Men's hoops wins low-scoring affair

The shot clock was working. Neither team resorted to Dean Smith's famed four corners offense. There was no cover on either hoop.

And yet, on Saturday in Easton, Pa., the men's basketball team and Lafayette somehow managed to combine for just 78 points, despite presumably trying their best to score.

In this low-scoring struggle, the Tigers' offense was a little less bad, and Princeton (2-2 overall) escaped with a 40-38 victory over the host Leopards (1-2).

With both teams unable to connect from the field, it was the Tigers' defense that ultimately won the game. Lafayette had a chance to tie or win on its last possession but was unable to get free for an open look. Guard Marcus Harley badly missed on two off-balance leaners that would have forced overtime.

Lafayette shot just 34.9 percent (15-of-43) on the day, including 26.9 percent in the second half. Princeton also forced 14 turnovers and allowed the Leopards just five trips to the charity stripe all night.

"Even last year, we won tight games because of our defense, not our offense," junior point guard Scott Greenman said. "That's why we were able to win the game today."

In truth, no one needed to be told that offense did not win the game; the Tigers' shockingly poor offensive statistics spoke for themselves.

Princeton shot just 29.4 percent from the field (10-of-34), including four-of-17 from long distance. Each of the six two-point shots the Tigers made was a layup. They also relied heavily on free throws for scoring, going 16-for-21 at the line.

Amidst such lowlights, freshman forward Noah Savage was the lone bright spot for the Tigers on offense. He drained a three to open the game en route to a career-high 13 points. After starting slowly in the first two games of his career, Savage has now put up back-to-back double-digit scoring games, hitting a trio of three-pointers in each contest. Spurred by Savage's three, Princeton jumped to a 5-0 lead less than two minutes in, but then scored only two baskets over the next 12 minutes as Lafayette pulled ahead, 15-10. Another three by Savage and a trey by senior center Judson Wallace closed the gap to 18-17 at halftime.

Only Savage and Wallace had scored for the Tigers at that point, with Savage knocking down all three of his three-pointers before intermission. Wallace would finish with 12 points, his highest tally of the season.

Neither team could pull away in the second half, as the squads traded buckets at a snail's pace. Princeton went on a mini 6-0 run after the under-8-minute media timeout to take a 35-30 lead, but the Leopards tied it at 36 with 3:08 to play.

Senior guard Will Venable then chipped in a big bucket. He drove to the hole and drew contact, making both the layup and the ensuing free throw to put the Tigers up, 39-36, with 2:32 to go. Venable finished with eight points, all in the second half.

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Lafayette missed its final four shots from the floor, closing the gap to one on two free throws. Greenman then hit one of two free throws to provide a slight cushion heading into the final possession.

"We did a good job switching on that last possession," Greenman said. "We've been getting better at communicating defensively, and it showed today."

Greenman and Venable certainly had off days offensively, but their play in other aspects of the game was a big reason Princeton ended up with a victory. They combined to collect 13 rebounds — the diminutive five-foot, nine-inch Greenman grabbing a career high seven — almost half of the Tigers' 27 total boards. Head coach Joe Scott talked at length before the season began about the importance of Princeton's backcourt players rebounding.

They also helped harass Harley, Lafayette's most dangerous scorer, into a two-for-eight shooting performance. He and Andrei Capusan both scored eight points to lead the Leopards, with Paul Cummins and Sean Knitter chipping in six apiece off the bench.