It is fitting for the Tigers (13-14 overall, 8-6 Ivy League) to finish this season with this win. In a season in which they banished the ghost of their Joe Scott-era struggles, they also recorded their first win at Penn’s Palestra in five seasons.
Last month, the Tigers battled the Quakers (10-18, 6-8) to a 62-55 home overtime loss in which Princeton was held without a field goal in the game’s final five minutes. But while that loss was characterized by sloppy play and insufficient rebounding, last night’s victory was the exact opposite: a complete game from start to finish featuring smart, resilient basketball and accurate shooting.
The Tigers held a 27-25 lead at halftime thanks to strong play from junior center Pawel Buczak and sophomore guard Dan Mavraides. Buczak shot 50 percent from the floor, while Mavraides had a team-high seven points at the break.
Penn scored the game’s first five points and held the lead until there were eight minutes, fifty seconds remaining in the half, when a three-point play from Buczak gave Princeton a 19-18 lead. The Tigers relinquished the lead with 1:52 remaining in the half, but a three-pointer from freshman guard Doug Davis gave Princeton the lead it took into the second half.
The Quakers took the lead early in the second half thanks to five straight points from guard Zack Rosen, but Davis and Mavraides combined on an 11-0 run that put Princeton firmly ahead.
The Quakers continued to test the Tigers’ lead, but each time head coach Sydney Johnson ’97’s team responded. First it was freshman guard Patrick Saunders with a huge layup with 11:34 to play. Then it was Buczak with a strong offensive rebound followed by a putback at 7:26. Three minutes later, junior guard Marcus Schroeder drained a jumper and the ensuing free throw to keep the Tigers up four. For every Quaker basket, there was an answer from the Tigers.
With 1:34 remaining and Princeton clinging to a one-point lead, Saunders pulled down a critical defensive rebound.
Though the Quakers dominated the Tigers on the boards for the second time this season — Penn outrebounded Princeton 36 to 23 — Princeton’s depth and consistency gave it a distinct advantage. Mavraides led the team in scoring with 17 points, but Princeton received contributions from the entire squad. Schroeder added five timely assists and Saunders collected four rebounds.
Another huge difference in the game was free-throw shooting. While the Tigers were perfect from the free-throw line, Penn struggled mightily. The Quakers missed five of their 12 opportunities and posted a dismal 42 percent from the charity stripe, including four misses in the final minute.
Davis’ 10-point performance capped one of the most impressive freshman seasons in Princeton basketball history. His 333-point season is the third-best season point total ever from a Tiger freshman — Chris Young scored 387 points in 1999, and Spencer Gloger scored 336 in 2000 — and his 12.3 points per game make him the first freshman in the history of the men’s basketball team to lead it in scoring.
With last night’s victory, the Tigers finish the season tied with Yale for second place in the Ivy League. Though the season was not perfect — before last weekend’s losses at Columbia and Cornell, Princeton was in control of its own destiny for a conference title — it did mark the resurgence of Princeton basketball. After two seasons of finishing in the bottom half of the Ivy League standings, the Tigers have returned to their rightful spot near the top of the conference.
Princeton more than doubled its win total from last year and won more league games this season than it had in its previous two seasons combined.
And so on the very court where the Tigers have struggled in their last few seasons, Princeton basketball flashed its new identity last night. Through solid play from underclassmen like Mavraides and Davis, the message was clear: The Tigers will once again be a force to be reckoned with.
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