Princeton men’s basketball (6–11 overall, 2–0 Ivy League) narrowly defeated Penn (8–7 overall, 1–1 Ivy League), 78–76 before handily defeating Ivy League preseason favorite Yale (12–2, 1–1) 76–60 in what has been a fantastic start to conference play.
After a tough battle against the Quakers, the Tigers stand victorious at Jadwin Gym
Despite the Tigers’ initial struggle in the first half, they regained their momentum and ultimately emerged victorious, marking their 14th consecutive win against Penn.
Heading the pack were sophomore guard Jack Stanton and junior guard Dalen Davis — checking in for the first time since late November from injury — who both led the team in scoring, with 23 and 19 points respectively. Nonetheless, it was still a heavily contested matchup.
With the first few minutes underway, the Tigers struggled to gain their first points, trailing by 6–0; however, sophomore forward CJ Happy soon put an end to Penn’s scoring run with a quick inbound layup. However, the Tigers continued to run dry afterwards, missing seven of nine from the field ten minutes into the first half. Combining this with Penn’s solid defense and taller starters, the gap continued to widen to 23–10.
Desperate to cut the lead, junior forward Jacob Huggins knocked down a putback layup, followed by a fadeaway jumper from Davis. Immediately after, sophomore guard Malik Abdullahi finished a layup, narrowing the score gap to nine, 25–16.
The Quakers fired right back, and after several back-and-forths, the Tigers still trailed by eight. Viewing the team stats, the Tigers’ struggles were apparent, shooting 28 percent from the field and only 16.7 percent from three-point range.
“We didn’t look like us for the first time in six weeks,” Head Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 told The Daily Princetonian. “I think with the start of conference play, or maybe Dalen’s return, we were a little antsy initially.”
After much-needed rest during halftime, the Orange and Black performed like an entirely different team. Just seconds into the second half, Happy scored a quick layup to set the tone. Following right after, first-year guard Landon Clark had a great steal, allowing Stanton to drain a clean stepback three from the wing.
The Quakers fought back, but to no avail. The Tigers were running hot. After a tough layup by Stanton, the game was tied at 36.
In response to Princeton’s momentum, the Quakers stepped up their game. But once again, the Tigers brought the heat. Whether it was home court advantage or the rest from halftime, the Tigers shot a staggering 16-for-16 from the field, giving Princeton their largest lead of the game, 63–48.
“We just pushed the tempo a bit, and then everything seemed to be open,” Stanton told the ‘Prince.’ “The ball has an energy to it when it’s moving like that, so you can take a tough shot and it’ll still feel pretty solid.”
Princeton was able to turn the tide, and with a 15-point lead, the Tigers seemed to be on track for an easy victory. But the Quakers refused to give up and made one final push. Applying constant pressure through a full-court press, the Quakers rattled the Tigers’ offense and also stacked a series of points through layups and one-and-one opportunities at the line. And soon enough, the Quakers had an 11–0 scoring run, turning momentum back in their favor.
What was once a double-digit lead was now a one-possession game. 77–74, Tigers up by three. With 16.6 seconds left on the clock, it was Quaker’s ball, and Stanton having fouled out, the nerves were at an all-time high at Jadwin. Unfortunately, Penn’s senior forward Ethan Roberts only made the situation worse, finishing a layup and making it a one-point game: 77–76 with eight seconds left.
Then, with Davis fouled again and at the line, Princeton held a two-point lead, 78–76. With everyone on the edge of their seats, Roberts scrambled to find Penn guard AJ Levine, hoping for a game-winning three. The shot didn’t land, sealing Princeton’s first win in Ivy League play.
“We have to keep performing well in these big moments,” Henderson told the ‘Prince.’ “And that means taking care of the ball down the stretch and staying out of foul trouble. But it’s nice to be 1–0, and this is a really important win.”
Hicke drops 27 points to lead the Tigers in a 76–60 win against Yale
In Saturday’s storied match-up, Princeton turned the tables on Yale, winning 76–60. Last season, Yale beat Princeton three times, including knocking the Tigers out of the Ivy League Tournament in the semi-finals.
The Bulldogs were the favorite to win the Ivy League at the beginning of the season, while Princeton was picked fourth. Despite the Tigers’ difficult start to the season, which included an eight-game losing streak, Princeton has found its groove at the right time, starting Ivy play with two consecutive wins.
“It’s almost like a second season now,” junior guard Jackson Hicke told the ‘Prince.’ “We grew a lot in those first fifteen games… Now is where we’re really starting to learn how to win.”
Hicke was awarded Ivy League Co-Player of the Week following his 27-point scoring outburst against the Bulldogs.
Happy got the Tigers started early, nailing two triples to put the Tigers ahead 8–5. On the day, the Orange and Black shot an impressive 41 percent from beyond the arc. Clark got in on the action late in the first half, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to put the Tigers ahead 20–17.
On the flip side, Yale lived and died by the three. Entering the game, Yale was second in the nation in three-point accuracy at 42.6 percent. However, the Tigers’ perimeter defense held them to just five made threes on 17 percent three-point shooting.
“I saw white jerseys flying around all over the place,” Henderson said of his players on defense.
The first half of the game was slow and controlled by both teams. Constantly going back and forth, neither team seemed to have the upper hand as neither led by more than one possession for the whole first half. The two teams entered the locker rooms at 22 apiece.
The second half was all Princeton. With the score tied at 24, Hicke netted a deep three, giving the Tigers the lead. Having a quiet first half with just four points, Hicke came alive out of the break and finished with 27 points on the night.
“[Hicke] can do it all,” Abdullahi said to the ‘Prince.’ “He can get you in the post or knock down threes.”
“It makes him hard to guard, especially when he plays within the offense,” he added.
Davis, who recently returned from injury, came off the bench again, bringing late-game composure and another strong second half performance of 15 points.
Though the Bulldogs would stick around, the Tigers put them out of reach each time Yale got close. When the Bulldogs pulled back within two, Hicke hit again from beyond the arc, making it 47–42.
With under four minutes to go, the Tigers gave themselves their first double-digit lead of the night in a rare five-point play. As Hicke hit another three, Stanton was fouled simultaneously, sending Stanton to the line, where he knocked down both.
From there, the Tigers closed out the game and won 76–60, marking three wins in a row. The Tigers have yet to have an away win and will be tested next on the road against Harvard (8–8, 1–1) on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Andrew Kang is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Jordan Halagao is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to sports[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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