Finley hits his stride in second

After his debut as the head coach of the men's basketball team, Sydney Johnson '97 could find little about which to complain. Johnson's mentor, former Tiger and current Georgetown head coach John Thompson III '88 surprised Johnson by coming to see his protege's first game as a head coach.

On the court, meanwhile, Princeton (1-0 overall) rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to take a dramatic 59-57 win over Central Connecticut State (0-1).

The victory gave Johnson, for at least a brief time, a better career winning percentage than his well-respected teacher. After the game, Johnson spoke candidly about his former boss.

"He's special to me," Johnson said. "I have huge shoes to fill in terms of what he's done here and what [former head] coach [Joe] Scott ['87] has done here."

Even in his debut, Johnson may not have been the star of the afternoon. That honor went to sophomore center Zach Finley, whose second-half heroics brought the Tigers back from a 24-16 halftime deficit.

Finley, who played only six minutes in the first half after picking up two quick fouls, attacked the basket aggressively throughout the second stanza. After netting the Tigers' first two points of the half, Finley scored eight straight during a two-minute run that ended with 13 minutes, 37 seconds left in the half when the Blue Devils were forced to regroup with a timeout.

Before Finley's onslaught, the score was knotted at 26 — afterwards, Princeton had a 34-29 lead and would never trail again. Overall, Finley hit 10 of 11 shots and finished with 22 points and five rebounds.

"It was tough," Blue Devil forward Marcus Palmer said. "He's real big and wide, and I had trouble getting around him sometimes."

Finley, for his part, struck a humble tone during the press conference.

"I was able to get into position in there and find some open shots," Finley said.

Princeton rung up 43 points in the second stanza behind Finley's efforts, securing the opening-day win. For Johnson, Thompson and every other Tiger fan in attendance, the scoring deluge was likely all the more appreciated after an ugly first-half offensive drought that brought to mind the worst of times in recent Princeton basketball history.

The first 20 minutes were a struggle for Princeton, as the Tigers shot under 20 percent for the first half despite frequently generating open looks on offense. Princeton's shooters were especially woeful from beyond the arc, sinking just one of 14 three-point attempts, and the team's relentless defense was the only thing that kept the game within reach heading into the locker room.

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"We shot really bad," senior forward Kyle Koncz said. "We were able to stay in the game because we competed really hard. Our defense kept us in the game."

The Blue Devils also shot under 40 percent in the first half. More importantly for the Tigers, Central Connecticut's high-scoring guard, Tristan Blackwood, was held to eight points during the half.

"We knew [Blackwood] was the key guy," Johnson said. "He was definitely in our scouting report."

In the second half, though, Blackwood's star power was increasingly overshadowed by Finley's imposing presence in the paint. Finley's dominance inside opened up room on the floor for the Tigers' spot-up shooters. As a team, Princeton shot the three at a 40 percent clip in the second half, led by senior guard Matt Sargeant's three-for-four performance from beyond the arc. Koncz also benefited. After missing all three of his first-half three-point attempts, Koncz hit two of four from behind the line after halftime.

Despite outshooting Central Connecticut State by more than 20 percent in the second period, Princeton was still engaged in a dogfight as the game drew to a close.

With 33 seconds left in the game and the score 59-57 in Princeton's favor, Blue Devil forward David Simmons stole sophomore guard Lincoln Gunn's inbounds pass. Racing to the other end, Central Connecticut State immediately looked to Blackwood to deliver a clutch shot and the win.

Blackwood's three-point attempt from the left wing, however, clanked off the rim and into the hands of teammate Tamir Johnson. Johnson managed to pass the ball out to guard Joe Seymore — who led the Blue Devils with 14 second-half points — but Seymore's last-gasp layout attempt was no good.

The rebound hit the floor, and several Tigers fell on the loose ball to secure the team's first victory of the season and the first of their new head coach's career. Afterwards, however, Koncz drew the focus away from Johnson.

"We want to win for this program," Koncz said. "This program means a lot ... it's not only for our coach, but for our players and the past players [and] past coaches."

Considering that Johnson also has a deep and abiding respect for the Princeton basketball tradition — he was a three-time captain and the 1997 Ivy League Player of the Year as a Tiger — he likely would find no complaint with that sentiment, either.