M. basketball has 'Bear' of a weekend

Men's basketball came out of its toughest home weekend of the year bleeding. Princeton (11-9 overall, 5-2 Ivy League) lost Friday night to then undefeated Brown (12-10, 7-1) by seven points 80-73 but followed it up with a win over Yale by the same margin, 56-49.

The biggest loss for the Tigers this weekend was not recorded in the record book, however. Junior forward Spencer Gloger injured his ankle in the second half of the game against Brown, causing him to take a trip to the hospital and miss the next night's game. The team's Ivy season may have turned south on Gloger's turned ankle.

On Friday, Brown and Princeton were able to play a very close game in the first half. The first twenty minutes of the game saw six ties, with neither team holding a lead greater than six points, a lead which the Tigers held with one minute, 48 seconds left in the half. Brown chipped away at the lead as seconds ticked off the clock, however. Princeton had the ball at the end of the first half, with the opportunity to hold for the last shot and go into half time with a guaranteed lead. Instead of taking a shot as time expired, though, Gloger took a jumper with eight seconds still on the clock. Brown got the rebound and pushed it up court in time for Brown guard Earl Hunt to sink a three-pointer with only one second left, giving Brown its first lead in almost five minutes.

At halftime Brown led, 39-37, an unusually high score for a Princeton halftime, but right on track for Brown's fast-paced offense.

Much of Brown's control in the first half as well as in the rest of the game came from the inside. Brown forward Alaivaa Nuualiitia was 8-for-8 from the field in the game, scoring 16 points in only 24 minutes.

Junior forward Konrad Wysocki was effective down low with Nuualiitia out, but neither he nor sophomore starting forward Judson Wallace were able to effectively control the inside, mostly because of Wallace's foul trouble.

Second half pain

Brown's surge at the close of the half did not seem to change momentum all that much, though, as the teams stayed even, until Brown lead, 50-48. With 12:39 left in the game, Gloger fell to the court after driving to the hoop. Writhing in agony, Gloger clutched high on his right ankle. The training staff took him hobbling straight to the locker room.

The Tigers made a basket on the inbound play one second later, but then succumbed to an 11-1 Brown run.

"I don't think we took a pause [after Gloger's injury]," head coach John Thompson said. "They just did what they had to do at that point of the game."

Just when the game looked decided, Princeton climbed back within three with 22 seconds remaining thanks to some remarkable shooting from junior guard Ed Persia.

After a Persia three, sophomore guard Matt Verbit stole the inbounds pass, and Persia fell on the ball. Verbit quickly called a timeout.

"We just didn't have any timeouts left," Persia said. "I honestly think the refs were trying to do us a favor right there and give us a call by calling the timeout for us." The goodwill backfired in one of the most conspicuously-officiated games in the Ivy League this season. Hunt took the two technical foul free throws for the Bears, and, though Princeton was able to get back within three points on its next possession, Brown did not relinquish its lead, winning, 80-73.

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The next night, Princeton kept vague hopes of staying in the Ivy race alive by beating Yale, 56-49, in a game paced much better for the Tiger offense.

Senior forward Ray Robins started in place of Gloger, and starred on the night, scoring 15 points to go along with 12 rebounds.

Wysocki and Wallace were both able to contribute, despite Wallace's fouling out, combining for 22 points in 48 minutes.

Yale could not get much going from its starters, but bench scoring kept them in the game. The Elis were within three almost three quarters of the way through the game, before Princeton shut the door on the win, never letting Yale within six for the rest of the contest.