Muncie madness: Men's hoops tops Weber State, Ball State to win tournament

While the game of basketball was born in Massachussetts, its heart and home truly reside in Indiana — the Hoosier State. Many followers of the "peach-basket game" have traveled to the heartland, only to have their passion for the simple beauty of the sport elevated to greater proportions.

This weekend the men's basketball team, perhaps disheartened following dispiriting losses to open its season, flew to Muncie, Ind., got back to the basics of the game — passing and defense — and returned home champions.

Friday night, Princeton (2-2 overall) knocked off Weber State (3-3) in overtime, 65-60, in the opening round of the First Merchant's Bank Classic and claimed the title from host Ball State (2-3) the following evening, 49-47.

"I think we really came together this weekend — we got big wins," sophomore guard Kyle Wente said. "The first one is always the hardest.

I think everybody is more confident now."

Youth movement

Though their captain, senior center Nate Walton, returned to action following an ankle injury against Weber State, the Tigers pulled out the win because of the efforts of their younger players. Following a furious last minute comeback by the Wildcats, and with seniors Walton and guard C.J. Chapman having fouled out, Princeton's young squad outscored its Big Sky conference foes 10-5 in the extra session.

Despite giving up a few inches to three of Weber State's players, Princeton stayed in the game by running its vaunted motion offense — opening up passing and cutting lanes for easy layups. Though he was shut out in terms of points, Walton registered a game-high seven assists, while Wente and junior forward Mike Bechtold each poured in 13 points.

"Kyle probably won the game for us Friday night," Walton said. "[Freshman guard] Eddie Persia played really well I'd put him in the same class as Mike and C.J. as the three best shooters on the team. Andre Logan gave us a lot of big spurts. He can do a lot of things."

Saturday night, Princeton faced a Ball State team that had won its tournament for six consecutive years, and 14 out of the 16 years in which it had been held. Fresh off a victory against Division III Anderson the night before, the Cardinals came into the contest looking to bring home the crown before more than 5,000 faithful fans at Worthen Arena.

On this night, however, the Tiger veterans showed how Princeton basketball is supposed to be played. Princeton held the defending Mid-America Conference champions to 35 percent shooting for the night (17 field goals on 48 attempts), in a marked improvement from the sloppy defense exhibited against Monmouth the week before.

"Against Monmouth there was a lack of energy [and] communication," Walton said. "Against Weber State and Ball State, we played a lot better as a team. We played much better defense. I'd say defense is probably the biggest difference between [the two weekends]."

Princeton trailed 28-20 early in the second half, but answered back with a 17-4 run to quiet the vocal supporters. Ball State responded and seized the lead, 45-41, with 4:44 remaining before a Walton put-back and a Chapman three-pointer — his only points of the night — gave the Tigers the lead for good with 3:35 left.

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While Princeton exhibited strong defense on one side of the floor, it showed savvy and cunning at the other, patiently working the ball around the perimeter and waiting for a good shot to become available. Of the Tigers' 19 field goals against the Cardinals, 11 came off assists.

The versatile Bechtold, who played center and forward during overtime against Weber State, scored 14 points and shot a torrid 50-percent (4-of-8) from three-point range in the championship game.

Bechtold also snagged four defensive rebounds on the night. For their efforts during the two games, both Bechtold and Walton were named to the all-tournament team.

The Weber State game marked the first victory for head coach John Thompson '88, and the Ball State win begat his first win streak. Though the Tigers stumbled out of the gate, the trip to the basketball heartland has given Princeton new strength.

"I don't think you can overstate how big this was for us," Thompson said.