Seton Hall too much for Tigers

The men's basketball team dropped its fourth straight game last night, 65-55, to Seton Hall at Jadwin Gym. Seton Hall (6-0 overall) is undefeated on the season, while Princeton has stumbled to 2-4.

The Tigers never led, but after a 10-point halftime deficit grew to 19, Princeton cut it to 10 with just under five minutes left and pulled within nine with one minute, 20 seconds remaining. Unfortunately for Princeton, however, Seton Hall hit its foul shots down the stretch to seal the victory.

While the teams played evenly for most of the game, the Pirates used two key stretches — at the end of the first half and early in the second half — to establish their lead. Head coach Sydney Johnson '97 saw these stretches, fueled by Tiger turnovers, as the home team's downfall.

"They certainly used turnovers to their advantage," Johnson said. "They created points, so obviously [the end of the first half] was a key stretch."

Senior forward and co-captain Kyle Koncz, who led Princeton with 15 points, agreed with his coach's assessment.

"There were stretches where we were competing hard," Koncz said. "We had some lapses, and those lapses really hurt."

Senior forward and co-captain Noah Savage also dropped 15 points, while sophomore center Zach Finley added 14 points and 11 rebounds. With that effort, Finley became the first Tiger to post a double-double since Judson Wallace '05 notched one in January 2005. Finley, Princeton's leading scorer this season, is proving to be one of the Tigers' most consistent scoring options, possessing both poise in the post and the ability to finish with either hand.

"[Finley is] getting the ball in the post, and he's got the confidence now to score, where last year he looked to pass," Koncz said.

Though Seton Hall rotated three different big men on Finley, he kept his cool, even after taking a serious knock to the face in the second half.

"They had some size, and it's tough to play against," Finley said. "But I got loose on a couple in there, and I really could've done better on a few."

Thirteen of Savage's 15 came in the second half, as he hit three threes in the final two minutes to keep Princeton in the game.

Seton Hall shot 53 percent from the field, executing well against the Tigers' zone, while on the other end, the Pirates forced 14 turnovers without allowing a single Princeton backdoor layup.

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The Tigers finished shooting 44 percent from the field, including six of 18 from beyond the arc.

Seton Hall scored on its first possession of the game, and though Finley answered with an inside move, the Pirates took a lead they would not relinquish. Princeton remained close for most of the half, never letting the margin exceed six, and drew within two with 3:36 remaining after Savage backed down a defender for a hook shot.

Seton Hall, however, ended the half on an 8-0 run that included a transition dunk and a near alley-oop, where a Pirate forward banked in an off-target pass. The Tigers had the ball with under a minute left and the score 31-21, but Princeton could not cut into the deficit as the Seton Hall faithful — represented well in the stands — rose to their feet.

Seton Hall shot 56 percent in the first half and scored 12 points off Princeton's 10 turnovers. The Tigers shot 45 percent in the opening frame, led by Koncz's 10 points and Finley's seven points and seven rebounds.

Seton Hall's defense was active from the onset, forcing an early shot-clock violation, while its full-court press forced a Princeton turnover.

Seton Hall continued its defensive pressure early in the second half, allowing only one field goal in the first seven minutes, while its press forced Princeton to burn a timeout after a Pirate basket. Koncz eventually ended a scoring drought of over four minutes to cut the lead to 11, but Seton Hall would stretch to 45-27 after a deep three. Three straight Tiger baskets — including two clever dribble moves by sophomore guard Lincoln Gunn — cut the lead to 12, but Seton Hall answered with another three.

Princeton will try to avoid a fifth consecutive loss against another Big East team at Rutgers on Saturday, and Johnson is confident the team can move on from last night's disappointment.

"We're not used to losing, and we're not going to get used to losing," the first-year head coach said. "We have to embrace competing. We are tremendously disappointed, but now we're moving on to Saturday."

"We need 40 minutes of good basketball, and we're getting 29, or 33, or 36. But it's coming."