UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Not even the return of injured senior forward Mason Rocca could dig the Tigers out of an early hole Wednesday against Penn State, as the Tigers ended their season by bowing out in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, 55-41.
Rocca entered the game with eight minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the first half after having missed the last three regular season games. His entrance helped halt some of the Tigers' early bleeding. Down 21-5 after a Jon Crispin three-pointer, Princeton closed the half by matching the Nittany Lions and went into the locker room down 31-15.
"They just jumped on us and controlled the game from the outset," head coach Bill Carmody said. "We never really threatened them."
Poor shooting served as the Tigers' Achilles' heel during the opening half. Princeton couldn't hit the open looks it had and went 6 for 23 from the field, including an 0 for 11 performance from behind the arc. The Nittany Lions on the other hand, were on fire from outside of the arc, hitting on 6 of 9 behind an almost perfect shooting clinic from Crispin and his older brother Joe.
Full circle
Ironically for the Tigers, the season ended as it began, against a big-conference team that pushed Princeton out of the game before it really even had a chance to get in it. In Princeton's first game, Nov. 12 against Syracuse, the Orangemen used a 16-0 run early to push the Tigers into a 27-6 deficit and out of the game. Princeton ended the first half with only 11 points before rebounding in the second half to lose 60-43.
And again, the Tigers would come back only to fall short. Spurred by a strong performance from sophomore center Chris Young, Princeton would close the score to 42-32 with 7:45 remaining. Young collected two steals and scored 10 points during a span that saw the Tiger offense run like clockwork and the Nittany Lion shooters cool down.
Princeton pushed the Penn State offense into hurried shots — mostly from the outside — that refused to fall. But the Tigers couldn't get closer than double digits. Two tip-ins on consecutive possessions by first-team All-Big Ten forward Jarett Stephens pushed the Nittany Lion edge to 14 with 4:05 to go, putting the game out of reach. Stephens had his way in the paint all evening, dominating the Tigers inside, while collecting 16 rebounds and scoring 11 points.
Despite the offensive spurt early in the second half, frigid three-point shooting remained with the Tigers throughout the contest. Princeton ended the contest 1 for 17 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Spencer Gloger recorded the lone three-pointer during the comeback, but also missed six others.
"We didn't make our shots, we didn't rebound and we didn't defend," Rocca said. "When you don't do those things we can't win."
Finale
The return was bittersweet for Rocca, who ended the contest with six points and four rebounds in 25 minutes of play. Rocca sat out only briefly during the second half, using his trademark hustle to boost the energy of the season-weary Tigers. Rocca ends his career having left the Tiger faithful wanting to see more. Just when the injury bug seemed to depart for good this season, it would somehow manage to return and hamper the senior captain's ability to contribute.
"I wasn't able to help the team out," Rocca said. "There's only so much you can do in street clothes."
But injuries seemed to be the story of the whole team the entire season. During the previous seven seasons, only seven Tiger basketball players missed games due to injury. Injured Tigers combined to miss 87 games this season alone.
As the Tigers now look to next season, graduation will only claim Rocca. Princeton had to learn to play without him for most of the season, but lacked a certain intensity and competitiveness during his absence. With that fire gone for good, the Tigers will have to find a new center of intensity.
"I'm not worried about the technical stuff — although I might be crazy not worrying about a 1 for 17 shooting performance," Carmody said. "I'm worried about competitiveness and all those other things coaches talk about."
But on a team which had underclassmen start a combined 112 games — compared to only 33 for juniors and seniors — the Tigers can take comfort in their youth. Penn will lose its starting backcourt to graduation, leaving the door open for a Tiger return to the top.
Princeton has the skills and experience needed to get back to the NCAA Tournament. The big question during the offseason is finding a new catalyst to stay healthy and get them there.
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