Men's Basketball: Princeton falters in CBI semis

The men’s basketball team’s strongest season in six years came to a stop last night when it fell to a young but talented Saint Louis squad, 69-59. Princeton (22-9 overall, 11-3 Ivy League) gave the Billikens (23-11) a tight first half before Saint Louis pulled away in the final minutes. A 15-0 run that Saint Louis started at the end of the first half and finished in the beginning of the second gave the Billikens a lead the Tigers could never quite overcome.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle that saw 10 lead changes. Guard Kwamain Mitchell put the Billikens on the board a minute in with a jumper. Senior center Pawel Buczak netted Princeton’s first points with a layup. The teams continued to trade baskets, with neither squad able to distance itself.

With 4:01 remaining in the half, the Tigers trailed by two points. Saint Louis then began its run, holding Princeton scoreless for those last minutes. The Billikens built a 38-29 advantage going into the half. The Tigers missed their last eight shots.

Mitchell paced Saint Louis with 17 points in the half, and forward Willie Reed added 10. Princeton shooting spread evenly, with no single player making it to double digits.

Princeton had eight turnovers in the half to Saint Louis’s seven. The Billikens, however, scored 16 points off the Tigers’ errors while Princeton only had five points off of Saint Louis’s mistakes.

The Tigers refused to go down without a fight in the second half. Trailing by double digits for most of the half, Princeton brought the game within eight twice and within six once. But the Tigers could never pull any closer.

The closest Princeton ever got was when senior center Zach Finley scored a reverse layup at 5:05, bringing thescore to 49-55.

The Tigers netted a few dunks, including one from Buczak at 6:58 and another from sophomore forward Ian Hummer also slammed in two points at 1:48 to bring the score to 62-53.

Junior forward Kareem Maddox led the Tigers with 16 points. He also added five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Sophomore guard Doug Davis had 14 points, two assists and a steal.

Princeton held Mitchell to four points in the second half, but was unable to slow down Reed, who netted another 10. The sophomore duo of Mitchell and Reed combined for 41 of Saint Louis’s 69 points.

Princeton’s greatest strength this season has been dictating the pace of play with their dominating defense. The Tigers entered the night leading the nation in fewest points allowed per game, with 52.2. Princeton also excelled in field-goal defense, holding rivals to an average shooting percentage of 39.5. The Tigers faced a similarly formidable defense in St. Louis, as the Billikens boasted a field-goal defense of 39.8 percent going into the game. Saint Louis was able to hold Princeton to 44.4 percent shooting. But the Billikens finished with a gaudy 54.5 percent shooting percentage.

Though the season is over, Princeton has a lot to look forward to next year. While a handful of important players will graduate, the Tigers return a solid core and will be well positioned to contend for the Ivy League title.