To end non-conference play, Princeton men’s basketball (4–11 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) faced two familiar opponents, both of which they had lost to just a month earlier at the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational. In that tournament, Princeton went 0–3 overall. Facing the Temple Owls and the Vermont Catamounts, Princeton was able to earn redemption in the latter of these two matchups, defeating the Catamounts in a heated overtime matchup, but falling to the Owls by just four points.
The Tigers have struggled to find their footing so far this season. Without the experienced leadership of Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce, combined with the injury of junior guard Dalen Davis, the Tigers have been forced to rely on the efforts of their younger players.
Taking on Temple
Princeton narrowly fell to Temple to extend their losing streak to eight. The matchup was full of physicality, but late possessions ultimately shifted the needle in the Owls’ favor. With Davis still sidelined, the Tigers’ offense relied on sophomore forward Malik Abdullahi, who finished with a career-high 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting and seven rebounds.
The Tigers began the night cautiously as both teams felt out the rhythm. The Orange and Black held the lead for the first five minutes until an and-one handed the Owls control.
For the next several minutes, the Tigers continued to struggle until sophomore guard Jack Stanton knocked down Princeton’s first three-pointer of the night, ending a 5–19 field-goal drought.
From there, the Tiger offense sharpened. A two-handed dunk by Abdullahi brought Princeton within five. A wing three by junior guard Jackson Hicke cut the deficit to three, and junior forward Jacob Huggins converted an and-one to tie the game at 30–30.
The Tigers suddenly looked to be a threat, pressuring the Owls with their possession and leading them to commit fouls. Huggins converted two free throws to complete an 11–1 run for the Tigers.
The Owls hit back in the final 30 seconds, but Hicke answered just before the buzzer with a clean catch-and-shoot three, sending Princeton into the locker room ahead 35–33. The numbers were nearly level: Both sides had managed 13 field goals, with the Tigers just edging the Owls 20–18 in points in the paint.
Coming out of the break, the Tigers looked well-positioned. The second half opened with some brief back-and-forth play until a pull-up by Hicke stretched Princeton’s lead to four.
Over the next five minutes, however, the Owls went on a 10–0 run, shifting the energy of fans inside the building.
The Tigers reacted well. Abdullahi scored on consecutive trips to cut the Owls’ lead to a difference of one possession. A few minutes later, first-year guard Landon Clark buried a wing three and converted the and-one.
The Orange and Black were far from giving up. Princeton quickly moved the ball into Temple’s own half, with Abdullahi pulling their lead back to four. Several seconds later, sophomore forward CJ Happy scored inside to bring the difference to two, forcing a timeout from the Owls.
With 30 seconds left to go, the Tigers called their last timeout down 63–61. Head Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 drew up a clever play, and the Tigers’ execution was nearly perfect, providing Stanton with an open opportunity at a three. His shot was just shy of the net.
“It’s tough, but I’m glad that we got a really good look in that moment,” Henderson told The Daily Princetonian after the game. “It felt good to me.”
With 18 seconds to go, the Tigers were forced to foul. Temple finished it at the free-throw line, 65–61.
“It can feel like the same script, but we’re getting better,” Henderson said after the game. “Our record doesn’t look great, but I like what we look like going into the league.”
Abdullahi echoed the sentiment.
“The last couple of games, we were within five or six points,” he told the ‘Prince.’ “This goes down to the last few plays that we need to just execute, take care of the ball, make free throws, and I think the win is in our favor.”
With the loss, the Tigers’ away record dropped to 0–9.
“I think a win would just do so much for this team just to get back in that column,” Abdullahi said. “It’s like seeing a shot go in. We just need to get in the flow of things.”
Commanding the Catamounts
Regulation time was not enough to decide a winner last Tuesday at Jadwin Gym as Princeton defeated the Vermont Catamounts (8–7, 0–0 America East) with a score of 75–69 in overtime. This marks the Tigers’ first win since the game against Northeastern on Nov. 20, and their first win since Davis’s injury.
“We haven’t won in a really long time,” Henderson said. “But not once has the team hung their heads. […] That’s a really good Vermont team. It’s a heck of a win.”
The game began with the Tigers controlling the tipoff, but it was the Catamounts that secured the first points with a three-pointer by guard TJ Long. Following these first few points, the two teams traded points as the game remained even. The teams opened well from beyond the arc — Vermont hit a three-pointer around two minutes in, Stanton responded immediately with a three of his own.
Stanton in particular had a productive half. At around 13 minutes in, he sank three three-pointers in a row, as well as a jumper shortly after. He ended the half with 14 points in total, shooting efficiently and also providing three assists.
“I think it’s my teammates,” Stanton said after the game. “All the shots I made I didn’t have to dribble. The guys were doing it for me.”
The Tiger offense was indeed an efficient machine throughout the entire first half, shooting an impressive 48 percent from the field and an even more impressive 50 percent from the three-point range.
On the other side of the court, Vermont’s offense was similarly efficient, with similar shooting percentages as Princeton. The Catamounts, spearheaded by the offensive ability of Long, started the half with more shooting.
Even though they were scoring efficiently, Princeton succeeded tactically, able to force turnovers when Vermont drove into the paint. The half ended with a narrow Tiger lead at 36–32.
The second half told a different story, as the Orange and Black immediately started taking control. Abdullahi opened the scoring with a layup, starting a run where Princeton outscored Vermont 13–4. Clark added to the tally with two consecutive three-pointers.
However, once Vermont began to lock up their defense, the momentum swung heavily in their favor. Their offense dominated the paint, and they went on a 9–0 scoring run around halfway through the half. As they came within three points to closing the deficit, Princeton was forced to call a timeout.
“Coach talks a lot about ‘break that door down,’” Clark said. “So I mean there was never any thought of, ‘we’re not winning this game.’”
Immediately after the timeout, Jadwin erupted as Abdullahi rose up for the dunk in the first play following the break. However, Vermont kept themselves in the game in the final few minutes, as they closed the Princeton lead to one point with just under two minutes remaining. Henderson again called a timeout, and the Tigers did well afterwards to retain the ball for another minute and extend the lead to two points.
With 30 seconds remaining, though, Long grabbed the defensive rebound and barreled down the court to secure the game-tying layup. Hicke had a shot at a game-winning three, but failed to convert the difficult shot.
In overtime, the Tigers came out roaring, scoring eight straight points before the Catamounts could make their first shot. Despite Vermont’s efforts to close a deficit that was as large as 13 points, Princeton commanded control during extra time. After the final whistle, the Tigers stood victorious with a 75–69 lead.
“We did not look great the last four minutes of the [second] half,” Henderson said. “And we made enough mistakes and they made plays to give themselves a chance to win. But I thought that those first couple of plays to start overtime, that’s what got it done. We were able to take back control of the game.”
Princeton will return to Jadwin Gym on Monday to face Penn in their Ivy League opener.
“I’m excited,” Stanton said after the game. “Offseason gets you ready for the Ivy League, but the Ivy League gets you into the tournament. […] I think it’s gonna be great and we’ll see a lot of improvement when Ivy starts.”
Kai Kim is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
James Li is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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