Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
Postgame audio - Dan Mavraides:
Trailing by one on the final possession of the night, with the clock dwindling down to single digits, Princeton’s Dan Mavraides drove to his left from the three point line and got his man in the air with a pump fake, setting up a clean look at an angled nine foot jumper. The shot did not connect, but Mavriades still had a tick to curl into the paint and push up a second shot between two Lafayette defenders from just inside the free throw line.
This high jumper came up well short of the rim, the referees did not stop play to whistle a reach-in foul and time expired on Princeton’s sixth straight loss, a 54-53 decision.
Tiger head coach Sydney Johnson waved his open hands towards the officiating crew in dismay before walking across the floor to shake hands with victorious Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon.
“We came off looking for a shot for [Doug Davis] off a high ball screen to see if Pavel [Buczak] could roll and get an easy layup,” said Mavraides of his team’s last offensive series. “[Davis] swung it to me, the clock was ticking and I took a pull-up jump shot that I know I can make and it didn’t fall this time.”
Mavraides and junior center Pawel Buczak each tallied 11 for Princeton in defeat.
Lafayette’s Michael Gruner, who had missed six games this season with a thigh contusion, led all scorers with 15, all but three coming in the second half.
Princeton opened up a 14-7 lead 10 minutes into the game on Marcus Schroeder's flat-footed three point shot created out of the post by Buczak. After not playing a minute in the previous three games, Schroeder got the start versus Lafayette as part of a restructured Princeton lineup. Mavraides joined Schroeder, Buczak, Davis and Kareem Maddox for the opening tip in place of freshman forward Patrick Saunders, who will be away from the team for the next week because of what Coach Johnson called "a family matter."
The Tigers were 2-14 from three point range in the first half and the high percentage of these misses were open, high percentage shots, set up through great inside/out passing and rotation on the perimeter. While Princeton was sharing the ball and setting up the right shooters in the right positions for success, they could not convert these opportunities. If some of these looks had gone down, the Tigers' defense was attentive enough that Princeton could easily have been up by 12 or 15.
"We feel like we're a good shooting team and we show that in practice and we've shown that in certain stretches of the games throughout this season, but we really need a 40 minute effort," Coach Johnson said following his team's one point loss.
Instead, Lafayette pulled even at 16 with 3:34 to go when Andrew Brown struck on the baseline off an inbounds pass and was fouled by Davis. Lafayette took their first lead of the game a minute later after Davis held Brown on a drive and Brown made both ends of his one-and-one.
Freshman guard Max Huc, on the floor for the first time for Princeton, drove left and scored off glass while being fouled by Jim Mower. Huc pushed Princeton back up one with his free throw and Maddox extended that lead to three when he saw his initial drive blocked but stayed with the possession and laid home the loose ball.
Two free throws by Brown, held by freshman John Comfort, who played a career-best 12 minutes for the Tigers on Tuesday, cut the lead down to one and an open three by Brown gave Lafayette a 23-21 lead at intermission.
Princeton shot 9-28 in the first half (32.1%), 2-14 from outside (14.3%). The Tigers were 1-3 at the line, both misses coming in the early minutes by Buczak. Lafayette did not perform at a much higher clip, turning the ball over nine times while going 7-21 from the field (33.3%), 2-6 from deep (33.3%) and a perfect 7-7 at the stripe (100.0%). The Leopards outrebounded the Tigers 21-13
Mavraides used a Buczak pass and screen to put Princeton back in front to start the second half, but an answering three from Michael Gruner rolled down to send Lafayette up 26-24.
Trailing by two, Princeton went to a zone defense for an extended stretch that confused the Leopards on multiple possessions as the Tigers retook the lead.
Nick Lake was wide open in front of the Tiger bench for his only basket of the game to make the score 29-28 Princeton and Davis fed a rolling Buczak for a layup and foul as Nick Petkovich was unable to slide over in time. The Tigers were up four with 13:59 remaining.
Princeton continued to play great defense the next time Lafayette had the ball, but Jeff Kari stuck a deep three with one on the shot clock.
Zach Finley could not finish off glass inside for the Tigers and at the other end Kari connected a second time from outside. When Darion Benbow popped a baseline jumper Lafayette was suddenly the team on top by four.
Davis pushed the ball in transition following a Mavraides steal and found Buczak abandoned under the basket for two. Betkovich could not hit from outside for the Leopards, and Davis got some space at the other end using a crossover dribble and scored from deep, his first basket of the night. Princeton led 40-39.
Gruner was able to curl for a three at the top of the key with the shot clock expiring to send Lafayette up 42-40 with 8:55 to go. Maddox would even the scoreboard 30 seconds later when he flushed home Mavraides' short hook shot as it bounced gently off the rim.
Huc was inattentive on a Lafayette inbounds pass, leaving Gruner open cross-court to give Lafayette the lead again by three. At several critical junctures in the second half, Princeton lost sight of their defensive responsibilities. "If we're paying attention to what we've got to do, maybe Gruner isn't shooting at a great clip," Johnson said. "We have to make those in-game adjustments."
A lefty push shot in the paint by Davis lifted Princeton up one with six minutes to go. That lead would double when Mavriades answered two Jared Mintz free throws with a three pointer that changed the score to 51-49 Tigers.
With Ryan Willen holding the ball on the arc, the paint suddenly, inexplicably opened up and the 6'8" freshman forward lumbered straight to the basket and awkwardly dunked the ball with both hands to tie tie score with three minutes left.
Princeton spent too much time dribbling away from the basket on their next possession and Schroeder lost control with one second on the shot clock, the ball ending up in Kari's hands. Gruner was fouled on the run by Jason Briggs from behind, the ball rolling off the rim after the whistle sounded.
Gruner converted both chances to make the score 53-51 Leopards. Buczak cleaned up a wild Mavraides shot to tie things for the seventh time.
Brown was short on a three for Lafayette, but Gruner grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Buczak as he scooped a shot up in the paint. His first attempt was good, giving Lafayette a one point lead with 1:18 to go in regulation.
Gruner's second try came high off the rim to the left, but Gruner was able to sprint to the baseline and track down his own miss, calling time out when he was surrounded by three Princeton defenders.
When play resumed the Leopard possession should have concluded when Gruner was too strong on a three out of the corner but Lafayette retained possession as Lake was whistled for having his foot on the sideline when he leapt to try and save the ball before it deflected into press row.
Mintz tried to feed the post with :30 to go, but the ball bounded straight to Briggs, who controlled it with two hands and Princeton called time, hoping for a 14th and final lead change.
"We drew up something we thought we would have a solid look at and it just didn't work out," said Johnson after Mavraides' two attempts to win the game came up short.
"It is a tough one to stomach right now."
Notes:
-Princeton finished 20-53 for the game (37.7%), 7-21 from deep (33.3%) and 6-8 at the line (75.0%). Lafayette was 10-23 from the field (43.5%), 8-20 outside (40.0%) and 12-16 from the charity stripe (75.0%).
-Princeton had allowed just 33 three pointers over their first nine games but Lafayette connected eight times from behind the arc.
-For the fifth straight game, the Tigers committed fewer than 11 turnovers.
-Lafayette won the rebounding war 36-28.
-Doug Davis finished 2-10 from the field, but had four assists, five rebounds, two steals and no turnovers.
-Former Tigers Jimmy Lane, Kyle Koncz and Kevin Steuerer were all in attendance last night.
