Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
St. Bonaventure scored the last eight points of tonight's game, pulling away from Princeton in the final two minutes of a come-from-behind 60-53 victory for the Bonnies.
Jonathan Hall's 18 points paced St. Bonaventure. Andrew Nicholson added 16 of his own, plus nine rebounds and eight blocks, repeatedly deflecting Tiger hook shots in the post.
Jason Briggs and Kareem Maddox each tallied 10 for Princeton. Briggs added a team-best seven rebounds in his strongest game of the season.
Princeton's leading scorer, freshman guard Doug Davis, recorded just two points on 0-8 shooting.
"We knew a day was coming where Doug Davis was going to miss shots, and we still wanted to be in the game down the stretch - and we were."
While the Tigers had previously played two road games this season, both came in front of somewhat disinterested audiences at Army and at Fordham. Against St. Bonaventure, Princeton had to tussle with several hundred Bonnies students wearing matching brown "Wolf Pack" t-shirts standing on the sidelines across from the Princeton bench, taunting and screaming in unison.
It was a hostile atmosphere, one the Tigers quieted early on back-to-back three point shots from Maddox and Briggs. Princeton ran the same center hand-off screen on opposite sides of the floor, both with the same result. Pawel Buczak gave the ball to Maddox behind the stripe on the right side to make the score 3-0. Buczak then rewarded Briggs for a second deep jumper and St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt called an early time out to remind his team that they would have to go over Buczak's screens if they wanted to contest these shots.
The lead was 8-0 when Patrick Saunders inbounded the ball to a cutting Buczak.
St. Bonaventure turned the ball over on their first three possessions, but their fourth time down the floor ended with a Hall three. A long right-handed hook by Nicholson pulled the Bonnies within three.
Leading 9-7 with 13:24 left in the half after a Ray Blackburn high-arcing jumper over Maddox's outstretched arm, Princeton opened up their advantage with a 13-2 run.
A slashing Briggs left the ball for Maddox in the paint, who double-clutched a jumper while being bodied by Hall. Following a inbounds play for Hall, Nick Lake stepped behind a Zach Finley drift screen for the first of his three three point shots.
Saunders cleared out his man inside and laid home a feed from Briggs to make the score 17-9 and the advantage hit double figures when Buczak tiptoed to the basket in traffic for two.
Briggs used another Buczak drift screen on the perimeter to clear enough space for a deep three that sent Princeton up a game-best 13.
Tigers were in front 24-13 on two Maddox free throws with 5:20 to go in the half when Princeton went cold. The orange and black turned the ball over three times and Maddox missed the front end of a one-and-one as St. Bonaventure quickly scored seven straight, the final three coming on a jumper by Michael Davenport set up by a drive from Chris Matthews under the Bonnies' basket.
Davis saw a cutting Finley down the center of the paint and got him the ball from half court, Finley's scoop shot going down as he was hacked across the arm by Da'Quan Cook. The Tigers went into the locker room up 26-20.
As play resumed, so did the Bonnies' run. St. Bonaventure scored the first six points of the second half to take their first lead of the game on running bank shot from Blackburn.
Princeton did not crumble, showing a toughness not seen earlier in the week against South Carolina. As quickly as St. Bonaventure had gone in front, Briggs found Saunders and Princeton had the lead again. Cook's one-handed push flipped the scoreboard the Bonnies' way but Briggs sent the Tigers up 31-29 on another three with 15:03 to go.
Princeton extended that advantage to six. Buczak reversed his pivot in the paint and passed out to Lake in the short corner for three. Hall made one of two free throws for the home team and Buczak did two better, going up from under the rim after a pump fake and scoring while being fouled by Nicholson. 9:44 remained.
The Tigers had two chances to extend that advantage, but Buczak could not spin one in on his way to the basket and Finley could not control a lead pass on his path to the rim.
St. Bonaventure pulled back in front with 6:16 to go as Ray Blackburn made both free throws after being fouled by Davis seventy feet from the hoop. Blackburn was trying to bring the ball up after Tyler Benson came from Finley's blind side to pick off an entry pass.
The Bonnies' lead reached three when Nicholson scored in the lane over Finley.
An entry bounce pass from Briggs to Buczak went back outside on the opposite side as Buczak spun in the paint, Lake setting his feet as the crowd closed on him to tie the game at 49.
Saunders' right-handed hook shot out of the low block gave Princeton a 53-52 lead with 3:05 left to go.
Those would be Princeton's final points of the night.
St. Bonaventure missed two three point shots and were set up for a third try when the ball came out on the perimeter to Ray Blackburn. Blackburn fumbled the ball for a second and Briggs pounced on it, diving to floor of Bob Lanier Court as the officials gave possession back to the Tigers. It was one of several hustle plays by Briggs that fired up his team.
Briggs' coach, Sydney Johnson, praised his co-captain's effort in defeat. "We have two captains in Briggs and Lake. From day one they've been challenged to be the leaders in terms of the effort on the floor," Johnson said. "Jason will be the first one to tell you that effort wasn't there against South Carolina, and that didn't sit right with me. To be a captain for Princeton basketball is something different, something special. I thought that Briggs certainly made a statement in terms of how he understands that now in his effort. It was good to see him show that on the floor tonight and his teammates followed. That's what captains do."
When play resumed, the ball went in to Buczak and he was fouled in the paint. Buczak, who had made all three of his free throws, was long on his first attempt. His second try rolled out and Princeton could not increase its lead.
Saunders was whistled for holding Nicholson inside and the freshman forward converted both his chances.
Now down one, Princeton set up Maddox on the left side of the post, but when Maddox spun baseline he lost the ball off his body and out of bounds, giving the Bonnies possession.
Blackburn got in the lane for St. Bonaventure and passed off to Hall down low to make the score 56-53.
Princeton went inside to Buczak again, but his hook was too strong off the back iron and Davis had to foul with :38 to go. Nicholson made both free throws and the Tigers were down by five for the first time.
Trying to get a good look at the basket, Princeton wasted too much time with needless dribbling, Davis unable to connect from the top of the arc with :10 remaining. Two Blackburn free throws iced the action and the Tigers were heading home with a loss.
St. Bonaventure came into Saturday's game shooting just 57% from the free throw line, but the Bonnies were 18-24 at the stripe in the second half.
"We had a tough one last game out [against South Carolina] and the effort wasn't there, the execution clearly wasn't there. We were different tonight," said Johnson after the game.
"Not good enough to win, but a good step forward."
Notes:
-The Tigers shot 16-49 from the field (32.7%), 7-20 from outside (35.0%) and 14-22 at the line (62.6%). Princeton had 14 assists on their 16 baskets and recorded assists on all nine of their first half field goals. St. Bonaventure was 19-49 on the night (38.8%) and 20-32 at the line (62.5%).
-Princeton played a 1-2-2 matchup zone for most of the game, a defense that they had not used much in previous contests this season. This frustrated St. Bonaventure into 2-17 shooting from behind the arc (11.8%) but also opened up some attack lanes for Bonnies guards.
-Despite 14 offensive boards, St. Bonaventure only outrebounded the Tigers 41-35.
-In a pregame display unlike anything I had ever seen before, the St. Bonaventure ROTC delivered the game ball from the top of the Reilly Center to a referee. A camouflaged officer rappelled from the rafters as ROTC members with fake assault rifles provided "cover" from their positions on the floor. One pointed their rifle right at the Princeton huddle. It was extremely unnerving.
