Men's Basketball: Tigers drop No. 25 Harvard, 70-62

Throughout the second half of Saturday’s game, the men’s basketball team and No. 25 Harvard exchanged baskets, with neither team leading by more than two possessions. With the score tied at 46 and less than six minutes remaining, the first team to reel off a run would win the game.

That team was Princeton, which outscored Harvard 13-3 over the following three minutes to send the visitors to the ropes. With strong free throw shooting at the end of the game, the Tigers (13-10 overall, 4-3 Ivy League) handed the Crimson (21-3, 7-1) its 23rd consecutive loss at Jadwin Gymnasium, 70-62.

“We found something that worked on offense, and we just kept going to it,” sophomore guard T.J. Bray said of the late-game run. “We tried to get a couple looks each time with the same thing, and we had success with that.”

Students swarmed onto the court after Princeton’s first victory over a nationally ranked opponent since 1997.

“Harvard’s always been a big opponent of ours. We want to come out and play them as hard as we can every time, and it’s just a great rivalry,” junior forward Ian Hummer said. “We’re happy to come out with the win against a great Harvard team.”

Bray hit a floater from the post with five minutes, 14 seconds remaining, breaking the fifth tie of the half. From that moment, Princeton scored 13 points in six possessions against what has been clearly the best defense in the league, capped by two free throws from Bray. The point guard finished the game with 12 points and four assists.

Hummer led the Tigers with 20 points, adding nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks in a stat-stuffed evening. One day earlier, Hummer went 0-for-11 from the field against a Dartmouth defense that made him its focus, loading up the paint with multiple defenders.

“To get that first one to go down was a little different than yesterday, when I was a little frustrated,” Hummer said. “I just knew shots were going to come my way.”

5,266 fans packed Jadwin Gymnasium for Saturday’s marquee event, the first rematch of the Ivy League playoff that Princeton won 11 months ago. Princeton opened the game strong, leading for most of the first 12 minutes as both teams played methodical basketball in the early going.

But the Crimson took command with a 12-2 run late in the half, as reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Keith Wright stepped up, scoring 10 of Harvard’s 27 first-period points. Junior center Brendan Connolly’s dunk provided the only Princeton points in a six-minute span, and the underdog hosts entered halftime trailing by five points.

Both offenses improved coming out of the break, setting the stage for a second-half slugfest. Three-pointers from Bray and junior forward Mack Darrow brought the Tigers within one possession, and Darrow’s layup knotted the score at 33 with 15:29 remaining. Neither team would lead by more than four points for the next 11 minutes until Princeton took control.

“I feel like the team that showed up for the last 12 minutes of this game is a group that’s pretty tough to beat,” head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 said. “We’ve played like that at times all year.”

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Harvard closed the lead to as little as four points in the final minute – similar to last year’s late-game scare – but the Tigers made seven of their last eight free throws to pull away. By derailing the Crimson’s quest for a 14-0 season, Princeton gave the rest of the Ivy League a modicum of hope with half the season remaining.

“We dug ourselves a hole at the beginning of Ivy League play, and we knew we had to come out as hard as we could,” Hummer said. “We’re still in a hole, but it’s a little shallower now.”

Check back on Monday for a full recap of the weekend’s games.