Late layup lifts Tigers at Classic

In their first game of the Pepsi Blue and Gold Classic, held this past weekend in Milwaukee, the men's basketball team showed it can compete on the national stage — and in their second game, Princeton showed it can win too.

The Tigers (5-2 overall) took the floor Friday night against North Dakota State (5-2) in the first game of the tournament. Though the Bison overcame the Orange and Black by a final score of 57-50, the Tigers could take consolation in the fact that ND State eventually won the tournament by toppling the heavily favored No. 8 Marquette (9-1), a team whose victims so far this year include perennial powerhouses Duke and Texas Tech.

Princeton came out blazing against the Bison and jumped to a quick 15-point lead behind the scoring of junior forward Kyle Koncz and freshman guards Lincoln Gunn and Marcus Schroeder, each of whom contributed to the early scoring frenzy. After a series of offensive rebounds by the Bison, however, the Tigers let the momentum slowly shift back toward ND State.

In the last few minutes before halftime, the Bison went on a sharp nine-point run, during which Princeton failed to pull together any offensive counterattack. The defensive breakdowns didn't stop there, as ND State then proceeded to score the first five points after the break to tie the game at 26.

"We didn't really run our offense on a couple possessions, let them get a couple things going, and they were right back into the game," Schroeder said.

The second half was largely spent trading scoring runs, as the Tigers were able to eventually retake a seven-point lead on an agile layup by Schroeder. A devastating 14-3 counter by the Bison, however, ultimately led to the Princeton loss.

The key reason for the Tiger's loss was their ineffectiveness in the paint, as ND State out-rebounded the Orange and Black 38-19 overall, including 15 second-chance offensive boards. This provided the Bison with ample opportunity to stage a comeback on the wings of their outside sharpshooter, freshman guard Ben Woodside, who racked up a total of 20 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Koncz led the Tigers in scoring with 13.

Though the Tigers failed to protect their lead against the Bison, they didn't let history repeat itself in their second game of the tournament against the Northwestern State Demons.

In the first round, Marquette handed the Demons a solid 83-67 defeat, sending them to the consolation round, where they faced the Tigers.

At first it looked as though the Princeton was going to let itself slip again. After jumping out to an early 12-4 lead, NW State charged back with a 13-point run to give itself a five-point edge. The Tigers, though, were determined to come home with a win and ultimately held on for a narrow 53-51 victory.

With 50 seconds remaining in regulation play, Princeton was nursing a delicate 51-50 lead and had possession. Senior forward Luke Owings had the ball in the corner and was collapsed on by a Demon double team. He sharply cut the defenders, however, and weaved his way to the basket to give the Orange and Black all they would need for the win with 21 seconds left. Owings was seven of nine from the field to lead all scorers with 19 points.

What made the win even more impressive for the Tigers was the adversity they faced in personnel. Schroeder played in all but two minutes of the previous six games but was pulled midway through the first half after getting into foul trouble.

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What's more, senior captain and center Justin Conway sustained an abdomen injury Friday night, giving freshman Zach Finley his first career start. Finley put together a convincing performance, as he was perfect from the field for eight points. He also grabbed eight rebounds, which was crucial in thwarting a Demon counterattack.

The win provided the Tigers with the knowledge that they can, in fact, close out games against top national teams and should be a confidence booster for their game at home this Wednesday against Lehigh.

"It's really important that we came out of here with a win in the tournament," Owings said. "There were four good teams here, so to get a win over a good team means a lot."