Men's Basketball: Tigers avoid Hawks run to grab ‘W’

Senior guard Dan Mavraides and junior forward Patrick Saunders lived up to their positions as co-captains, as they and sophomore forward Mack Darrow hit key three-pointers in the second half to hold off rallies by the Hawks. The Tigers’ win was fueled by shots from beyond the arc, as the squad shot a blazing 45.5 percent from three-point distance, along with solid performances down low.

Princeton sprinted out of the gates, scoring eight unanswered points to start the game off two consecutive three-pointers by Saunders and a breakaway layup by sophomore forward Ian Hummer. Hummer and Saunders accounted for all the Tigers’ scoring and assists in the first five minutes and finished as Princeton’s top two scorers, with 17 and 14 points, respectively. St. Joseph’s did not score until three minutes into the game and did not make a field goal until the fourth minute.

The Hawks pulled within five points in the first few minutes for their closest margin, but once Darrow and junior guard Doug Davis joined in raining three-pointers, the Tigers began to run away with the game. Hummer and senior forward Kareem Maddox established dominance down low, and Davis found plenty of success driving to the basket, with two successful lay-ins after dribble penetration.

After freshman guard Chris Clement made his free throw after drawing a foul, laying the ball in off the dribble, Princeton found itself up by 25, at 44-19 with 3 minutes, 35 seconds left in the half.

However, St. Joseph’s began to claw back as the first half wound down. Forward Ronald Roberts’ dunk with 1:33 left in the half sparked an 8-1 run by the Hawks. Guard Carl Jones led the Hawks, sinking two free throws and a jumper in the paint, while guard Patrick Swilling scored the last points of the half, dropping a layup as time expired.

Princeton shot a stellar 58.1 percent from the field in the first half, going 18 for 31, and 46.7 percent behind the arc, going 7 for 15. Hummer led the Tigers in scoring with 12 points on the half, with Saunders and Davis close behind with 11 and 10, respectively.

Princeton won the battle down low, with 20 points in the paint to the Hawks’ 14. The Tigers’ defense limited the Hawks to a 40.7 field-goal percentage in the first half. Princeton also won the turnover battle, giving up the ball five times and scoring 11 points off the Hawks’ eight turnovers. St. Joseph’s was unable to capitalize on any of the Tigers’ turnovers.

The second half started off sloppily for both teams. Jones scored the only field goal of the first five minutes, a three-pointer with 19:01 on the clock. At 18:24, the two teams started trading possession and committed a string of turnovers. Poor ball security and missed shots characterized the opening minutes of the second half for both Princeton and St. Joseph’s.

Finally, Hawks forward Idris Hilliard scored on a jumper in the lane at the 15:10 mark. Princeton earned its first points of the second half a minute later, off two free throws from Maddox. Saunders hit a three with 13:52 left to go to break up a bit of St. Joseph’s momentum, but the Tigers did not have a field goal for four straight minutes after that. Jones led a comeback by the Hawks during Princeton’s cold streak, and the Hawks found themselves down 52-42 with 10:23 left in the game.

Fortunately for the Tigers, Darrow and Mavraides chose the right moment to sink shots from behind the three-point line, awakening Princeton’s offense. The two teams traded baskets, and Hummer took over in the low post, outmuscling the Hawks’ defenders. The Tigers also took advantage from the free throw stripe, going 12 of 14 in the second half.

Still, St. Joseph’s did not give up, and Princeton could not run away with the game. Both teams continued to trade baskets, but the Tigers did not yield their lead and were able to pull out the 74-65 win.

Saunders and Davis led from beyond the arc, leading the Tigers to a 45.5 three-point shooting percentage, and Hummer led the team in scoring, with 17, and rebounding, with eight.

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With the win, the Tigers extended their winning streak to three, leaving Jadwin Gymnasium with a win in their last home game of the calendar year. The squad will travel to Monmouth on Wednesday.