This weekend the men’s basketball team continued its dominant Ivy League performance by beating Yale, 66-58. The win over the defending champion Bulldogs gives the Tigers a perfect 3-0 start in the Ivy League Conference. Earlier this month, the Princeton squad also defeated rivals Penn and Brown. The Tigers, on a six-game winning streak, will now head into a final exam break. They will return Feb. 3 to face Dartmouth.
Despite winning the match, the Tigers struggled early in the game. Princeton shot just 28.6 percent (10-35) from the field in the first half, including an abysmal 1-15 from beyond the arc. However, the Orange and Black made up for their offensive deficiency with hustle plays. Indeed, the Tigers out-rebounded the Bulldogs 23-21, grabbing 10 offensive boards. This led to seven second-chance opportunities. In addition, the Tigers managed to force six turnovers, helping give the team a 24-22 lead after the first half.
The Yale team would quickly respond, establishing a five-point lead in the second half of play. However, the Tigers showed their grit and determination in the match, going on a 10-0 run to retake the lead. Still, the Bulldogs and Tigers traded shot for shot. The Yale squad managed to take the lead again with a bucket by Alex Copeland with just over three minutes remaining.
Once again the Tigers would respond in a crucial moment. The Princeton team scored on four straight possessions as a part of an 11-0 run that would eventually seal the game. The Tigers showed their confidence, making big plays and important stops to claw their way to an impressive 3-0 Ivy League record.
Sophomore guard Myles Stephens led the offensive effort with 19 points, a new career high. Junior guard Amir Bell added 17 points to the Princeton effort, including eight of the 11 points in the Tigers’ impressive 11-0 run. Other standout performances came from senior forwards Steven Cook and Spencer Weisz, who also notched double figures for the Princeton team. Weisz’s 10 points move him to 20th on the all-time scoring list with 1080 total points.
The Princeton team has now won 12 Ivy League games in a row, the team’s longest winning streak since winning 21 in a row in the 2010-2013 seasons.
The Tigers will undoubtedly be looking to keep this momentum alive as they aim for the Ivy League title and an NCAA tournament spot. This year the Tigers will have to contend in the Ivy League tournament. The four-team tournament, approved this year, will determine the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA championships.
However, if the team’s recent run has been any indication for the coming Ivy League matchups, fans of Princeton basketball will have plenty to look forward to in the coming season.
