BENCHMARK: Princeton University men’s basketball player Clay Wilson dribbles the ball in a game earlier this season. Last Friday, senior guard Wilson tallied a career-high 19 points off the bench to help Princeton top Lipscomb 77-55. On Monday, he hit a three-pointer as the Tigers topped Liberty 65-47 to improve to 5-8 and won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Princeton is next in action when it plays at Wake Forest on December 31. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Having squandered a 10-point lead in a loss to California earlier this month, the Princeton University men’s basketball team wasn’t taking anything for granted when it jumped out to a 44-27 halftime advantage over visiting Lipscomb last Friday.

“We were up at halftime against Cal too,” said Princeton senior guard Clay Wilson. “We really talked about coming out strong in the second half, that it was a 0-0 game and trying to get 20 more minutes and putting it together.”

With Wilson putting on a career-best display of sharpshooting, Princeton pulled away to 77-55 win over Lipscomb.

“It was huge; that was probably the first game where we put a full 40 minutes together,” said Wilson, who scored a career-high 19 points, making 5-of-6 three-pointers along the way in 26 minutes of action off the bench. “That is something we have been really focusing on as a team and it was good to come away with the win.”

Coming off the bench five minutes into the game with Princeton trailing 8-4, Wilson was looking to give the Tigers a spark. “Tonight I felt there wasn’t much energy at the beginning,” said Wilson. “It is Christmas break, there wasn’t too many people there. We were kind of sluggish to start so I felt like I needed to bring the energy tonight. I took a charge at the beginning.”

Wilson put a charge into the crowd with his shooting. “I am pretty confident in my shot and whenever I get the chance coach tells me to shoot it,” said Wilson, who is now 23-of-50 from three-point range this season. “The team believes in me; they were putting me in the right situations tonight.”

Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson was happy with the way Wilson came through in some key situations in the win over Lipscomb.

“I thought Clay was really good today,” said Henderson. “His first three really made a big difference for us. Then he made a huge one to make it maybe 17 (at 67-50 with 5:02 remaining in regulation), it was a big three for us down the stretch.”

The 6’3, 170-pound Wilson, a native of Tulsa, Okla., figures to keep getting big minutes in his reserve role for the Tigers.

“It is so nice to bring someone off the bench who knows what they are doing and makes shots,” said Henderson.

“I have talked to Clay; I want him to continue to work on his defense because he is in there. He is going to be in there. He has to keep concentrating on it because he just does so many things for us. It is the calmness which makes a difference with this group.”

In Henderson’s view, the win over Lipscomb was a good step forward for his group.

“I am really happy for this one; we have been on the road and it has been a rough schedule for us,” said Henderson, whose team made it two wins in a row for the first time this season with a 65-47 win over Liberty last Monday in improving to 5-8 before the holiday break.

“We finally defended and held a team to less than 40 percent (36.2%) from the field. That is something we have really been talking about and trying to concentrate on.”

Sophomore Spencer Weisz showed concentration at both ends of the court against Lipscomb, scoring 13 points and contributing four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

“I don’t think that Spencer has a particularly pretty game in general,” said Henderson. “He ripped the ball right out of 52’s (Malcolm Smith) hands under the basket. He had that and 1 (to make it 30-19) when we really needed something, he made that big a pass to Hans (Brase) for a 3 (as Princeton went up 60-42). I see all of those things everyday and I think our guys do too.”

Henderson wants his guys to communicate
better on the court. “The main thing is that these guys have to continue to talk to each other in the right way,” said Henderson.

“Clay is a big part of that; Spencer is a big part of that. As long as we understand that we have just got to be about work, we are going to be fine.”

Freshman guard Amir Bell gave Princeton some good work in the win over Lipscomb, scoring 11 points with six rebounds and five assists.

“I thought Amir was really good tonight,” said Henderson. “We really need that. I thought he was aggressive at the right times. He tied up two people there at the end defensively. He had six rebounds. I certainly think this is a reflection of what he is going to be like as a Princeton basketball player because he was very good tonight.”

With Princeton’s Ivy League opener against Penn on January 10 looming on the horizon, Henderson believes the Tigers are on the right track.

“In literally every practice something good happens and it is like another step forward for this group,” said Henderson, whose team is next in action when it plays at Wake Forest on December 31.

“I am not counting down the days, we will get there when we get there. I have seen all of the good signs that I need to see and now it is learning how to put it together. The nice thing is that we get a chance to be at home here a little bit for a stretch of a month.”

Wilson, for his part, is looking to keep up his good work off the bench.

“I am just trying to do what the team needs,” said Wilson. “We need some scoring coming off the bench and that is what coach put my role as. I do whatever I can to help the team. Winning is the best part and we need to try to keep that going.”