Logan scores 15 as Princeton demolishes Harvard on Friday

With four minutes, 16 seconds remaining in the men's basketball team's 66-44 shellacking of Harvard on Friday night, senior forward Andre Logan pushed the ball up the court on a fast break, dribbled behind his back to lose his lone defender and coolly laid the ball in off the glass.

When he did, the dwindling number of fans in the student cheering section resurrected a chant that has spent most of the season collecting cobwebs: "Andre! Andre! Andre! Andre! Andre! Andre!"

On a night that saw the Tigers (15-12 overall, 6-7 Ivy League) shoot 70.3 percent from the field while allowing the Crimson (12-15, 7-7) to make just two of their 17 attempts from beyond the arc, the game's final minutes turned into a feel-good session for players and fans alike.

Appropriately enough, Logan — whose final season has been tainted not only by his team's struggles but also by the recurring knee injuries that have robbed him of much of his quickness and jumping abilities — led the procession of razzle-dazzle plays to end the game. In 21 minutes, he capitalized on all six of his field goal attempts, including three three-pointers, on his way to a game-high 15 points.

"Andre was zeroed in," head coach Joe Scott '87 said. "He helped defensively, and he played well tonight. For that kid, with all he's been through, if he can just be real simple here in these last games, I think he can finish out playing well. If he plays well, that helps us out."

When Logan came in off the bench, he immediately cured a Princeton offense that had turned the ball over 10 times in the first 13 minutes of the game while managing just four field goals.

Breaking it open

After a layup by Harvard forward Matt Stehle put the Crimson ahead for the last time, 13-12 with 6:45 remaining in the first half, the Tigers opened a 24-3 run that culminated in a 36-16 Princeton lead two minutes into the second half.

The Tigers were able to build on that lead rather than let it slip away like so many others have this season. Instead of merely seeking to avoid another letdown, they kept attacking, missing just four of their 16 second-half shots. The final 22-point margin of victory was Princeton's largest during Ivy League play.

Many of the Tigers' baskets during the run and throughout the rest of the second half came on fast breaks, often following contested three-point attempts missed by Harvard's perimeter players.

Princeton defenders clamped down on Crimson guard Kevin Rogus — who had made five of 12 three pointers en route to 17 points when Harvard beat the Tigers, 61-57, earlier this season in Cambridge, Mass. — and held him to two points and zero-of-six shooting from downtown.

"That was the key to the game," Scott said of Princeton's efforts against Rogus. "You gotta stop that guy from getting open shots. You're gonna have that kind of challenge in every game you play, and when you're zeroed in, playing to win, that is going to have to be a staple of your program."

Among Rogus' primary tormenters was reserve sophomore guard Edwin Buffmire, who played solid defense, blocked two shots and grabbed a team-high five rebounds in 21 productive minutes off the bench.

Defense creates offense

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After the Tigers' defensive stops, Will Venable led Princeton's seamless transition to offense, racking up 13 points and seven assists in the process. His points came mainly on hard drives to the rim, often thanks to seemingly impossible midair body contortions. Meanwhile, a good number of his assists were cross-court passes resulting in transition threes, either by Logan or junior guard Scott Greenman, who finished with 13 points on three-of-six shooting from beyond the arc.

Logan was also the beneficiary of Venable dishes that led to easy inside buckets, as was senior center Judson Wallace, the fourth Tiger in double digits with 10 points.

Venable and Wallace connected for one of the most exhilarating Princeton plays of the evening, which came with 4:56 to play in the game. Following a Crimson turnover, Venable hurled the ball the length of the floor to Wallace, who took a few dribbles before finishing with an emphatic dunk.

One minute later, Wallace would return the favor, finding Venable for a wide-open layup, which he topped off by smacking the backboard. The basket brought the Tigers' lead to a game-high 25 points.

In the final minutes, Scott emptied his bench, much to the delight of the Orange and Black faithful. A pair of rarely-used guards hooked up for Princeton's final basket when senior Jon Berger, who notched two assists in as many minutes, found sophomore Justin Conway for a backdoor layup. Conway, a former member of the Jadwin Jungle who spent most of the season on the JV roster, was on the court for the first time during his Princeton career.

Conway's bucket received one of the loudest ovations on a night full of cheers. The win did little to improve the Tigers' place in the Ivy League standings, but for a few hours at least, there was plenty of cause for their fans and them to celebrate.