It wasn’t pretty, but the result was never in doubt for the Tigers.
After jumping out to an early lead, the Tigers (3–3 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) led the whole way en route to a comfortable 70–57 win over the Northeastern Huskies (2–3, 0–0 Coastal Atlantic Association).
“We had a really rough game up at Iona on Tuesday, so just most importantly really glad about getting a win on short notice,” Head Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 told The Daily Princetonian. “We’re making progress with a lot of games. I can't believe we’ve already played six games.”
Just two days removed from an ugly loss to Iona, Princeton responded on Thursday night at Jadwin with a far more composed, start-to-finish performance. The junior captains, forward Jacob Huggins and guard Dalen Davis, finished with 14 points apiece.
“We need a standard. We have to make changes internally in terms of what we stand for together as a group. And I thought that they did that,” Henderson said when asked about the biggest message after Tuesday’s loss.
However, the biggest storyline of the night was Davis going down with an ankle injury with 4:35 remaining in the game. Davis, who was the top scorer for the hosts, had to be helped off the court by the staff before exiting the contest.
“Definitely [the] ankle,” Henderson said. “We’re gonna find out. He was on crutches.”
Heading into the game, Davis was the leading scorer for Princeton, averaging 17 points per game to go alongside 3.6 assists. The Chicago native received his second career player of the week honor last week following the Tigers’ win over Bucknell, in which Davis scored 25 points.
Once sophomore guard Jack Stanton scored a triple to start the game, both offenses went ice cold. Following the first media timeout, the Orange and Black led 6–0. After trading buckets for the next few possessions, sophomore forward CJ Happy converted from beyond the arc to put the Tigers up 20–12.
The hot shooting continued for the Tigers. Another three from first-year forward Landon Clark put the hosts up 27–16 and marked the fifth triple of the first half for Princeton.
At halftime, it was 33–20 Princeton. The Tigers were shooting 55.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Huskies, however, couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting 30 percent from the field and connecting on zero triples in the first 20 minutes of play.
“We’re gonna have to hang our hat on that [defensive] end. And I thought the defense was very good,” Henderson said.
The majority of the second half was back-and-forth buckets from both teams before an and-one by junior captain and forward Jackson Hicke put the Tigers up 51–35. A key moment for the Tigers came with seven minutes remaining in the game, as Stanton converted a four-point play to put the Tigers up 15. Stanton finished with scoring 13 points, including a trio of threes.
Another part of the Tigers’ success was sophomore forward Malik Abdullahi, who finished with 11 points and a career high nine rebounds.
“I think I’m just like an energy plug to the team so I feel like I just try to work my tail off on the defensive end, and then kind of let the game come to me,” Abdullahi told the ‘Prince’. “That’s [rebounding] one thing I’ve been trying to focus on … I feel like rebounding is one underrated skill to have.”
Despite a poor shooting night, Hicke played a Princeton game high 33 minutes.
Princeton maintained that lead up until Davis’ injury. Following the stoppage, the Huskies finally went on a run, as guard Xavier Abreu hit a triple to cut the lead to seven. For the visitors, it marked their first triple after starting 0/14 in the first 38 minutes.
“Just to see him go down, he’s obviously one of the leaders on the team,” Abdullahi said. “That was just an opportunity for all of us to step up and finish the game out.”
The Tigers managed to stay composed and pull out a 70–57 win. Next up for the Tigers will be the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational hosted at Kissimmee, Fla. The opening game of the three-day tournament will be Monday against Bradley (2–3, 0–0 Missouri Valley Conference).
“We had one day to prepare but in that one day, I felt like all the guys were just paying attention to the little details,” Abdullahi said. “Great by the coaches coming with a great scout for us, knowing exactly what we needed to do.”
Under Head Coach Brian Wardle, the Braves went 28–9 last season and have made three straight postseason appearances. Wardle’s squad is led by guard Jaquan Johnson, who is averaging 19.4 points per game.
Should the Tigers advance, they will play the winner of Temple (3–1, 0–0 American) and the University of California, San Diego (4–0, 0–0 Big West). The Tritons were an NCAA tournament team last season, narrowly losing to No.5 seeded Michigan in the first round of the tournament.
The key for the Orange and Black will be having Davis back on the court as soon as possible. Without him, the Tigers will need to look for options on a bench that lacks meaningful game experience.
“I hope we don’t have to,” Henderson said of playing without Davis.
Hayk Yengibaryan is a head News editor, senior Sports writer, and education director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Glendale, Calif. and typically covers breaking news and profiles. He can be reached at hy5161[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
‘One does not simply stop a Brazilian with a mustache’
Lola HorowitzHow do you get from Princeton to Manhattan? NJ Transit? Uber? Bike? Angelo Kisil Marino GS chose none of the above and ran the whole way there (68 miles, by the way).
How do you get from Princeton to Manhattan? NJ Transit? Uber? Bike? Angelo Kisil Marino GS chose none of the above and ran the whole way there (68 miles, by the way).
Students face ongoing maintenance issues amid delayed repairs across residential colleges
Gus Vogel and Daphne LewisPrinceton students continue to face maintenance issues, including heating issues in Forbes and broken elevators in Yeh, leading to questions about the efficiency of the maintenance process.
Princeton students continue to face maintenance issues, including heating issues in Forbes and broken elevators in Yeh, leading to questions about the efficiency of the maintenance process.
Play the Friday Crossword, ‘Follow The Money’
Luke K. SchreiberGet into break mode with this week’s puzzle ‘Follow The Money’ by Head Editor Luke K. Schreiber.
Get into break mode with this week’s puzzle ‘Follow The Money’ by Head Editor Luke K. Schreiber.