M. basketball looks to extend winning streak at Monmouth

On Saturday, men's basketball will face a team that, like Princeton, earned a spot in last season's NCAA tournament. The similarity ends there. While the Tigers (4-2 overall) have maintained their impressive level of play from last season, Monmouth (1-5) has spiraled downward. The Hawks enter Sunday's contest with a three-game losing streak, the last two defeats coming by identical 70-50 scores.

Although Princeton may not continue this trend, the team can enter the game against Monmouth confident it should continue its opponent's losing woes. Buoyed by Wednesday's impressive victory over instate rival Rutgers, a team that had beaten the Tigers for the past five years, Princeton looks to build on its three-game winning streak.

The Hawks' two most impressive players are forward Blake Hamilton and guard Dejan Delic. Hamilton, an athletic 6'7'' senior, reached the 1,000 career point milestone during Monmouth's lone win this year. He is the team's leading scorer with 14.7 points per game and can make a similarly important impact on the boards.

The Tigers have relied on three-point shots to ignite their offense. Specifically, 56 percent of the team's field goal attempts have come from downtown, and 34 percent of those have found their mark. Led by junior guard Scott Greenman and freshman forward Noah Savage, each of whom have tallied 11 threes for the season, Princeton has been able to extend its opponents' defenses. Virtually any Tiger player is a threat to hit from a wide range of spots on the floor, which effectively disrupts the zone-style defense the Hawks plan to employ.

"No matter what you do with the zone, ultimately to some extent it comes down to making some long-range shots," head coach Joe Scott '87 said.

While Princeton is known for its proficiency from behind the three-point arc, Delic is no slacker in that area either. Thus far, he has drilled 17 long-range shots. Although he does not play as many minutes as the starters, he provides a crucial spark off the bench when Monmouth needs a boost; he has quietly become their second leading scorer with 11.5 points per game on the year.

Despite these two offensive threats, point-scoring has been the Achilles' heel for the Hawks. In the three games in which they fell behind by large margins, they were unable to mount an effective run to get back into the game. Against Seton Hall, Monmouth was outscored 42-18 in the second half. In a 69-65 loss to San Diego State, they allowed a 14-point second half lead to evaporate. The Tigers' smothering defense should be able to apply enough pressure on the Hawks to produce similar effects.

In Tuesday's NCAA rankings, Princeton was third nationally in defensive field-goal percentage, holding its opponents to 37 percent shooting. The Tigers also placed third in scoring defense, allowing a mere 51.8 points per game.

In addition to their vaunted defense, the Tigers showcase depth on the offensive side. In Princeton's six games, five different players have led the team in scoring.

Although Princeton is averaging only 52.3 points per game this season the team has managed to claw out four wins in its first six games. More importantly, the Tigers have improved their rebounding and have given themselves multiple opportunities to score.

"Our second shots might not be put-backs," Scott said, "but our second-shot opportunities can be more devastating because we get the ball again, and you have to guard us."

Sunday marks the first day of a four-game road trip for the Tigers. Nine of Princeton's first 10 games are away from Jadwin.

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"To me, the road makes you tough," Scott said. "You have to learn how to win games in different fashions. You don't go on the road and blow somebody out by 20."