the Tigers, as both teams struggled from the perimeter. Princeton missed their first five tries and all players not named Dan Mavraides were a combined 0-10 in the half.
Saunders drove, lost an assist when Connolly could not control his dish, but still saw Princeton come away with points when the ball deflected right to Maddox on the opposite block for a layup.
Hummer doubled on the left block found a cutting Maddox, who floated by Kemp's block try for two off the glass.
When Hummer went around and under Prescott, then Davis added a finger roll, the score was 30-10 Tigers and Marist called time with 4:41 left in the first.
"Up to this point we've gotten every team's best game" was a sentence spoken by Mavraides reflecting on Wednesday's action. While the Red Foxes hadn't shown much to this juncture, they did respond with their best game and eight straight points.
First Menelik Watson spun for a short jumper over Saunders. Darrow from the top and Mavraides from the left side were both short, then Hall scored going to his left. Davis continued the difficulty from distance, then Rusin was fouled by Saunders from behind. Darrow threw the ball right to Hall, who was off the other way.
Hummer overloaded the Red Fox zone at the free throw line and exploded to his left for two. Watson went glass on Darrow, but Darrow made up for that play with a stellar drift screen that allowed Mavraides to slide back to the left corner and toss in a Maddox delivery.
The lead 15 and the ball in Princeton's hands, Sydney Johnson did something he immediately regretted.
Hall had missed a three pointer and Saunders found Davis streaking up the right side. Maddox was available breaking on the left wing for a diagonal alley oop. Just as Davis was about to pass the ball up for Maddox to throw down, Johnson called time out.
All Johnson could do was grin, realizing what he had done.
"That was awful," Johnson joked. "I owe Doug an assist somewhere down the line."
When play resumed, Davis came up short on a three, the possession deflecting back to Princeton off Kemp's leg. With the shot clock now dark, Davis deferred to Mavraides, who fed Hummer on the right block. Maddox followed into the lane and dunked with two hands between Kemp and Prescott as time ran out. The lead had been restored to 37-20.
The inside/outside shooting splits were drastic for both teams. Princeton made 12-18 inside the arc (66.7%), 2-12 outside (16.7%) for 46.7% overall. Marist was 8-20 inside the arc (40.0%), 0-10 outside (0.0%) for 26.7% overall. The Tigers were a perfect 7-7 at the line, Marist their equal at 4-4.
Mavraides led all players with 11 points.
Hall and Connolly traded layups to start the second frame.
Bowie made two free throws after Mavraides fouled him on an inbounds curl under the hoop. Davis answered with a nifty pull-up beyond Kemp's reach, but it would be Princeton's only basket over the next nine possessions.
Kemp's left baseline pull up over Connolly got the Red Foxes on their way. After a Mavraides jumper from the free throw line sailed wide right, Watson deftly switched to his left hand in the air and scored over Hummer.
Prescott's use of an interior screen for a short jumper drew Marist within 41-30.
The lead decreased to five when Hall scored inside at the 11:04 mark.
A Mavraides cut freed Davis on the right wing and for the only time in his seven tries, his outside shot went down.
Maddox drove to his right and looked to pass in the air as the whistle sounded, but was rewarded with two free throw shots. Both were true.
Help defense by Maddox forced a tie up of Kemp and Princeton was given possession. Saunders' triple try from the right was off, however Hummer sailed in to keep the possession alive - a possession that ended with a Davis jumper for a 49-36 score.
Hall had his foot on the line when he hit from the wing before Mavraides zipped a pass to a cutting Maddox as a late-to-arrive Kemp could only watch the ball go past him for a now routine two hand slam.
In the final six minutes, all of Princeton's points came from one of two columns:
Column A: Free throws.
Column B: Brendan Connolly at point blank range.
After isolating Maddox on the right wing, who drew Watson's foul as he drove past - Mavraides did the same and was able to get up to the iron as the whistle sounded. Both free throws were on the mark.
A doubled Hummer spotted Connolly inside alone as Marist attempted to trap on the wing.
The Princeton advantage sitting at 57-47 with 3:42 showing, A posting Maddox went to Hummer in the center of the lane who immediately completed the triangle with a split second bullet to Connolly on the other side of the rim.
As Marist looked to foul and prolong the time left in which to try and rally, Davis made a pair from the line. Then Mavraides did the same.
Finally, with the result almost solidified, Mavraides lobbed a pass to Connolly all alone in the center of the paint. The sophomore center only had to turn to the middle, go up and dunk to conclude his 10 point game.
After an 0-14 start from three point range, Bowie and Alexis hit within four seconds of one another to set the final margin at 68-57. This did not take away from the decent job Princeton did protecting the three point line.
I think that some of their shooters got open looks and missed them," concluded Mavraides. "I don't think we did a fabulous job on the perimeter but I do think the pressure was there. We were doing a decent job of talking to each other on our switches."
Now the attention shifts: first to final exams, then to the fourteen Ivy League games that will define this team.
"The task is far from over - it hasn't even started," said Johnson. "I'm thankful for how they've competed. They should feel good about themselves to this point, but the reality is the task is just about to begin."
Notes:
-Mavraides led all scorers with 16. Davis finished with 15, Maddox 12 off the bench, Hummer 11 and Connolly 10. Hummer's line also included team highs of seven rebounds and five assists.
-Prescott's 12 in reserve paced Marist.
-Princeton finished 22-51 from the floor (43.1%), 3-18 from deep (16.7%) with Mavraides 2-4 and 21-24 on free throws (87.5%). Marist was 21-62 (33.9%), 2-16 outside (12.5%) and 13-15 at the line (86.7%).
-33.9% shooting is a season low for a Tiger opponent, as is 12.5% three point shooting.
-The nine Red Fox turnovers were a Marist season low.
-A hideous block call on Maddox late in the second half nearly earned Johnson his second career technical foul. With play stopped for the sub-4:00 media time out, Johnson traveled out to center court in disbelief to disagree with the referee's decision and had to be directed back to his huddle by assistant coach Martin Bahar.
-It was Vernon Bugg Appreciation Night at Jadwin Gym, and many in attendance, from Princeton Athletic Director Gary Walters, to Roger Gordon to team manager Lawrence Schuler wore shirts in Bugg's honor.
