Men's Basketball: Tigers top Bucknell on road

It looked like Monday’s horror show all over again. Less than 24 hours after surrendering a 13-point halftime advantage to James Madison University and losing in the final minute, the men’s basketball team watched as Bucknell cut another 13-point lead to one possession on the very same court. But sophomore forward Mack Darrow scored five points down the stretch, including a game-icing three-pointer, as Princeton (2-2) pulled away from the Bison (2-4) for a 66-55 victory.

Darrow, who saw a team-low 17 minutes of total playing time last season, has averaged more than that per game this year and has scored 32 points in four contests. The sophomore grabbed seven rebounds, made all five of his free throw attempts and hit a pair of three-pointers en route to a career-high 13 points. His biggest shot came with just over one minute left, a three-pointer that extended the Princeton lead to seven points and all but clinched the game.

Senior forward Kareem Maddox ended all doubt moments later, slamming home a dunk off a feed from Darrow. Senior guard Dan Mavraides and junior guard Douglas Davis each added a pair of free throws in garbage time to provide the final margin.

The Bison took control early on thanks to lights-out shooting. Bucknell made 11 of its first 16 field-goal attempts — the last three of which were assisted by Darryl Shazier, who finished with a game-high six dimes — to claim an early 24-13 lead.

Princeton clamped down on defense, though, holding the Bison to just two points in the final seven-and-a-half minutes of the first half. The Tigers scored on four consecutive possessions — the last on a three-pointer by junior forward Patrick Saunders — to cut the deficit to two points. Mavraides then took over, scoring the final eight points of the half and capping a 17-2 run to put Princeton up by four at the break. Mavraides finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Davis, who entered the game shooting an uncharacteristically low 24 percent on three-pointers this season, hit three of four triples on Tuesday. His last, assisted by Mavraides on a fast break, gave the Tigers a 52-39 lead midway through the second half. Davis was not the only Tiger to have success beyond the arc: The Tigers shot 44 percent from distance while holding their opponents to just 14 percent.

But the Bison did not go down quietly. Bucknell scored the next 11 points, including eight from G.W. Boon, who finished with a game-high 17. The Bison attempted six free throws during the stretch, which was a rarity in this game: They did not shoot from the charity stripe until the 10-minute mark of the second half.

Defensive rebounding, Princeton’s greatest strength this season, was once again a point of emphasis for the Tigers. Entering the game, the Tigers allowed opponents to grab less than one-quarter of missed shots — good enough to rank in the top 25 nationally — and improved that statistic in Tuesday’s game. Bucknell managed only two offensive rebounds in the first half and six for the game, while Princeton collected 31 defensive boards.

With the win, the Tigers improve to 1-1 in this week’s College Basketball Experience Classic in Harrisonburg, Va. The round-robin event concludes tomorrow, as the Tigers take on Presbyterian at 4:30 p.m. before James Madison hosts Bucknell. Princeton then faces a three-day break before returning home to face Siena on Sunday afternoon.