Tigers welcome Gaels

Fresh off its exciting 59-57 season-opening victory against Central Connecticut State, the men's basketball team will strive to ride its momentum into a match-up against Iona tonight at Jadwin Gym.

While Iona (0-1 overall), which finished 2-28 last year, might not represent as fierce competition as last year's Northeast Conference champion Central Connecticut State, Princeton (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) has plenty of areas to concentrate on tonight. Offensive and defensive improvements would nicely complement a win as the Tigers gear up for next week's EA Sports Maui Invitational in Hawaii, a tournament that includes the perennial powerhouse Duke Blue Devils.

"Iona is an important game for us," captain and senior forward Noah Savage said. "We were happy to get the win against CCSU, but the game also revealed a lot of stuff we need to work on."

In particular, Princeton had difficulty sinking its shots, shooting only 19 percent from the field in the first half. Although the Tigers found the bottom of the net in the second half, their first-half slump led to an eight-point halftime deficit.

Sophomore center Zach Finley sparked Princeton's offense after being plagued by foul trouble in the first half. He scored 22 points in the game on 10-of-11 shooting, but the Tigers can't afford to get into the habit of starting slowly.

On the other side of the ball, Princeton, which had the best scoring defense in the NCAA last year, believes it can suffocate its opponents even more.

"We are focusing on ... improving our defenses — both man and zone — and becoming more fluid with the offense. Obviously we also have to focus on making more shots," captain and senior forward Kyle Koncz said.

A balanced offensive and defensive effort tonight would make it difficult for Iona to pose much of a threat. Last year, the Tigers beat the Gaels 57-46, and, in the five times that the two teams have faced each other, Princeton has never lost.

Like the Tigers, Iona has a new coach, Kevin Willard. He previously held the title of associate head coach under Rick Pitino at Louisville and boasts a stint with the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach.

Despite a loss in their season opener against Roger Morris, the Gaels do have some offensive talent, particularly behind the arc. Iona was 10-of-19 from the three-point line against the Colonials. The Tigers, on the other hand, shot just seven for 29 from behind the arc against CCSU.

If Princeton eliminates its offensive struggles and manages to get off to a quick start, the Tigers must still be wary of an Iona team that will refuse to quit. Though the Gaels trailed by 14 in the second half against Roger Morris, they rallied to pull within one before falling in the end, 72-66.

While the Tigers have their list of areas for improvement, they are also looking at the positives from their game against CCSU, not the least of which is a mark in the "W" column.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"We still want to continue doing a good job on the things we did decently on Sunday (against CCSU), which would include rebounding both defensively and offensively," Koncz said.

Princeton matched Connecticut State's 33 rebounds, but Iona was also competitive on the boards in its first game, pulling down 42 rebounds to Robert Morris' 41.

Still, the Tigers will most likely have a rebounding advantage, considering that their opening opponent was stronger than Iona's.

Another Tiger positive was their free-throw shooting, an area of weakness last season. They reached the stripe 11 times, converting on eight opportunities. Last year, Princeton got to the line only 357 times (144 fewer than its opponents) and shot 67 percent.

Iona matched Princeton's free-throw numbers for its first game, also hitting eight of 11.

The Tigers will take the court after just two full days off, while the Gaels will visit Princeton three days after their season opener.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to compete again so soon after our first game," Savage said. "We need to keep up the intensity and focus that we played with in the first game."

In tonight's game, Princeton seems to hold the advantage, especially defensively, but it might come down to three-point shooting. The threat of an upset is particularly dangerous when a team gets hot from behind the arc, and Iona is capable of doing just that.