Tigers drop close games, miss opportunities on road swing

The men's basketball team dropped five of its last seven games and learned that junior forward Andre Logan was lost for the season in a break that was haunted by disappointment.

After dropping games to Rutgers and Rider, Princeton almost turned things around in what would have been a huge upset against then-No. 10 Texas. The Longhorns clearly had the edge in talent, but the Tigers showed a great deal of heart in the contest. Princeton held the lead for much of the game, including late into the second half.

Senior guard and captain Kyle Wente played his best game of the season. He led the team with 14 points and seven rebounds, and hit several key shots to keep Princeton ahead.

Neither team was able to build a sizeable lead, and there were nine lead changes and 11 ties in the game. In the end, the Longhorns prevailed 57-54 in a thriller.

The Tigers' lone win came during their next game, which was at the Cable Car Classic in San Francisco, CA. Princeton managed a 76-62 decision over Texas A&M in the first game of the tournament before dropping the second to Santa Clara, 77-71. Junior forward Spencer Gloger scored 19 points in both contests and was on the All-Tournament team.

Against the Aggies, Princeton shot a sizzling 55.8 percent from the field and also connected on seven of 17 three-point attempts. Sophomore guard Will Venable led the way with 21 points.

Santa Clara proved to be a tougher challenge as they made 30 free throws in the contest and hit over 60 percent from beyond the arc.

The Tigers began the break with losses to both Rutgers and Rider. Junior forward Spencer Gloger shone during the break, leading the team in scoring in half the games, including 26 points in the 76-70 home loss to Rutgers.

It was the Tigers' fourth straight loss to the instate rivals, as Princeton was unable to overcome a poor shooting night in which the team shot only 39.3 percent from the floor and a dismal 26.7 percent from beyond the arc.

The Tigers' woes continued against Rider in a game that they should have won. The Tigers had a 13-point second half lead before falling by a score of 62-59.

Venable recorded his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. For the rest of the Tigers, shooting remained problematic as the team once again shot less than 40 percent from the floor.

The Tigers ended their break with a game against Holy Cross during a blizzard in Worcester, MA. Holy Cross seemed on the verge of busting the game open throughout the contest, but Princeton responded to every spurt by the Crusaders. Neil Fingleton, the 7 foot 6 inch North Carolina transfer, scored eight points in the first half and was intimidating on defense as Holy Cross built a 10 point lead in the first half.

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Princeton came back in the second half, and Gloger nailed a three-pointer to tie the game, 54-54. Holy Cross player Jave Meade, however, broke the tie with his second of two free throws to give Princeton its fifth loss of the break.

Several things may account for the performance of the struggling Tigers. Princeton began the season by attacking the basket off the dribble in order to create open shots from the perimeter. Not only were the Tigers getting and hitting more open shots, they were also getting to the free throw line more and earning easy points at the charity stripe.

As the quality of competition has improved, Princeton has been unable to get to the hoop as easily. Even when Princeton has been able to take it to the rim, the help defense from the opposing team has been stifling. The Tigers may be more effective taking medium range jumpshots off of penetration before the help can arrive.

Princeton returned to the friendly confines of Jadwin Gym last night, easily blowing out Maryland-Baltimore County, 76-43.