RETURNING WITH BANG: Princeton University men’s basketball player Jaelin Llewellyn dribbles past a foe in recent action. Last Monday, senior guard Llewellyn returned from being sidelined for two games due to a leg injury and helped Princeton defeat Penn 74-64. Llewellyn contributed 11 points, five rebounds, and an assist as the Tigers improved to 14-3 overall and 4-0 Ivy League, extending their winning streak to nine games. Princeton is next in action when it plays at Dartmouth on January 22. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As the Princeton University men’s basketball team got ready to take the court against archival Penn last Monday at Jadwin Gym, it got a lift before the contest even tipped off.

Princeton senior star point guard Jaelin Llewellyn, who had been sidelined the last two games due to a hamstring injury, was back in the starting lineup for the Tigers.

“I felt pretty good, I was just getting back into it pretty much,” said Llewellyn, reflecting on his return.

“I just wanted to go out there and do whatever I could. It is hard sitting and watching because I wanted to be out there with my guys. It is good to be back.”

With Llewellyn back at the controls of the offense, Princeton jumped out to a 34-28 halftime lead. In the second half, the Tigers held off a rally by the Quakers who drew to within 51-49 midway through the half and trailed 61-56 with 4:49 left. In crunch time, Llewellyn hit two jumpers and had an assist as Princeton stretched its lead to 68-58 and never looked back on the way to a 74-64 win.

The Tigers, who improved to 14-3 overall and 4-0 Ivy League with the victory, extended their winning streak to nine games. The triumph marked Princeton’s 13th win in its last 15 games against the Quakers and fifth in a row in the rivalry.

Ending up with 11 points, five rebounds, and an assist in 24 minutes of action, Llewellyn saw the effort as a good step forward in his recovery.

“It was just getting the feel back and everything,” said the 6’2, 185-pound Llewellyn, who is averaging a team-high 15.9 points a game along with 3.3 rebounds.

“This next week will be a really good week for me to get back in the flow of the offense and defense and everything.”

Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson was thrilled to have Llewelyn back on the court for his squad.

“I am proud of the team that without Jaelin, they can respond,” said Henderson, whose team edged Brown 76-74 last Friday and had defeated Cornell 72-70 on a buzzer beater by Matt Allocco on January 8.

“We had two really hard-fought wins and then Jaelin comes back. Even in practice, his presence is just like OK, he gets the ball and does this. In the shootaround this morning, instantly he spun in the post and kicks it to the corner. That is what seniors do and I thought he was terrific.”

The Tigers were terrific on the defensive end on Monday, coming up with nine steals and holding Penn to 3-of-12 from three-point range and forcing 15 turnovers.

“That is the best we have played defensively in two months,” asserted Henderson.

“I am hopeful we can build on it, I am very pleased. The guys were really locked in on the scout. I am hopeful we can keep it going.”

Senior guard Ethan Wright, who had two steals and five rebounds to go along with a game-high 16 points, was proud of the squad’s defensive effort.

“We have been focusing on our defense a lot, that is what we have been working on,” said Wright.

“[Jordan] Dingle is a great player. There were some times where I could have done a little better job. We were focused this game and we just did a lot better job on defense. This is one of our better defensive games so far.”

In Wright’s view, the defensive intensity helped spark the stretch run which saw the Tigers outscore Penn 23-15 over the last 10 minutes of the contest.

“When we are all playing together on defense and making them retreat and rebounding and stuff, I think that really helps our offense,” said Wright.

“We got some really important stops that really helped us on offense.”

With Princeton playing at Dartmouth on January 22, Henderson is hoping that the Tigers will keep making stops.

“I thought from the eight-minute mark to the four-minute, we were really good defensively and that is where we were able to pull away,” said Henderson.

“We are thrilled with the win. The schedule has been very favorable to us. Now were go on the road and we are looking forward to that. Hopefully we can find the same success as we hit the road.”

While downplaying the nine-game winning streak, Henderson believes that his squad could be something special if it keeps growing.

“We have a veteran group, we have been through this before,” said Henderson, who got 12 points from Matt Allocco off the bench in the win with Drew Friberg chipping in 10 points and Tosan Evbuomwan contributing nine points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

“We know that anybody can get us; we are going up to Hanover on Saturday. Dartmouth is a really tough matchup. That said, I think there are some signs with this team that they can continue to improve and this is what I ask them — have the spirit of improvement.”

The squad is also benefiting from bringing an upbeat spirit on a daily basis.

“They really like each other a lot, it is a fun group to be around,” said Henderson.

“It makes all of the coaches laugh all of the time. That is good too, I think the joy is coming out.”

Llewellyn, for his part, is dwelling more on the process than the results.

“It is the same approach every day, you come in and do your work,” said Llewellyn.

“As long as you know you have done your work, it will pay off once you step on the court.”

As Princeton heads up to New England this weekend, Llewellyn believes that work will pay dividends.

“When we go on the road, we only have who we travel with,” said Llewellyn.

“We have got to bring the energy ourselves. It is just toughness on the court and mental toughness to prepare ourselves to be in a battle because it is going to be a battle.

And the Tigers certainly feel better going to battle with Llewellyn on the court.