'Prince' sports tops 22.5-point favorite WPRB in hoops classic

The Princeton sports world is in balance again.

Penn remembered it had more talent than the men's basketball team, the men's lacrosse team remembered it was good and 'Prince' sports beat WPRB sports Saturday night in the annual basketball game between the campus's two sources of athletics news.

The 44-40 win at Jadwin Gym for the 'Prince' was its first in the last three years, but the sports scribes still hold a 82-3 all-time series edge.

Holder Hall bookies put the athleteics announcers as early 22.5-point favorites, but the gap closed when the gaps started opening in the radio station's once-formidable lineup.

Freshman Zack Pierce, a baseball beat writer and WPRB play-by-play man, decided Thursday to compete with the 'Prince.'

"It's just a better group of people," Pierce said. "I sink or swim with them."

Thanks to the freshman forward's ball-handling and sweet touch from 15 feet out, the 'Prince' was doing more than just treading water against WPRB.

As was expected, the shock-rockers of the radio got off to a fast start, scoring the game's first seven points. What wasn't expected was the resiliency of the writers.

"We just kept on fighting," junior captain Ramesh Nagarajan said. "We weathered the storm — or should I say static — and played our game."

The 'Prince' methodically chipped away at WPRB's lead and went into the halftime break with a two-point advantage. Senior center Andy Funk made his presence felt inside, cleaning up on the defensive glass and containing six-foot five-inch radio personality Jordan Kogler.

In the second half, WPRB made a early run to reclaim the lead. But the 'Prince' wore down its rival with a deeper bench. Eleven dressed and ten balled for the newspaper, while the broacasters only mustered six players.

Sophomore forward Joe Falencki took advantage of WPRB's fatigue late in the second half. After struggling with his touch early in the stanza, Falencki made two big buckets down the stretch as the 'Prince' pulled away.

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Most of the newspaper-people's scoring came from the backcourt, where freshmen Mike Tseng, John Kranzley and Thaddeus Hartmann all utilized their offensive skills. Hartmann in particular hit some shots that demoralized WPRB.

Perhaps the highlight of the game for the radio station was Bill Dunigan's behind-the-back pass to a streaking WPRB guard, netting an easy lay-in. The highlights, however, were few for the sportscasters.

Sophomore guard Nick Wimbush provided the highlights for the 'Prince' on the defensive end, including a block of WPRB captain Ryan Brown. Fellow guard Anuj Basil kept the radio six on their toes with constant pressure.

Junior editors Matt Simmons and Kim Ruthsatz made their presence felt on and off the court. Simmons played some of his patented tenacious defense, while Ruthsatz was solid in keeping track of the score and time.

"If I had to pick one word to describe our performance, it would be solid," Simmons said.

"Solid defense, solid execution on offense. Solid all around — just solid."

"We heard a lot of trash talking in the week leading up to the game," Basil said, "but I'm just glad we led our game do the talking. Better luck next year, WPRB."