Men's Basketball: Tigers’ upset bid denied in final seconds

The men’s basketball team shot 3-for-9 from the free throw line in the first half and went on a seven-minute scoreless streak in the second. But despite its struggles in key areas, Princeton built a valiant late run off strong defense at North Carolina State in the TicketCity Legends Classic.

Down 58-55 with 41 seconds left in the game and N.C. State in possession, the Tigers were forced to foul four times to get the Wolfpack into the bonus. But guard Lorenzo Brown squandered his opportunity to put the game away, missing the front end of a one-and-one opportunity. After Brown missed the free throw, junior center Brendan Connolly came down with the rebound, and with 21 seconds left to play, senior guard Doug Davis did what he does best, sinking a three-pointer to tie the game at 58-58.

Unfortunately for Princeton, the Wolfpack had some magic of its own. With only four seconds left, center DeShawn Painter nailed a long jumper just inside the arc from the top of the key. Junior forward Ian Hummer’s desperation heave fell short, and the Wolfpack (3-0) survived a dramatic upset bid from the Tigers, winning 60-58 over Princeton (0-2).

“We had a tough time getting stops, but we made the shots when we needed to,” Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried said on ESPNU after the game.

Princeton fell to the Wolfpack in Raleigh despite flashes of last year’s NCAA Tournament team, in a game that was eerily similar to last season’s final contest against Kentucky. This was the first victory for N.C. State against Princeton since 1952, as the Tigers had won the last five meetings in the series.

Despite a much improved showing in the team’s second game, the tenure of head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 has begun with two consecutive losses.

Even while the offense sputtered, Princeton held the hosts in check with very tight defense, and the Wolfpack was only able to make an 8-0 run over the seven-minute scoreless span, as the Tigers hung within four points. During that span, the Wolfpack took its first lead of the game since being up 4-3 in the game’s opening minutes, going ahead 44-42 when center Jordan Vandenberg scored on a layup midway through the second half.

The Tigers ended their scoring woes when Hummer made two free throws with seven minutes, 19 seconds left to play. A minute later, Davis made two of his own after a technical foul, a bright stretch in an otherwise dismal free throw performance from Princeton. With the clock at 5:36, senior forward Patrick Saunders hit a three-pointer to cut N.C. State’s lead to one point.

For the next three minutes, Hummer and Connolly traded baskets with Wolfpack guards until Alex Johnson connected on a corner three-pointer, and the score stood at 58-55 before Davis’s three with less than a minute to go.

The Tigers lived by the trey throughout the first half. Less than a minute into the game, Hummer stepped behind the arc on the left side, burying the ball with his newly developed three-point shot. Hummer and sophomore guard T.J. Bray provided an early spark for Princeton on both sides of the ball — Bray picked off Wolfpack guard C.J. Williams at the 17-minute mark, getting the basket and a free throw; moments later, Hummer came up with a steal of his own, forcing Johnson to cough up the ball before gliding to an open layup on the break.

Davis was red-hot from the field throughout the first half, making three of four from beyond the arc, which the Tigers needed as the Wolfpack tightened up defensively inside the paint.

“Princeton played phenomenal basketball and shot it well,” Gottfried said. “They’re a tough team to play against. They shot it well, but we found a way to win.”

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Princeton consistently applied defensive pressure on N.C. State during the first half, forcing turnovers and making Brown and Williams take several tough jump shots. The Wolfpack was all over the offensive glass, however, grabbing nine offensive boards and scoring 11 second-chance points. Despite this, the Tigers kept N.C. State at bay with strong outside shooting from Davis, Saunders and junior forward Will Barrett. Princeton led by nine points, its biggest lead of the game, after a Barrett layup put the Tigers up 31-22.

The Wolfpack’s patience on defense paid off as forward Richard Howell and Painter led the comeback. With 1:08 left in the half, Painter came down with an offensive rebound off a missed Williams jumper. 15 seconds later, Brown fed Painter for a layup, and the score stood at 35-32 at halftime. Princeton was 6-7 from beyond the three-point line in the first half, but the Tigers were cold at the free throw line, going only 3-9 at the stripe.

The Tigers will have to put the tough road loss behind them as they look for their first victory this season when they return home this Saturday to face Buffalo.